Home improvement retailer HomeBase has introduced Simbe’s Store Intelligence platform at two its stores in the USA.

Powered by the Tally autonomous shelf-scanning robot, the technology has been installed at stores in Copperas Cove, Texas, and Laramie, Wyoming. The Laramie store introduction marks the first Tally deployment in Wyoming.

Stores such as HomeBase have expansive footprints and tens of thousands of SKUs across lumber, building supply, hardware, farm, ranch, and lawn and garden categories. Keeping shelves stocked with the right items, in the right place, at the right price – across fixtures such as hooks, bins, top stock and bulk – is complex and ripe for automation.

The Tally robot captures real-time, shelf-level data on product availability, pricing and placement, empowering store teams to act faster and with greater accuracy. The results are fewer out-of-stocks, more efficient labour and a smoother, more satisfying experience for customers.

“Getting inventory right is fundamental to our business and, with Tally, we’re equipping our teams with the insights they need to succeed,” said Mark Dremel, district manager at HomeBase (www.homebaseusa.com). “This pilot is an exciting step towards improving both operational performance and the in-store experience, and we’re eager to see Tally’s impact as we look to scale.”

Store teams often spend up to 30 hours per week on manual inventory tasks, which are time-consuming and error-prone. Such repetitive work is also associates’ least favourite responsibility, cited as the largest reason for attrition. Tally automates these responsibilities, scanning shelves multiple times a day to identify out-of-stocks, pricing errors and misplaced items. The data are instantly available to store teams through a mobile app and dashboard, which prioritises the most important items to address.

With Tally’s help, teams proactively address issues before they affect sales and spend more time serving shoppers. In fact, 90% of store managers say Tally makes their jobs easier, and 99% of shoppers are as or more likely to shop again after seeing robots in-store.

Unlike other options, Tally is designed to blend into the retail environment. Built with human-centred design principles, the robot is quiet, friendly and purpose-built for stores, navigating safely around shoppers and pausing when aisles are busy. Across retailers, Simbe’s platform has delivered up to 98% on-shelf availability, 90% pricing accuracy, more than 50 labour hours per store per week reallocated to higher-impact tasks, and up to 2% margin growth and 15x RoI.

Simbe (www.simberobotics.com) has products deployed in nine countries and used by retailers across grocery, club, alcohol, home improvement and farm supply.