Big Box Retailers Need to Step Up their Game for in-store inventory automation: Provide a better customer experience and reduce the cost of locating p

Much has been covered in the media about the automation of warehouse distribution centers. However there have been fewer column inches of newsprint devoted to the pointed end of the retail business where products meet the customer, i.e. in the stores.

The managing of in-store inventories for big-box retailers can not only be a headache but the potential loss of sales and much-delayed detection of shrinkage (theft).

The challenge is the customer. You cannot have automated machines trying to navigate customers with their shopping carts and don’t forget the boisterous kids having fun chasing each other around the aisles. The level of AI required for automated vehicles to navigate these obstacles would be far greater than required for autonomous vehicles on the road and we all know that we are a long way from perfecting that technology.

The patents shown in the book cover both Drone and Ground-based robot solutions for inventory checking when the store is empty. I prefer the Drone solution because for hours after a store is closed pallets of products will still be waiting to be unloaded in the aisles making it impossible for robots to get close enough to the aisle bay to scan the products. Drone’s are far less expensive than robots and can either be powered tethered to overhead power lines strung down the center of each aisle or free flight battery operated with enough spare Drones to ensure that when they return to their charging location there are enough fully charged to keep the process in operation. A combination of large Drones for aisle scanning and small Drones to fly inside shelves and count products may be the best of all worlds.

Although the cost of AI software for an automated in-store automated nightly inventory may be expensive it is a one-time cost (with some small residual maintenance costs) that can be amortized over the cost of operating in a large number of stores.

The message is. Provide a better customer experience and reduce the cost of locating products to increase profits and keep a better handle on thefts.