Automated Inventory Management with Smart Shelf

Avoid out-of-stock situations and reduce food waste with networked shelves

Restocking shelves can be a real challenge, especially during the current pandemic. Not least because increased demand for many consumable items is colliding with staff shortages that many retailers are facing currently. If staff is unable to visually inspect fill levels regularly, out-of-stock situations will occur. This means dissatisfied customers and sales loss. The solution: automated shelf and inventory management with Smart Shelf.

Reduce food waste

Customers today have become accustomed to a demand consistent availability of the entire product range. And that from the time the store opens until it closes. In the bakery section, for example, surplus goods are then often sold at reduced prices. In other cases, they end up as food waste. Not only does this equate to an economic disadvantage. Much more food waste can also negatively impact brand image.

Smart Shelf is a networked shelf that applies an automated process to continuously monitor fill levels in real time, whether on the sales floor, in the bakery section or in the warehouse. In this process, integrated weighing sensors and an intelligent center-of-gravity algorithm monitor and record every time products are removed from the shelf. And this, with an accuracy within gram and centimeter range. Above all, the ability to divide into individual compartments is flexible. Regardless of whether two, six or ten compartments are required for each level.

No more out-of-stock situations

Furthermore, the system detects impending out-of-stock situations early. Consequently, it triggers the necessary measures for restocking the shelves in automated processes. Two examples for this are the triggering of automatic oven preheating. And, in addition, the sending of out-of-stock messages to employees. And this, either via smartphone, headset, or e-mail.

Full control with intelligent shelves

Thanks to Smart Shelf and the automated inventory management solution, retailers can always have a clear overview. As a result, the integrated artificial intelligence ensures a targeted monitoring of production quantities. In doing so, various influencing factors can be incorporated here. Such as past data or times of the day like for example shortly before closing time. And even weather data. The data may, for example, provide indications of impending barbecue weather so that bakers know to bake more loaves of bread.

Moreover, it can also include inventory of alternative products. For instance, as long as pretzel breadsticks are still in stock, additional pretzel rolls are not needed. The retailer can also push alternative products automatically. Either with targeted advertising or with sales campaigns.

Smart Shelf – the benefits for retailers and end customers:

• Automated instead of manual inventory
• No operator errors when starting the oven
• No human error in estimating production quantities
• Reduce food waste, for example with dynamic price adjustments or targeted real-time promotions
• More efficient use of staff with the help of automated inventory management of shelves
• Increased sales as a result of avoiding out-of-stock situations thanks to an early warning system
• Automated upstream and downstream processes, for example of oven, task management, inventory management system, etc.
• Waste reduction in two ways: on the one hand with demand-based, data-driven replenishment or on the other hand when inventory is too high with dynamic price adjustments and promos

In conclusion, you can achieve threefold profit with Smart Shelf: You can assign your staff more efficiently, replenish your shelves on time, and last but not least avoid overproduction. As a result, this helps you to increase sales, customer satisfaction, and overall profitability.

At a glance

• Automated shelf and stock monitoring, and that even in real time
• Avoid out-of-stock situations
• Reduce food waste with networked Smart Shelf

Automated inventory management

Avoid out-of-stock situations

Reduce food waste

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