Tesco is currently testing a new 6.5ft aisle-roaming robot designed to identify missing stock and pricing discrepancies. This life-sized robot utilizes AI and computer vision to autonomously navigate supermarket aisles and continuously monitor shelves, eliminating the need for manual checks by staff.
According to Tesco, the Tally robot developed by Simbe Robotics will also help identify empty spaces on shelves, enabling staff to enhance product visibility. Simbe claims that Tally can detect ten times more out-of-stock items compared to manual inspections.
In addition to spotting pricing errors and misplaced items, the robot can generate reports for store employees to promptly address any issues. A Reddit user shared an image of the robot named Tally at a Tesco store, noting the humorous reactions of customers avoiding it.
Industry expert Toby Pickard, Retail Futures Senior Partner at IGD, disclosed that Tesco’s trial of the autonomous shelf-scanning technology is a first for the company in the UK and only the second such trial by a major UK supermarket. The robot captures shelf conditions multiple times daily, providing store teams with action lists via mobile apps and reports to enhance inventory accuracy and expedite issue resolution.
Tally, introduced ten years ago, has been successfully deployed in various retailers worldwide. Last year, Morrisons became the first UK supermarket to trial these robots, which stood at around 5ft4 inches tall and navigated store floors independently using sensors.
The new 6.5ft robots used in the Tesco trial aim to streamline product placement and availability checks and ensure accurate pricing displays. By implementing this technology, supermarkets like Morrisons and Tesco seek to reduce time spent on routine inspections, allowing staff to focus more on customer service.
