Schnuck's Deploys Intelligent Retail Robotics

 An interesting case of chainwide application.  Surprised somewhat that Schnuck's is involved.   With the robotics being used for multiple purposes including direct consumer interaction. Good example to follow.  We examined many of application type mentioned here, starting with out-of-sticks.

Schnuck Markets Becomes World’s First Grocer to Deploy Intelligence Robots Chainwide

An expanded partnership with Simbe brings Tally, the comprehensive retail management solution, to all Schnucks stores

August 26, 2021 09:00 ET | Source: Simbe Robotics

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Schnuck Markets, Inc. announced an industry-first chainwide expansion with Simbe Robotics’ to further elevate the grocer’s business operations and customer experience. Building on previous successful expansions, the multi-year full-scale roll-out will bring Tally robots to all 111 Schnucks locations across the U.S., making Schnucks the first grocer in the world to utilize AI-powered inventory management technology at scale. By incorporating Simbe’s solution into chainwide operations, Schnucks will gain even greater visibility into store conditions, with deeper levels of business insights as the retailer prepares to adjust to the quickly-evolving landscape of a post-pandemic world.

“We are facing a ‘new normal’ in the grocery industry, and Tally has been instrumental to ensuring we continue to provide an exceptional store experience while rising to meet new operational challenges,” said Dave Steck, Vice President of IT Infrastructure and Application Development. “By deploying Tally to all stores, we are fully operationalizing these insights into our supply chain and expanding our ability to leverage real-time data to make revenue impacting decisions. Tally has become an integral component of our stores, streamlining operations and ultimately creating a better store experience for our customers and teammates.”

Schnucks first piloted Tally in July of 2017 and expanded to additional stores in 2018 and 2020. Tally traverses store aisles up to three times per day and autonomously captures on-shelf data including inventory position, price accuracy, and promotional execution. Additional benefits of Tally include:

Detecting 14x more addressable out-of-stocks than manual scans

Enabled 20-30 percent reduction in out-of-stock items

Increased price tag and promotional execution compliance in stores across tens of thousands of products per day

Increased accuracy of real-time inventory integrated into Schnucks’ automated replenishment system, streamlining ordering and ensuring store shelves are restocked quicker to meet customer needs

Delivered access to real-time product location data through the Schnucks Rewards app, enabling more efficient shopping trips for customers, restocking and fulfillment activities for store teams, and 3rd party e-commerce partners

“Schnucks is the prime example of thoughtful adoption of retail technology, and we are honored to be their partner on this journey to create a better store experience through access to richer data,” said Brad Bogolea, founder and CEO of Simbe Robotics. “This expansion is a momentous occasion for Simbe, Schnucks, and the broader retail technology industry. It demonstrates that robots that are thoughtfully deployed are a critically important tool for retailers to improve bottom lines, support teams, and maintain an exceptional shopping experience, both in stores and online.” ... '

Inventory Robotics at Giant Eagle

Note in particular the frequency of state and availability of merchandise.

Giant Eagle unveils plans for inventory robots

Giant Eagle has joined with Simbe Robotics to add the company's robot, Tally, to select stores in Pennsylvania and Ohio under a pilot program. Tally is an autonomous robot that regularly checks shelves for inventory and sends data reports to employees.  .... 

Giant Eagle Piloting In-Store Robots  in Progressive Grocer

 ... Giant Eagle has unveiled a pilot program with Simbe Robotics to deploy Tally, Simbe’s autonomous shelf-auditing and inventory analytics solution, at the grocer’s Giant Eagle and Market District stores in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, and Akron, Ohio. Tally ensures that products are on shelves when and where customers expect them to be, while enabling store associates to focus on customers instead of inventory.

In the pilot, Tally sends detailed data reports to store teams every 30 minutes that capture, report, and analyze the state and availability of merchandise. The reports help the teams address controllable out-of-stock and pricing situations while optimizing each store’s product layout. The solution requires no infrastructure changes to the store and operates safely during normal store hours alongside shoppers and employees.

Employing Tally’s cloud-powered software platform and API, Giant Eagle aims to streamline store performance, maximize customer satisfaction, boost sales and lower operational expenditures. ... " 

Robot Restocking

Includes a good expert discussion, usually the best parts of these pieces.   Also an approach we did much experimenting with, starting with Blackberry devices.

Can robots keep shelves stocked at Schnucks?  in Retailwire,  by George Anderson

Schnuck Markets, the 100-store supermarket chain based in St. Louis, announced it will run a six-week pilot program at three locations to test robots that will move up and down store aisles to make sure shelves remain properly stocked. The robots will also scan shelves to make sure that each item is in its proper place, aligned with the correct shelf tag.

The robots, which will be deployed three times a day (morning, afternoon and night), will send real-time information to store associates, helping them keep shelves stocked for customers. Each unit, named Tally by the manufacturer, Simbe Robotics, stands 38 inches high and weighs about 30 pounds. The devices use sensors to navigate around the store. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the units are programmed to avoid busy aisles and stop moving if a customer approaches.

Dave Steck, vice president of IT – infrastructure at Schnucks, said the data the robots collect will also be shared with vendors to help them improve their supply levels to stores. The initial emphasis of the pilot is to see if the chain can improve its stock positions through automation. Later, the technology may be used to reduce pricing errors and address other issues.  .... "