Shopping carts get intelligent

Customers with a ShopRite loyalty card will be able to log onto a Web site at home, type in their grocery lists, and collect them at the store when they swipe their card on the MediaCart console, says Salon.

As shoppers scan their items and place them in their cart, the console gives a running price tally and checks items off the shopping list.

The system also uses radio frequency identification (RFID) to sense where the shopper's cart is in the store. The RFID data can help ShopRite and food makers understand shopping patterns, and the technology can also be used to send certain advertisements to people at certain points.

Motorola has released a new voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) enabled bar code scanner that lets users read bar codes, look up pricing or inventory information and call sales staff from within a company's premises, reports CIO.

The CA50 VOIP-enabled bar code scanner, aimed at retail, hospitality and healthcare settings, could help improve productivity and customer service while reducing operational expenses, Motorola says.

Demonstrated this week at the National Retail Federation's annual Big Show event, the scanner is scheduled to ship globally during the first quarter of 2008.

Fujitsu Transaction Solutions has launched its "Pervasive Green" initiative in the retail industry, a company-wide mission to develop and promote products that are both created and used in an environmentally friendly manner, reports FOX News.

"Protecting and preserving the environment is very important, and as a company, from our parent Fujitsu to our sister companies, we've taken steps to improve our products and manufacturing processes in a way that will positively impact the environment," said Ed Soladay, COO of Fujitsu Transaction Solutions.

"We want environmental responsibility to reach all parts of the retailing industry, and will develop and promote retail technology products that not only improve a retailer's operations and bottom line, but improve their environmental footprint as well," he added.