SmartCart now has three optimization modes. Here’s what changed and when to use each one.
What we added
Until now, SmartCart optimized for one thing: lowest total price. It would split your cart across however many stores got you to the cheapest total. Great on paper. Occasionally impractical — no one wants to visit 4 stores to save $11.
We heard that feedback. The new Fewest Stores mode consolidates your cart to the minimum number of stores needed while staying within a budget you set.
The three modes
Best Price — Original mode. Optimizes purely for lowest total cost, regardless of how many stores that requires. Use this when you’re doing a planned weekly shop and have time.
Fewest Stores — New. Finds the 1–2 stores that cover your whole list for the best combined price. Use this for mid-week fill-in trips or when you just want to get it done.
Shortest Drive — Optimizes for lowest total distance across all stops. Useful when you’re doing a multi-store run and want to minimize driving time.
How to switch modes
Open SmartCart → tap the optimization icon in the top right → select your preferred mode. It recalculates instantly.
Why this matters
Saving $22 across three stores sounds great. But if those stores are 25 minutes apart and you value your time at even minimum wage, you’ve made a bad trade.
Fewest Stores mode lets you decide explicitly instead of having the app decide for you. Sometimes consolidation is worth a few extra dollars. Now you can see exactly how much.
Try it in Cartana — build a SmartCart and switch between modes to see the real tradeoff in dollars.