Turkish supermarket chain Carrefour SA has started using Tally in-store robots from Californian company Simbe.

Carrefour SA deployed Tally into select stores this summer. Tally operates three times a day, scanning store aisles to ensure items are stocked and tagged properly. The robot captures images of products and shelves and processes them in near real time, which lets store personnel quickly replenish any missing items.

Additionally, Tally monitors and addresses issues related to incorrect labelling that customers may encounter while shopping.

Simbe’s platform combines computer vision, AI and the autonomous item-scanning robot. Retailers gain visibility into near real time store and shelf conditions.

Simbe’s partnership with Carrefour SA come on the heels of new and expanded deployments with Northeast Grocery, Tops Friendly Markets, Price Chopper Supermarkets-Market 32, SpartanNash and Wakefern.

Today’s top frustrations for shoppers include inconsistent pricing, confusing promotions and low or out-of-stock (OOS) inventory. Retailers are addressing these through technology, such as inventory robots that help store teams keep shelves fully stocked with the right products at the right price.

In a recent survey (www.simberobotics.com/site/retail-robotics-consumer-research-report) of more than 400 US shoppers who have visited retailers with in-store robots in the past three months, most – and particularly those who shop more frequently – cited a positive affinity and strong preference for robots in store.

Additional findings from the study include:

• Only 4% of shoppers view retail robots in a negative light. The majority (77%) of shoppers view in-store robots positively, and nearly all shoppers (96%) have a positive or neutral attitude.
• Most shoppers view retailers with in-store robots as innovative (84%) and growing companies (80%), who are investing in its customers’ experience (76%).
• Most shoppers believe robots will improve the accuracy of on-shelf labelling (72%) and ensure the products they want are available on shelf (69%).
• Shopper positivity remains constant across repeated exposure to in-store retail robots. All shoppers that liked seeing a robot one time felt the same at three or more times.
• Frequent shoppers feel even more positive about robots, liking in-store robots 29% more than infrequent shoppers.
• Most consumers (61%) are more likely to shop at retailers who have in-store robots.
• The above trends are likely to expand, as younger consumers are most favourable to in-store retail robots.

“At the beginning of 2024, IGD predicted that retailers will focus on computer vision, automation, robotics and AI to drive productivity and reduce costs,” said Toby Pickard, senior partner at the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD, or www.igd.com). “The number of retailers across geographies that are now leveraging Simbe’s technology is a great example of IGD’s prediction coming to fruition. Regarding the recent survey of US shoppers, the findings align with what I’ve previously heard from CEOs and store managers, who have told me how Tally is helping drive footfall to their stores as the robot brings joy and excitement to shoppers, especially those with children. As the benefits of automation, computer vision, robotics and AI continue to become more apparent – from improving ecommerce pick rates to ensuring planogram compliance and enabling virtual store tours – I expect we will see more and more retailers implementing such technology to ensure they remain operationally efficient and offer the best service to shoppers.”

The Carrefour Group became the first company to bring the hypermarket concept to Turkey when it opened its first market in Turkey in İçerenköy, Istanbul, in 1993. In 1996, due to the partnership between Sabancı Holding, one of Turkey’s largest conglomerates, and the Carrefour Group, it was renamed as Carrefour SA, and the first Carrefour SA (www.carrefoursa.com) market was inaugurated in Adana in 1997.

For more information, visit www.simberobotics.com.