The time-saving feature is called SmartLists and it will be available on the Sainsbury’s app from Wednesday, October 7.
Sainsbury’s confirms change for customers who use shopping lists from Wednesday
Sainsbury’s has launched a clever AI app tool to plan your meals and fill your trolley in seconds. The time-saving feature is called SmartLists and it will be available on the Sainsbury’s app from Wednesday, October 7.
Customers will be able to create shopping lists instantly just by typing prompts, like “ingredients for shepherd’s pie”, or other family staples like spaghetti bolognese.
Shoppers can also take a photo of their list if they’ve already written it down and have it matched to Sainsbury’s products. Ben Edge, director of product at Sainsbury’s, said: “We know our customers are busy and want shopping to feel simple, joyful and easy to fit around their lives.
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“SmartLists is designed to take the effort out of creating and buying a shopping list, whether customers are typing, speaking or taking a picture of what they need.
“Alongside this, by bringing more of our services together in one app, we’re making it easier for customers to plan their shop, build their basket and find products in store, however and whenever they choose to shop with us.”
On LinkedIn, Nida Naseem wrote: “tried the Smart Lists feature in the Sainsbury’s app. The idea is great. Tell the app what you need by typing, taking a photo or speaking and it turns that into a shopping list. I tried the voice option. It worked well. But as I used it, I noticed a few small things that could be improved.
“1. Make voice input one step. Press. Speak. Release & Done. At the moment releasing the mic doesn’t send the message. You have to tap again.
“2. Let users explore without penalties. I pressed the mic to see how it worked, didn’t say anything and then tried again. I got an “upload limit” error and had to wait 45 seconds. I think new experiences should be more forgiving.
“3. Make the whole product card clickable. When the list of products appeared, I had to tap the. Select button to add them. I would make the entire card selectable. Bigger target means less effort and faster interaction.
“4. More control over substitutions. Once the items were in my trolley, I wanted to turn substitutions off. But I had to do it product by product. A simple on/off widget would make this much easier. These are not big changes.
But they are the kind of small interactions that can make an AI feature feel much more natural and effortless.”
