:Caper AI
{{Short description|US software technology company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Caper
| logo = Caper by Instacart logo.svg
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| type = Subsidiary
| industry = Retail software, AI technologies in retail
| parent = Instacart
| founded = 2016
| location = New York, US
| key_people = Lindon Gao (CEO), York Yang, Yilin Huang, Ahmed Beshry{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/23/tech/smart-shopping-cart/index.html|title=These smart shopping carts will let you skip the grocery store line|date=23 December 2019 |publisher=CNN}}{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/caper/?sh=7bcb23bd57d0|title=Caper Cofounders|work=Forbes}}
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| products = Caper Carts{{cite web|url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/technology/kroger-tests-smart-shopping-cart-caper|title=Kroger tests 'smart' shopping cart from Caper|date=19 January 2021 |publisher=Supermarket News}}
| brands =
| services = Autonomous checkout software
| website = {{URL|https://www.caper.ai}}
}}
Caper is a software technology company that develops and deploys AI-powered automated checkout devices{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurendebter/2021/01/19/kroger-is-testing-a-new-smart-cart-that-lets-shoppers-skip-the-checkout-line/?sh=79e812636339|title=Kroger Is Testing A New Smart Cart That Lets Shoppers Skip The Checkout Line|work=Forbes}} as well as AI-based software applications{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2019/12/20/caper-ai-shopping-cart-orig.cnn-business/video/playlists/business-artificial-intelligence/|title= This shopping cart knows what you're buying|date= 23 December 2019|publisher=CNN Business}}{{cite web|url=https://cheddar.com/media/caper-ceo-looks-to-cut-the-checkout-line-with-smart-shopping-cart|title=Caper CEO Looks to Cut the Checkout Line with 'Smart Shopping Cart'|publisher=Cheddar}} for retailers, grocers, convenience stores and other general merchandising store formats.{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-a-i-is-making-supermarkets-less-exhausting-11551387197|title=How A.I. Is Making Supermarkets Less Exhausting|publisher=The Wall Street Journal}}{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brittainladd/2019/01/17/introducing-caper-the-amazongo-experience-in-a-grocery-cart/?sh=259f4ea4efad|title=To Beat Amazon At Its Own Game, Retailers Are Turning To Caper, The AmazonGo Experience In A Cart|work=Forbes}}{{cite web|url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/sobeys-tests-smart-shopping-cart-scans-and-checks-out|title=Sobeys tests smart shopping cart that scans and checks out|date=23 October 2019 |publisher=}} Caper AI was established in 2016 by Lindon Gao, York Yang, Yilin Huang and Ahmed Beshry. It is headquartered in Manhattan, New York.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/10/25/tired-long-lines-canadian-grocery-chain-debuts-smart-carts-with-self-checkout/|title=Tired of long lines? A Canadian grocery chain debuts Smart Carts with self-checkout|newspaper=The Washington Post}}
In October 2021, American retail delivery company Instacart acquired Caper for $350 million.{{Cite news|url=https://venturebeat.com/business/instacart-acquires-smart-checkout-startup-caper-ai-for-350m/|title=Instacart acquires smart checkout startup Caper AI for $350M|work=VentureBeat|last=Wiggers|first=Kyle|date=October 19, 2021|access-date=August 9, 2023}}
History
The company was founded in 2016 by Lindon Gao, York Yang, Yilin Huang and Ahmed Beshry with its main office based in New York.{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/10/caper-shopping-cart/?guccounter=1|title=Meet Caper, the AI self-checkout shopping cart|date=10 January 2019 |publisher=TechCrunch}} Since its inception, the company focused on the development of automated checkout software to grocery retailers. Caper AI closed its series A round of funding for US$10 million in 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.retaildive.com/news/smart-cart-company-caper-raises-10m-in-series-a-funding/562981/|title=Smart cart company Caper raises $10M in Series A funding|publisher=RetailDive}} In 2019, Sobeys, the second-largest food retailer in Canada, publicly announced about commercial deployment of the Caper's Smart Cart technology with its first location being at Glen Abbey Sobeys supermarket in Oakville, Ontario.