US firms GreyOrange and Zebra Technologies are working together to provide real-time intelligence for store inventories.

Announced at last week’s NRF Big Show in New York, the partnership combines Atlanta-based GreyOrange’s store inventory software with overhead RFID technology from Illinois firm Zebra Technologies.

The joint offering uses Zebra SmartLens (www.zebra.com/us/en/products/rfid/rfid-reader-antennas/sn5604.html) overhead RFID reader hardware and software with GreyOrange’s gStore execution platform to help retailers identify on-shelf gaps and immediately direct store teams to fill them.

According to Zebra’s latest global shopper study (www.zebra.com/us/en/cpn/18th-annual-shopper-study.html), inventory inaccuracy remains one of retail’s most persistent and costly problems, leading to lost sales, inefficient labour and cancelled omnichannel orders.

The overhead RFID readers continuously capture item-level inventory signals across the store. The gStore platform interprets these signals in real time, identifies availability gaps and orchestrates precise in-store actions via mobile tasking, eliminating manual cycle counts and reactive workflows.

The combination integrates with existing handheld RFID systems, leveraging infrastructure retailers already have in place. In its first deployment at a national fashion retailer, it achieved an on-shelf availability rate as high as 98%.

By improving visibility into store-level inventory, the partnership should also strengthen omnichannel retail strategies through reduced order cancellations, faster fulfilment and improved store labour productivity.

“Retailers don’t struggle because they lack data, they struggle because they can’t act on it fast enough,” said Troy Siwek, general manager at GreyOrange. “By combining Zebra’s SmartLens technology with gStore’s real-time intelligence and orchestration, we’re turning continuous inventory insight into precise, in-store action that improves availability, fulfilment and store productivity.”

GreyOrange’s AI-powered GreyMatter and gStore products continuously optimise automation, inventory and workforce management for some of the world’s largest retailers and 3PLs. Through real-time visibility into all omnichannel nodes and the seamless orchestration of robotic agents, people and systems, users can reduce their cost per unit, eliminate lost inventory, ensure worker safety and productivity, and enhance in-store experiences.

Founded in 2012, GreyOrange (www.greyorange.com) is headquartered in Atlanta with offices and partners across the Americas, Europe and Asia.