![\"Retail](\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Dive Brief:<\/h3>\n\n- BJ\u2019s Wholesale Club plans to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>deploy autonomous aisle-scanning vehicles<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> from Simbe Robotics to all of the club retailer\u2019s locations, the companies announced in a press release Tuesday.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- The robots, known as \u201cTally,\u201d use computer vision-driven cameras to collect images of items on store shelves and use the data they record to track stock levels, ensure products are in the correct location and monitor prices.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- BJ\u2019s is bringing robotic inventory technology to its stores as the company looks to make other improvements to its locations and expand to regions where it does not yet have a presence.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Dive Insight:<\/h3>\n
BJ\u2019s goal in bringing Simbe robots to its stores centers around the company\u2019s desire to use data to get a clear sense of operating conditions as it looks to become more efficient and serve customers better, according to the announcement.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe robots, which can traverse an entire store several times per day, feed information to cloud-based servers that use artificial intelligence to guide store employees in stocking shelves, locating products and handle other tasks. \u201cUltimately, Tally allows team members to be more efficient and re-focus more of their time towards providing exceptional customer service,\u201d according to the announcement.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nBJ\u2019s follows supermarket chains including Schnuck<\/span> Markets, Hy-Vee<\/span> and The Save Mart Companies in electing to use Simbe\u2019s<\/span> technology in its stores.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nMeanwhile in October, BJ\u2019s rival Sam\u2019s Club announced that it had finished installing <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>automated inventory-scanning equipment<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> on existing robotic floor-scrubbing machines in all the Walmart subsidiary\u2019s approximately 600 locations. The scanning devices depend on artificial intelligence software from Brain Corp to run the scanning equipment, which sits atop robots provided by Tennant Company, an industrial cleaning equipment supplier.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nIn addition to deploying technology to improve its ability to keep tabs on products on store shelves, BJ\u2019s plans to upgrade its locations\u00a0<\/strong>so they can better serve digital customers, President and CEO Bob Eddy\u00a0<\/strong>said last week during the retailer\u2019s fourth-quarter earnings call. Eddy noted that while curbside pickup now accounts for half of the company\u2019s online sales, many of its stores were not designed with e-commerce in mind, adding that the company installed facilities to enable pickup at its stores in only a couple of weeks.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWe never built the infrastructure inside these clubs to allow them to efficiently store and refrigerate products and make sure that they’re getting out to the parking lot in an efficient manner,\u201d Eddy said. \u201cAnd so some of our clubs will look kind of haphazard that way. They\u2019ve outgrown the initial shot of capital that we put in there.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nBJ\u2019s, which currently operates 237 stores,\u00a0has also recently been concentrating on expanding its retail footprint. The company announced last week that it intends to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>add five new stores<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> to its fleet, one of which will be in Madison, Alabama, and represent the retailer\u2019s first location in that state. BJ\u2019s also said it intends to open stores in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee; Johnson City, New York; Lewis Center, Ohio; and North Jacksonville, Florida.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nLast month <\/strong>BJ\u2019s said it plans to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>expand to Tennessee<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> later in 2023, where\u00a0<\/strong>it intends to debut a store in a suburb of the state\u2019s capital and largest city, Nashville.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Dive Insight:<\/h3>\n
BJ\u2019s goal in bringing Simbe robots to its stores centers around the company\u2019s desire to use data to get a clear sense of operating conditions as it looks to become more efficient and serve customers better, according to the announcement.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The robots, which can traverse an entire store several times per day, feed information to cloud-based servers that use artificial intelligence to guide store employees in stocking shelves, locating products and handle other tasks. \u201cUltimately, Tally allows team members to be more efficient and re-focus more of their time towards providing exceptional customer service,\u201d according to the announcement.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n BJ\u2019s follows supermarket chains including Schnuck<\/span> Markets, Hy-Vee<\/span> and The Save Mart Companies in electing to use Simbe\u2019s<\/span> technology in its stores.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile in October, BJ\u2019s rival Sam\u2019s Club announced that it had finished installing <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>automated inventory-scanning equipment<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> on existing robotic floor-scrubbing machines in all the Walmart subsidiary\u2019s approximately 600 locations. The scanning devices depend on artificial intelligence software from Brain Corp to run the scanning equipment, which sits atop robots provided by Tennant Company, an industrial cleaning equipment supplier.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In addition to deploying technology to improve its ability to keep tabs on products on store shelves, BJ\u2019s plans to upgrade its locations\u00a0<\/strong>so they can better serve digital customers, President and CEO Bob Eddy\u00a0<\/strong>said last week during the retailer\u2019s fourth-quarter earnings call. Eddy noted that while curbside pickup now accounts for half of the company\u2019s online sales, many of its stores were not designed with e-commerce in mind, adding that the company installed facilities to enable pickup at its stores in only a couple of weeks.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe never built the infrastructure inside these clubs to allow them to efficiently store and refrigerate products and make sure that they’re getting out to the parking lot in an efficient manner,\u201d Eddy said. \u201cAnd so some of our clubs will look kind of haphazard that way. They\u2019ve outgrown the initial shot of capital that we put in there.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n BJ\u2019s, which currently operates 237 stores,\u00a0has also recently been concentrating on expanding its retail footprint. The company announced last week that it intends to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>add five new stores<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> to its fleet, one of which will be in Madison, Alabama, and represent the retailer\u2019s first location in that state. BJ\u2019s also said it intends to open stores in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee; Johnson City, New York; Lewis Center, Ohio; and North Jacksonville, Florida.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Last month <\/strong>BJ\u2019s said it plans to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>expand to Tennessee<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> later in 2023, where\u00a0<\/strong>it intends to debut a store in a suburb of the state\u2019s capital and largest city, Nashville.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n