{{cite web|url=https://abasto.com/en/news/the-smart-shopping-cart-is-here-thanks-to-caper-ai/ |title=The Smart Shopping Cart is here thanks to AI|date=28 October 2019 |publisher=Abasto}} As Grocery Dive notes, "The novel coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the deployment of programs that help shoppers get in and get out from stores as quickly as possible".{{cite web|url=https://www.grocerydive.com/news/smart-carts-get-a-charge-from-amazon-and-covid-19/583959/|title=Smart carts get a charge from Amazon and COVID-19|publisher=GroceryDive}} According to Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, Caper's technology started to roll out in the US and Canada grocery stores in 2019. The deployments include Foodcellar & Co., C-town, Met Fresh Market, Pioneer Supermarkets, Gala Fresh Farms and Brooklyn Fare, among others. In autumn 2020, the company introduced Caper Counter, a cashierless countertop for small grocery stores under 10 000 sq feet and fewer than 10K SKUs with a software applying machine learning algorithms, computer vision and Sensor Fusion technology.{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/caper-launches-streamlined-self-checkout-technology-2020-10|title=Caper debuts AI-driven self-checkout solution|publisher=Business Insider}}{{cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/contactless-checkout-why-its-coming-to-the-bodega-before-the-chain-store/|title=Contactless checkout: Why it's coming to the bodega before the chain store|publisher=ZDNet}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cspdailynews.com/technologyservices/caper-launches-frictionless-checkout-counter-c-stores|title=Caper Launches Frictionless Checkout Counter for C-Stores|publisher=CSP Daily News}}{{cite web|url=https://thespoon.tech/capers-new-counter-device-gives-cashierless-checkout-to-convenience-stores/|title=Caper's New Counter Device Gives Cashierless Checkout to Convenience Stores|date=14 October 2020 |publisher=The Spoon}}
In 2020, one of the largest American chain retailers, Kroger, launched "KroGo" AI-powered shopping carts developed by Caper AI. The pilot program was introduced at one of its stores in Cincinnati, Ohio.{{cite web|url=https://thespoon.tech/kroger-using-smart-shopping-carts-powered-by-caper/|title=Kroger Using Smart Shopping Carts Powered by Caper|date=19 January 2021 |publisher=The Spoon}}{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/kroger-tests-caper-smart-shopping-carts-to-expand-digital-solutions-2021-1|title=Kroger launches smart shopping cart pilot with Caper to expand in-store digital solutions|publisher=Business Insider}} Grocery chain Schnucks, Shoprite, and Fairway Market stores all rolled out the AI-powered shopping carts in 2023.{{Cite web |last=Bursztynsky |first=Jessica |date=19 July 2023 |title=Why Schnucks is betting on the future of Instacart's smart grocery carts |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90925400/why-schnucks-is-betting-on-the-future-of-instacarts-smart-grocery-carts |access-date=3 January 2024 |website=Fast Company}}{{Cite web |date=2023-06-22 |title=New Jersey ShopRite and New York Fairway Market launch AI-powered carts from Instacart |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/technology/new-jersey-shoprite-and-new-york-fairway-market-launch-ai-powered-carts-instacart |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=Supermarket News |language=en}}
In Fall 2024, Instacart launched Caper Carts internationally, with ALDI in Austria and Coles Supermarket in Australia.{{Cite news |date=2024-08-06 |title=Instacart Pushes Overseas With Smart Cart Deal in Austria |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-06/instacart-pushes-overseas-with-smart-cart-deal-in-austria |access-date=2024-12-18 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-11-12 |title=Australian grocer Coles Supermarkets rolling out smart carts in 2025 |url=https://chainstoreage.com/australian-grocer-coles-supermarkets-rolling-out-smart-carts-2025 |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=Chain Store Age |language=en}}
Technology
Caper AI uses several technologies to automate the retail checkout process, including computer vision, machine learning and sensor fusion. Caper's technology has multiple cameras and lights to capture images. AI and deep learning are used to pre-train the system to recognize products within the stores {{cite web|url=https://cheddar.com/media/are-smart-shopping-carts-the-future-of-food-shopping|title=Are Smart Shopping Carts the Future of Food Shopping?|publisher=Cheddar}} The technology can recognize products that are similar or identical by differentiating between them based on textual information and size.