Hy-Vee will use Tally robots from Simbe to track inventory in its supermarkets
Hy-Vee operates more than 240 retail stores in eight Midwestern states, including Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The company has announced a new partnership with retail data provider Simbe to automate the collection of in-store inventory data.
The initial rollout of Simbe's Tally robots will begin in stores in Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. Tally is an autonomous mobile robot equipped with high-resolution cameras. It can safely navigate supermarket aisles, continuously photographing all shelves using TallyVision. The robot can identify and avoid shoppers, shopping carts and aisle displays.
Real-time inventory data collection
After inventory photos are taken, Simbe's image processing software identifies items on the shelves and generates a complete planogram and inventory record. This allows retailers to improve customer service through more frequent and accurate information on product stock, prices and promotions.
Using inventory data, supermarket managers and other staff can quickly learn about upcoming low-stock or out-of-stock situations for certain products and restock items that are running out before it affects customer satisfaction. Tally autonomously scans tens of thousands of products in grocery, health and wellness departments up to three times a day to ensure products are in stock, in the right place on the shelf and at the correct price.
“Hy-Vee has a strong reputation built on excellent customer service and an employee-focused culture. By using Tally, we can continue to deliver outstanding service by reducing stockouts and giving our store teams real-time information to ensure the best customer service across the board”
Tally Insights enables retailers to deliver a better in-store customer experience and make more informed business decisions. With Tally, Hy-Vee will be able to get information about the state of its supermarkets, giving employees real-time recommendations to improve operations and maximize customer satisfaction. In addition, store managers will have more accurate order forecasting and the ability to optimize store layouts to support sales.
Tally is easy to deploy
Tally requires no changes to store infrastructure to operate effectively and is designed to avoid disturbing shoppers. The robot strategically moves through supermarket aisles during regular business hours, safely maneuvering around customers and employees.
“No other retail solution supports store teams the way Tally does. The coronavirus pandemic has truly created a "new normal" for grocers, revealing the need for more frequent and accurate store data. Hy-Vee is a great example of thoughtful technology adoption that improves supermarket operations for both shoppers and staff teams. As retailers face a growing number of challenges, Tally offers a cost-effective solution that helps them continue delivering excellent customer service and creating a better work environment for their employees”
Tally robots are already in Hy-Vee stores in Ankeny, Iowa and Lincoln, Nebraska. Over the coming weeks, the bots will be deployed in the chain's supermarkets in Lee's Summit, Missouri, Omaha, Nebraska and Altoona, Iowa.
Why Tally helps retailers
Tally is the only robot that combines autofocus, auto-exposure and HDR cameras with Intel RealSense 3D cameras for navigation and analysis of the in-store environment. Thanks to the combination of computer vision (CV) and RFID/Digimarc capabilities, the robot's sensor system is the most advanced on the market, allowing it to seamlessly scan and track products in a variety of retail environments.
Tally 3.0 (the latest version of the robot) uses an NVIDIA GPU platform, enabling it to process shelf data in real time both in the cloud and at the edge for fast results. This provides a more optimized approach and better understanding of the robot's surroundings in the store.
The device is designed for accurate inventory tracking in any retail environment, from standard fixtures and adjustable shelving to refrigerators, freezers and best-in-class audits. Its compact design and polite manners allow it to be unobtrusive to customers.
Tally uses the latest available mobile technologies to significantly reduce costs and minimize maintenance requirements. The robot is very dedicated to its work, so store staff can spend more time helping customers. If something goes wrong, the development team receives a notification and can resolve most issues remotely. If physical repairs are required, a Simbe engineer will visit the store.
Another advantage is that Tally is not a surveillance robot. It takes photos only of shelves with products and understands the environment around them. The world looks different to it. The first day of installation consists of several tasks: guiding Tally through the store to create a map, telling it where the charging dock is and when it should go out to collect data.
