Scandit launches smart shelf management for retailers

Ideal for grocers and stores with high-SKU volume, Scandit ShelfView addresses some fundamental challenges retailers are facing today to tackle razor-thin margins and drive cost optimization. Introducing in-store labour automation and robotics can help retailers add another 2-4% to their profitability according to McKinsey.  With rising labour costs, worker shortage and pressure to deliver omnichannel fulfilment, ShelfView automates routine tasks which are currently conducted manually and prone to error to maximise store associate efficiency and reduce employee turnover. 

ShelfView’s initial capabilities will help retailers optimize three main workflows: 

• Accurate price and promotion label execution:  ShelfView analyzes both labels and signage in real-time, either via mobile devices or autonomous robots, to inform store associates of required adjustments to optimise sales and increase price integrity.  
• Frictionless in-store order picking: Shelfview, with autonomous robots, provides accurate product locations to store associates resulting in lower substitution rates, decreased picking delays and delivering an optimized customer experience. Any one second saved in order picking can translate in up to $10 million of annual cost savings.
• Faster replenishment with precise in-store product localisation: Via autonomous data capture, ShelfView can scan shelf and pallet labels to analyze the accurate location of pallets for replenishment. This can save stores up to 2.5 hours a day resulting in store associates being leveraged for more critical tasks.  

ShelfView gathers in-store intelligence to improve retail execution by leveraging existing infrastructure without the need for significant additional investment. The solution can be scaled chain-wide, scanning millions of images per day, which can be processed on device or in the cloud to deliver actionable insights. ShelfView works seamlessly with Brain Corporation’s BrainOS AI platform to deliver an easily scalable, accessible and cost-efficient way to automate the collection of data via the use of robots. Utilizing a multi-purpose design, Inventory Scan is a powerful new accessory that can be fitted to autonomous floor scrubbers to autonomously scan key details on in-store inventory. Additionally, ShelfView can be applied to mobile devices already in use by store associates. 

Scandit ShelfView enables retailers to: 

1. Boost operational efficiencies and reduce costs: ensure accurate pricing and promotion, accelerate the movement of inventory and reduce the low efficiency of in-store order fulfilment which erode profit margins. ShelfView increases productivity of store associates to quickly locate products or verify pricing and promotions. 
2. Expand workforce capacity: The hybrid approach of mobile devices and autonomous floor scrubbers enables retailers to expand the workforce by removing repetitive tasks from the employees and empowering them to focus on value adding tasks, such as customer engagement. Reducing tedious tasks aids retailers in retaining employees to reduce costly churn.  
3. Get real-time actionable intelligence and reduce errors: ShelfView delivers precise in-store inventory data to drive efficient shelf management and order fulfillment workflows. Enable store associates to correct store level issues before they affect sales.
4. Improve customer experience and drive revenues: accurately placed, priced, and promoted inventory is essential to delivering a consistent in-store and online customer experience. Frequent and exact shelf management is vital to ensure a frictionless customer journey.

Christian Floerkemeier, CTO and Co-Founder of Scandit, said: “All retailers understand that improving the in-store shopper experience is more important than ever, but doing so economically remains critical. Automating and simplifying routine tasks empowers retailers to maximise revenues while increasing the efficiency, value and engagement of their store associates. By leveraging our smart data capture capabilities, ShelfView can increase on-shelf product availability, improve the rate of online orders fulfilled and lift sales through accurate pricing and promotion labelling to achieve this.”  

With claimed industry-leading performance, Scandit ShelfView leverages augmented reality (AR), object recognition, object detection, optical character recognition, and other advanced computer vision technology to process images acquired through both mobile devices and autonomous data capture.