Robots and Retail – How One Company is Taking Stock

December 28, 2015 – One of the tougher jobs in retail is determining the right product mix on store shelves. Whenever I go shopping I often encounter an individual checking shelf stock. And sometimes I find that what I want to buy may not be on retail shelves but somewhere in the backroom where it is out of sight, out of mind. This is an industry-wide problem that impacts retailers globally.

Retailers are always stock checking. They purchase elaborate database applications to manage their in-store and back room inventory. Getting accurate stock counts means no over or under stocking. This is something that humans appear to not do too well. Mistakes leading to stock distortion is estimated to cost retailers annually up to $1.1 trillion U.S. globally. That’s $158 for every person on the planet.

Well meet Tally the world’s first retail robot that helps manage inventory on store shelves helping to eliminate over and under stocking and ensuring that the right products are in place at the right price when customers enter the store. A product of Simbe Robotics, a San Francisco based company, Tally can work alone or in tandem to analyze the state of merchandise on shelves whether a mom-and-pop convenience or big-box store. Tally captures, reports and analyzes the merchandise mix and compares it with the ideal map of inventory in the store’s plans. It tells you instantly which products are moving off the shelves and those that aren’t. It operates continuously day or night, during open hours or after hours, beside customers and employees. It is safe, reliable and ultimately a money saver and money maker.

CEO and Co-founder of Simbe, Brad Bogolea states, “When it comes to the retail industry, shopper experience is everything. If a product is unavailable at the time the shopper wants to buy it, the retailer has missed an opportunity and disappointed their customer.”

Tally stands 96 centimeters (38 inches) tall and weighs less than 14 kilograms (30 pounds). With modular masts that can be raised to scan even high shelves, the robot operates on its own navigating to and from its charging dock when it needs to repower. Its built-in software connects to the cloud where accumulated data can be analyzed to give retail operators:

• up-to-date inventory counts
• instant low stock detection
• identification of misplaced inventory
• accurate price checks

Tally is currently in pilot tests with a number of North American retailers. The company has chosen to offer Tally in a service model, that is, you can rent it for a monthly fee. The service model should lend itself to both small and big store operators. So don’t be surprised to find a Tally roaming the aisles of the store where you shop. It will give a whole new meaning to the phrase “tally ho.”