Store managers can use the map in real time to see when checkout lanes need to be opened to relieve long lines. And they can save the map histories and analyze cart patterns to determine where and when traffic jams occur, so they can adjust store layouts. The data could also be used to make items, such as seasonal goods, more accessible.

The MediaCart wagon can tell shoppers about special promotions and help them locate items in the store. Maps of store parking lots or the areas surrounding stores—the readers have about a 1-mile range—can enable employees to locate stray carts. In addition, the tags can be set to trigger mechanical pins that lock the wheels when carts near the end of the outdoor readers' range. Intelligentz is partnering with California Shopping Cart Retrieval Corp. to provide the cart-retrieval service to stores.



While these two systems are new, they don't mark the first marriage between shopping carts and RFID tags. In 2001, Sorensen Research began offering its PathTracker system to the retail industry. It analyzes shopping cart traffic patterns. Stores usually install the system for two or three months, often right after a renovation when managers want to gauge the effectiveness of a new layout.

The PathTracker system consists of WhereNet's 2.45 GHz active tags and location sensors, as well as software that Sorensen Research developed to process and analyze the tag IDs that the location sensors collect. Signs posted at store entrances alert consumers that a "tracking technology" is monitoring the movement of shopping carts, says James Sorensen, senior vice president of client services at the research firm. Some consumers are asked to provide feedback about their shopping experiences as they exit the store. With their consent, the ID encoded to the tag on their shopping cart is linked to their interview.

While grocery stores have been the test bed for these RFID-enabled shopping carts, Media Cart's Kramer sees home improvement stores as another strong market.