Instacart on Thursday unveiled a new feature for its Caper Carts designed to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients better manage their grocery budgets.
The tool tracks eligible and noneligible items separately and provides a running total on the cart’s built-in screen, allowing shoppers to monitor their spending in real time.
Why It Matters
The move could significantly improve accessibility for low-income shoppers who rely on SNAP benefits.
What To Know
The EBT SNAP feature expands Instacart’s efforts to make SNAP benefits easier to use, following its rollout of online EBT payment across the country. With the new tool, shoppers can scan a bar code on the Caper Cart’s screen and pay directly with their SNAP card.
Instacart has also added a Cart Cash rewards program, on-cart loyalty sign-ups, and updated product recommendations. Shoppers can link their loyalty accounts on the carts, access discounts, and earn cash back by meeting shopping milestones such as making a set number of store visits in a month. Other updates include gamification, digital coupons, and on-screen promotions designed to bring more of the company’s online shopping features into stores.
Adoption of smart carts remains limited. Retailers including Kroger, Schnuck Markets, Wakefern, and Wegmans have introduced Instacart’s Caper Carts in some stores, but none have expanded them across entire chains.
What People Are Saying
David McIntosh, Chief Connected Stores Officer at Instacart, said: “Caper Carts are transforming everyday grocery trips into a more affordable, rewarding, and personalized experience for customers. With the ability to track EBT SNAP eligibility, access digital coupons, and sign up for loyalty programs directly on the cart, we’re giving customers powerful new ways to save right in the aisle. Retailers are also seeing how Caper Carts drive omnichannel purchases, grow basket size, and strengthen loyalty. In just the last year, we’ve nearly tripled the number of stores with Caper Carts spanning nearly 100 cities across 15 states, underscoring the growing demand to bring digital convenience into the grocery aisles.”
Tim Cosens, Chief Technology Officer at McKeever’s, said: “Caper Carts have made shopping more efficient for our customers, while helping them stay on budget.” With new savings features on Caper Carts, like EBT SNAP tracking and Cart Cash, we’re excited to continue offering ways for our customers to manage their budgets and maximize benefits as they shop.”
Christopher McCrae, Digital Customer and Loyalty, at Wakefern Food Corp, said: “When customers shop with Caper Carts, our Wakefern Members want to provide them with a convenient way to access their EBT SNAP benefits. Caper Carts offer convenience and discretion, letting customers monitor their running grocery bill as they shop. We’ve heard firsthand from customers that they love how easy it is to access coupons and shop at their own pace with Caper Carts. We continue to expand our Caper Cart footprint across more Wakefern Member stores, as we believe every customer deserves a seamless, personalized shopping experience.”
What Happens Next
Competing tech companies, such as Veeve and Shopic, are also developing tools to bring smart-cart functionality to traditional grocery carts.