Zebra unveils SmartSight retail intelligence automation system at NRF 2020

Zebra Technologies said its SmartSight with the EMA50 mobile automation system is the retail industry’s first subscription-based robotic offering to turn data into actions to improve store performance.

NEW YORK — Zebra Technologies Corp. today introduced its SmartSight system, which it said can improve front-of-store operations and enhance shopper experiences at mass merchants, grocers, and supermarkets.

According to Zebra’s most recent Global Shopper Study, the primary reason retailers are losing in-store purchases to online shopping is because problems with inventory management, especially out-of-stock items.

Retail associates and shoppers expressed dissatisfaction with out-of-stocks, as 43% of retail associates cited customer complaints about out-of-stocks as their biggest frustration and 39% of shoppers left a store without a purchase because of this problem.

Meanwhile, 25% of shoppers reportedly did not complete their purchases because the in-store price did not match the online price, and 15% could not find the correct or discounted price labels on the products.

Zebra Technologies said it empowers the front line of business in retail/e-commerce, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, healthcare, and other industries to achieve a performance edge. With more than 10,000 partners across 100 countries, the company said it delivers industry-tailored, end-to-end solutions that intelligently connect people, assets, and data to help customers make business-critical decisions.

SmartSight generates corrections

SmartSight uses computer vision, machine learning, workflow automation, and the capabilities of Zebra’s EMA50 mobile robots to accurately identify out-of-stock conditions, pricing inconsistencies, and planogram issues on the shelf, said the company. The subscription-based solution is the first of its kind to put this data to work by generating corrective actions to store associates’ mobile computers to resolve these issues in near real time.

SmartSight can increase store inventory availability above 95% by autonomously scanning shelves and generating tasks for store associates to restock or update in a timely manner, said Zebra. As a result, basket sizes increase, price integrity is improved, and planogram execution is enhanced, it added.

The system also allows retailers to reassign an average of 65 labor hours per store per week to higher-value assignments that are more focused on engaging shoppers and less focused on managing what’s on the shelf.

The solution is available exclusively on a subscription basis and includes the EMA50 (integrated with Locus Robotics), Zebra’s retail automation software platform, and both professional and managed services. SmartSight integrates into existing retail systems, augmenting “buy online, pick up in store” (BOPIS) and “buy online, deliver from store” (BODFS) workflows.

“SmartSight and the EMA50 were developed to help retailers fully capitalize on the opportunities presented by the on-demand economy, despite heightened competition and ongoing labor shortage concerns,” said Joe White, senior vice president and general manager of enterprise mobile computing at Zebra Technologies. “Leveraging Zebra’s deep retail experience and market leadership over the last 50 years, SmartSight provides brick-and-mortar retailers a performance edge by autonomously prescribing corrective actions to associates based on what is happening at the shelf while also freeing up more of their time to focus on providing the best service to shoppers.”

SmartSight can help retailers substantially reduce out-of-stock conditions and minimize the occurrence of price mislabeling issues, resulting in higher levels of customer loyalty and increased average basket size, Zebra said.

Takeaways

Zebra is demonstrating SmartSight featuring the EMA50 enterprise mobile automation system, retail automation software platform, and professional and managed services in Booth 3301 at NRF 2020.

The subscription-based SmartSight solution was designed for front-of-store mass merchant, supermarket, hypermarket, and grocery environments and uses computer vision, machine learning, workflow automation, and robotics to capture shelf and store information, resulting in greater than 95% inventory availability.

SmartSight is the retail industry’s first corrective action-centered intelligent automation system that puts shelf data to work by autonomously navigating stores, streamlining workflows, and issuing near-real-time corrective actions to store associates’ mobile computers.

By simultaneously performing product, pricing and planogram workflow automation, retailers can reassign an average of 65 labor hours per store, per week to higher-value assignments that are more focused on engaging shoppers and less focused on managing what’s on the shelf.