Microsoft Goes Grocery Shopping!

Microsoft has recently announced their newest endeavor - bringing advertisements straight to grocer shoppers on their shopping carts. Microsoft worked with Plano, Texas-based MediaCart Holdings Inc. for four years developing the technology.

The purchase of aQuantive will deliver the technology to serve up relevant ads as a consumer shops at Wakefern Food Corp.’s ShopRite supermarkets on the East Coast.

This space age shopping program allows customers with “loyalty cards” to make their shopping list online and will bring it up with a swipe of their card. As the person shops and scans products, it will cross the items off the list. The cart will also keep a running total of your shopping trip.

The carts themselves will be outfitted with RFID tracking, so it can begin recognizing patterns shoppers have when shopping. This technology will also be used to generate ads that a shopper might use. For instance, it might bring up an ad for ice cream when you enter the frozen food aisle.

All of this sounds pretty space age to me, but I suppose it’s just a sign of things to come. It’s too bad they couldn’t program in more fruits and vegetables for people and cut out some of the junk - maybe they could help combat obesity while they are at it?

CNN

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