SpartanNash adding inventory robot to more stores
SpartanNash will expand the deployment of Simbe's autonomous inventory robot, Tally, to 60 additional stores across the Midwest.
Introduced to 15 locations in 2023, Simbe says its Store Intelligence offers insights and feedback that enhance inventory management and streamline e-commerce operations. By empowering store teams to prioritize tasks effectively, this collaboration enables SpartanNash to enhance customer satisfaction while driving overall success, according to the company.
"When we initially engaged with SpartanNash, it was evident that they understood the significant impact technology could have on optimizing in-store operations and, consequently, elevating the customer experience," Brad Bogolea, co-founder and CEO of Simbe Robotics, told The Packer.
Tally is a quiet, slim robot that unobtrusively traverses store aisles throughout the day, leveraging 3D computer vision technology to collect highly accurate shelf data. It can capture 15,000 to 30,000 products an hour, ensuring products remain in-stock, in the correct location and accurately priced.
Beyond improving the associate and customer experience, SpartanNash set out to beat average industry out-of-stock rates and has seen success across the board.
"On the regional grocery side, we've seen incredible evidence of stores being able to reduce their out-of-stocks 30[%] to 60% by utilizing this data," Bogolea said. "Technology like Tally is such a power tool for the store teams who often spent much of their time identifying shelf and store issues, we can now provide them with a highly curated list, distinguishing where the biggest challenges and opportunities are within the stores."
This announcement follows SpartanNash's recent implementation of a new food traceability program.
Related: SpartanNash implements new food traceability program
"Tally's speed, accuracy and automation enable our associates to save time in inventory tracking and spend more time on the floor serving store guests," Tom Swanson, executive vice president of SpartanNash, said in a news release.
SpartanNash says it is looking to replicate these achievements in more than half of its total locations. This is a milestone for the partnership that validates the impact and ROI of Simbe’s solution — and demonstrates confidence in the platform’s ability to do the same across a significant percentage of its stores, the company said.
