An overview of RFID-controlled smart shopping cart systems for efficient supermarket checkout

Abstract

The checkout remains the biggest bottleneck in modern retail. Manually scanning barcodes leads to long queues, cashier errors, and reduced customer satisfaction. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology, combined with low-cost embedded platforms like the ESP32 and Arduino, is frequently proposed as a solution to move product identification and billing from the checkout area directly to the shopping cart. The study identifies consistent design patterns—a cartmounted RFID reader, a microcontroller for local processing, a display for real-time billing information, and a wireless connection to a central server or database—as well as secondary enhancements such as ZigBee/Bluetooth mesh connectivity, weight sensor cross-verification, and anti-theft measures. At the same time, it highlights recurring weaknesses such as tag interference, limited scalability testing, and inadequate inventory synchronization mechanisms. Based on this synthesis, the article explains the reasons for a proposed ESP32-based smart cart system that combines an RFID scanner and an LCD display with a Wi-Fi connected server and is intended to automate billing, reduce waiting times at the checkout, and improve inventory accuracy in ongoing retail operations.