Dive Brief:
- Simbe Robotics has rolled out technology that allows grocers to remotely monitor inventory levels, product layouts and other aspects of their stores visually using imagery and data captured by Tally, the company’s aisle-scanning robots, according to a Tuesday announcement.
- The system, which is available on mobile devices and desktop computers, provides high-definition snapshots and time-lapse footage of store shelves at various heights.
- Simbe has also introduced mobile apps that allow store staff and managers to access and interpret data the Tally robots capture using their smartphones, reflecting the company’s sense that retailers are becoming more dependent on data analysis capabilities.
Dive Insight:
The new capabilities are designed to broaden the utility of Simbe’s Tally robots, which the company has deployed with a number of grocers, including BJ’s Wholesale Club, SpartanNash, Schnuck Markets and Wakefern Food Corp.
As they autonomously move around stores, the robots capture images of products, providing retailers with the ability to track inventory placement, gauge how effectively products are organized and get an early warning about items that are running low.
But while the devices are able to collect vast amounts of data, Simbe realized that putting all of that information to use can be a challenge, CEO Brad Bogolea said.
“The foundationary thinking around bringing these things to market is we’ve always been capturing these stores at this deep level, but how do we make this information more accessible and essentially easier to use?” Bogolea said in an interview.
The company’s new app is available on the Apple iOS and Google Android mobile platforms as well as proprietary handheld devices. That makes it considerably easier than in the past for personnel to access information about Tally-equipped stores because they can do so using a device they probably already have instead of needing to rely on specialized equipment, Bogolea said.
Simbe has so far deployed Tally robots to about 1,000 retail locations and is working on deals to bring the units to additional grocers, he said.
Simbe said in the announcement that its newly introduced virtual store navigation system is intended to help retailers gain clarity into conditions around their stores in “near real-time.” The tool provides 360-degree views of store interiors, making it possible for managers to regularly monitor stores they are responsible for without needing to visit in person.
Bogolea said Simbe is making the new app and remote-monitoring tools available to retailers as an extra-cost add-on to the standard Tally platform.
“There are retailers that elect to just run with our data from an [application programming interface] or data-integration standpoint. But if we’re providing a more rich set of tools that they can use directly, there’s the opportunity for us to capture more value,” Bogolea said.
