Verification of items by automated checkout system

A method for verifying items added to a physical shopping cart in a retail environment, the method comprising:

• generating, by an item verification engine, item verification results for each item when the item is scanned by a mobile computing device and added to the physical shopping cart during a shopping trip, based on (i) item verification data for the item that was scanned, and (ii) cart sensor data that was generated by one or more cart sensors of the physical shopping cart when the item was added to the physical shopping cart, wherein the item verification results indicate whether the item that was added to the physical shopping cart is determined as being the same as the item that was scanned;
• after generating the item verification results for the item, updating a virtual shopping cart that maintains a list of items that have been scanned by the mobile computing device, to include a representation of the item along with the item verification results for the item;
• determining, by a server system of the retail environment, an overall item verification status for the physical shopping cart, based at least in part on an aggregation of the item verification results for the items in the list of items maintained by the virtual shopping cart;
• in response to the overall item verification status indicating that the list of items maintained by the virtual shopping cart accurately represents the items that have been added to the physical shopping cart, generating message data for presentation at the mobile device that indicates that a cart verification of the physical shopping cart and its items is to be performed at an automated checkout station;
• and
• generating cart verification results for the physical shopping cart and its items at the automated checkout station, based at least in part on (i) the list of items maintained by the virtual shopping cart, and (ii) station sensor data that has been generated by station sensors of the automated checkout station and that are distinct from the cart sensors of the physical shopping cart, wherein the station sensor data represents an assessment of the physical shopping cart and at least one of the items that have been placed in the physical shopping cart.