From a „warm welcome“ to a professional retail media campaign - these are the possibilities offered by FastLaner & Co.
Work on Scan & Go has been going on for years. Many approaches have been tested in the meantime and have disappeared from the market again. Many teething troubles stood in the way of the idea. EDEKA tested the Easy-Shopper or „Whiz Cart“, REWE the „Catch!, Net tested smart shopping trolleys with an app. Most recently, at the beginning of 2026, an intelligent self-checkout system was installed on the shopping trolley in a V-Market in Munich tested.
Many solutions for Wanzl's FastLaner - a handle unit with a 10“ screen and hand scanner - were also on show at various stands at EuroShop 2026. Last but not least, Wanzl itself had given its shopping trolley a large presentation area on its own stand.
Why the topic is so interesting
- Delay-free quick purchase with self-checkout
- with reduced personnel deployment Particularly interesting during off-peak times
- Collect easy shopper data and learn more about the customer
- and now new: Promotion where the purchasing decision is made
Why shopping trolleys with a display are relevant right now
Brick-and-mortar retail is under pressure: rising expectations, declining attention, growing competition from e-commerce. The shopping trolley with screen offers a new opportunity because it reaches customers exactly where decisions are made - at the moment of purchase.
At EuroShop, we used the Wanzl FastLaner as an example to demonstrate the possibilities for addressing customers with advertising on the screen and the modern retail technology that can be used to good effect.
The possible applications go far beyond traditional advertising:
- Attention-grabbing campaigns directly at the start of the purchase
- Dynamic advertising playout (programmatic and targeted)
- Integration of shopping apps on the display
- Product scan with added value (Info, allergens, recipes)
- Cross-selling and upselling at the right moment
The decisive factor: The communication happens context-related and in real time.
5 ideas for promotion directly on the shopping trolley
This is how smart the integration of price and advertising communication on the shopping trolley can be. With the solutions from PRESTIGEenterprise, the Wanzl Fastlaner:
- for programmatically controllable retail media space
- for proactive sales support
- the digital assistant for the customer
1. strong start: shopping ideas when unlocking
When the car is unlocked, an eye-catching full-screen campaign starts automatically. Perfect for maximum visibility - either as a dealer message or booked brand advertising.
2. split display: use for app & advertising
Promotional playlists on the one hand and shopping apps on the other create benefits and monetisation at the same time. While shopping lists and discount campaigns create benefits for customers, advertising messages are simultaneously conveyed on the screen.
3. retail media: Dynamic campaign management
Retail media is integrated programmatically and continuously updated. Campaigns booked by the brand industry are played out precisely to the customer - in real time.
4. product scan: Additional information with added value
If the customer scans a product, relevant information such as ingredients, allergens or recipe ideas appear immediately. Context beats traditional advertising.
5th product scan: Campaigns with maximum sales impulse
With the product scan, the customer triggers targeted cross-selling campaigns - product recommendations and brand messages that trigger additional and impulse purchases.
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Three specific application examples for the Wanzl FastLaner screen
Supermarket
- Welcome with promotional video (e.g. drinks manufacturer)
- Recipe ideas when scanning ingredients
- Cross-selling: „Fits this“ recommendations in real time
DIY store
- Project inspiration right at the start (e.g. building a terrace)
- Additional information during the scan: material, application, safety
- Upselling: automatically display suitable accessories
Furniture market
- Brand staging when entering the area
- Product information, dimensions and variants by scan
- Inspiration + bundle offers for entire living worlds
Supermarket
- Welcome with promotional video (e.g. drinks manufacturer)
- Recipe ideas when scanning ingredients
- Cross-selling: „Fits this“ recommendations in real time
With the solutions from PRESTIGEenterprise, the shopping trolley:
- to the programmatically controllable retail media space
- to the active sales support at the POS
- to the digital shopping assistant for customers
Price and advertising communication are directly interlinked - without media discontinuity.
What retail media can do on the shopping trolley
Competitive advantage through early positioning
Why it pays for retailers to start testing early:
- Those who test early gain experience
- Those who integrate early secure media space
- Those who scale early build up new sources of revenue
Conclusion: Smart Cart - The underestimated touchpoint in store
The shopping trolley is one of the last unused communication channels in stationary retail - with 100 % reach per visit. Retail media at the shopping trolley connects Monetisation through advertising revenue, Better customer guidance and Higher shopping baskets. In short: More sales per customer - without additional sales space.
About the author:
Sandy Heinzmann has been rocking marketing at Online Software for over 15 years, with a flair for stories that stick and campaigns that catch the eye. She is the bridge builder between software code and the reality on the shop shelf. As a self-confessed AI pragmatist in retail tech marketing, she knows that a technology is only as good as the story it tells. From RFID to augmented reality - she looks for added value in the tech jungle and shares her experiences from her clients„ projects. Her heart beats for stationary retail, her mind works digitally and her texts are the opposite of “Special offer: 20% on everything". She provides insights from the engine rooms of large retail groups and courageous retailers - guaranteed without technical Latin, but with a lot of passion.
About Online Software AG
Development of solutions for international wholesale and retail. The medium-sized company based in Heidelberg has been supporting retailers with software solutions for professional store advertising for over 25 years and is the market leader in the field of cross-media in-store communication and sales promotion with more than 65,000 installations in 35 countries. With the PRESTIGEenterprise software, the online software offers a communication platform for addressing customers at the POS that includes both traditional media and digital output media.