New Zealand-based artificial intelligence company IMAGR announced today that it's upping the grocery game by launching its innovative solution SMARTCART to a Four Square store in the Auckland suburb of Ellerslie. The move comes as retailers around the globe look for ways to give consumers more streamlined methods and checkout-less options for shopping, including the recent launch of Amazon Go in Seattle. The New Zealand store will be the flagship Foodstuffs retail outlet to trail SMARTCART, a computer vision technology retrofitted to shopping baskets and carts that recognises products as soon as they are placed inside, eliminating the need for barcode scanning, checkouts and queueing. "We're delighted Foodstuffs is the first retailer in the world that we're partnering with to make this happen This is the first significant step in enhancing the way we do our grocery shopping here in New Zealand and abroad," said IMAGR founder William Chomley. "It's great to see Foodstuffs embracing technology like this to empower customer experiences."

Ellerslie grocery shoppers will be the first in the world to trial artificial intelligence technology that will eliminate the need for checkouts. Auckland-based company IMAGR, aims to change the way people shop by using computer vision technology that recognises products as they are placed in the shopping trolley. Foodstuffs' Four Square Ellerslie will be the first fast-moving consumer goods store in the world to trial the Smartcart technology. IMAGR founder William Chomley said he used to spend his whole lunch break waiting in the queue at the supermarket when he worked in Sydney. Working with a team of 12, including artificial intelligence specialists from around the world, Chomley set out to improve the experience of customers.

Shopping in the future may feel a lot like shoplifting does today -- without the risk of getting nabbed -- if two artificial intelligence startups have their way. New Zealand's IMAGR and Silicon Valley's Mashgin aim to make checking out of grocery stores and company cafeterias a walk in the park. Many supermarkets offer self-checkout to save shoppers time. IMAGR founder William Chomley wants to skip the checkout altogether, so you can just walk right out the door. It's similar to the idea behind Amazon Go, being tested in a grocery store in downtown Seattle, which lets customers shop without ever stopping at a cashier on the way out.