Shop While You Stop: The Next Trend in Grocery Shopping

Since early February, certain SEPTA stations in Philadelphia have offered transit passengers the ability to shop for groceries while they wait for their next train through an app connected to the online grocer Peapod.

Jaffe explains, "while awaiting a train, users can download the Peapod app, peruse the items in front of them, and scan the barcode of anything they'd like to purchase. The groceries are delivered to their homes later that day."

While virtual shopping has already made an appearance in other international cities, with Peapod operating in 24 U.S. cities, if it catches on in Philadelphia it could potentially expand throughout the country.

Some challenges that will be considered for future applications are poor internet connections in underground subway systems and the availability of space for virtual shopping aisle images.