Concept iShop incorporates iPhone into grocery shopping experience

By Kelly Montgomery November 10, 2011

Every day it seems that someone around the world thinks of a new way to incorporate an Apple product into another aspect of life, and we have to say there have been some pretty great ideas. Today we see another such idea that’s only in concept form, but one that could help anyone with an iPhone have a better shopping experience at the grocery store. The iShop was thought up by Wooyong Lee and aims to improve the shopping experience of every different kind of shopper, including “the pro,” “the wanderer,” and “the run-in.” The design includes a specially-designed shopping cart handle with button controls and a slot for the iPhone, as well as an iShop app.

Taking several common shopping problems into account, Lee designed a functional shopping cart handle as well as an app that would help shoppers find what they need, stay on budget, keep lists, and get out of the store in the least amount of time. Users would create a shopping list ahead of time, and when they got to the store the iShop app would help them locate the items on their shopping list, compare prices of similar items, and prepare applicable coupons. The app would also keep tabs on your running total and use an ePay system to allow you to check out without waiting in line. The concept even includes a 360-degree rotating dock (on the shopping cart handle) and a “baby channel” that would play a video or a game to keep your child occupied while you shop.

While integration into shopping cart handles would likely be a long way off, even an app that did all of this could prove extremely useful for avid shoppers. We particularly like the idea of the app being able to locate your items in the store before you start looking for them. We’ll take anything that makes the grocery shopping experience more efficient and enjoyable, and it certainly looks like this smart concept design would do both.

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Kelly Montgomery

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kelly Montgomery is a magazine journalism graduate from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications…

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