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After testing the use of artificial intelligence-based robots to assist with shelf management at several ShopRite supermarkets, Keasbey-based Wakefern Food Corp. is adding the technology to even more stores.

As part of an ongoing partnership with retail solution provider Simbe Robotics, Tally, an inventory-checking robot, now roams the aisles of 70-plus ShopRite locations, the companies said in a Sept. 17 press release announcing the expansion.

Considered the world’s first and most advanced inventory robot, Tally autonomously traverses a store multiple times a day. It leverages computer vision technology to collect shelf data, ensuring products are in-stock, shelved correctly and accurately priced.

According to Simbe, Tally can scan entire stores up to three times per day, processing between 15,000 to 30,000 products per hour. It also operates quietly alongside shoppers and in tandem with associates.

Tally is already in use at several chains across the U.S., including BJ’s Wholesale Club and Schnuck Markets.

Tally-ing up

Since deploying the bot at 20 ShopRite stores in spring 2022, Wakefern said the technology’s insights “significantly reduced out-of-stock rates, maximized inventory availability and enabled associates to be more effective and focus more of their time on delivering better experience for customers.”

In August 2023, Wakefern widened the scope of the program to include even more ShopRite locations in New Jersey.

Following a pilot program, Wakefern subsidiary Shop-Rite Supermarkets Inc. will expand the technology to all 37 ShopRite stores it operates in New Jersey and New York, while co-op member Inserra Supermarkets will introduce Tally at all 23 of its locations.

Michael Schoendorf, vice president of operations of Shop-Rite Supermarkets, said the technology “has helped reduce out-of-stocks and pricing errors in even our highest-volume stores by providing our team with prioritized alerts in every category we carry.”

“Because Tally tells us every time there is a single incorrect promotion or low-stock item, we’re able to better focus on the guest experience,” he said.

Tech friendly

One of the first owner groups to implement Tally, Inserra has steadily grown its fleet and improved both store operations and shopper experiences since Wakefern and Simbe’s initial partnership began in 2022.

Inserra President and Chief Operating Officer Jim Dorey, commented, “Our team loves that Tally allows them to be more effective and focus more directly on caring for our customers. We have thousands of products across our aisles, and Tally helps us make sure we are staying in stock on the items our customers want.”

Brad Bogolea, co-founder and chief executive of San Francisco, Calif.-headquartered Simbe, said, “Wakefern’s success is a testament to their dedication to excellence and forward-thinking innovation, using data and capabilities that only Simbe provides to power best-in-class experiences for store teams and shoppers.”

“Once retailers know what’s happening inside of stores, they can optimize those locations in ways that fundamentally change their operating model and cost structure. We’re thrilled to continue growing our team and partnership with Wakefern, an exciting milestone on our journey to improve visibility across the retail ecosystem,” he added.

Tally isn’t the only technology upgrades within Wakefern’s family of supermarkets.

Many stores in the co-op are now using mobile scan, which allows shoppers to scan groceries with their smart phone, as well as expanding and improving self-checkout terminals.

Earlier this summer, Wakefern ramped up the rollout of Instacart’s AI-powered Caper Carts at ShopRite stores in New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York’s Hudson Valley.