Schnuck Markets Deploys Tally Robot to More Than Half of Stores

Three years after introducing Simbe Robotics’ autonomous robot Tally to select stores to enhance inventory management, Schnuck Markets, Inc. today announced it is launching the technology in an additional 46 stores, leveraging Tally’s real-time data to improve the shopping experiences in 62 locations.

“The amount of critical data and valuable insights that Tally continues to bring us from a select number of stores is immeasurable,” said Schnucks Vice President of IT Infrastructure and Development, Dave Steck. “By expanding our partnership with Simbe and introducing Tally to more than half our stores, we will improve our in-stock position for our customers and free up our teams from tedious inventory-related tasks, allowing more focus on service. Improving our customer’s experiences has always been deeply important to us and is becoming even more critical to operations in a rapidly changing retail environment.”

Steck added that additional benefits of Tally include:

• 14x more out-of-stock detection than manual auditing and at least 20 percent reduction in out-of-stock items in stores using Tally
• Increased accuracy of real-time inventory that feeds into Schnucks’ automated replenishment system, allowing for more efficient inventory management
• Streamlined ordering and replenishment, ensuring store shelves are restocked quicker to meet customer needs
• Access to real-time product location data through the Schnucks Rewards app, enabling more efficient shopping trips for customers and stocking for teammates

Schnucks first piloted Tally in July 2017 and expanded to additional stores in 2018, with robots traversing store aisles two to three times per day and autonomously capturing inventory for approximately 35,000 products per store with each traversal. Both teammates and customers have enjoyed the benefits of improved inventory and productivity in these stores – a result the Schnucks team affectionately refers to as “The Tally Effect.” With this latest expansion, on average, Tally will scan more than 4.2 million products per day – giving Schnucks accurate, frequent and comprehensive insights into product flow and operations. This enhanced partnership with Simbe is an important milestone in Schnucks’ commitment to leveraging new technology to provide customers with the best possible shopping experiences.

“Schnucks has done a tremendous job adopting thoughtful innovation to consistently enrich the shopping experience, share cutting-edge resources with store teams and ultimately, improve business operations,” said Brad Bogolea, founder and CEO of Simbe Robotics. “Simbe is proud to expand our partnership, now and into the future and continue to work together across a variety of store sizes and layouts to create a better retail experience through data-driven solutions like Tally. As retailers are recognizing the need for innovation in a unique market landscape, Simbe equips them with the insights they need to remain competitive and keep customers happy.”