Streamlining Shop Floor Operations: Innovations to Tackle On-Shelf Availability Challenges

It’s a little over four weeks until the showcase finale of our On-Shelf Availability (OSA) Innovation Challenge. These initiatives have the power to tackle some of the stubborn problems in retail today. Each week we will shine a spotlight on one of the focus areas where our innovators will have the biggest impact. This week: Shop Floor. 

The shop floor is retail’s frontline. It’s where sales are won or lost. The surge in online grocery sales and changing consumer behaviours mean traditional retail models must evolve.

Traditional shop floor solutions can be one-size-fits-all. However, the reality of retail is anything but uniform.

Our judges were looking for dynamic approaches that fit individual store contexts, with the flexibility to optimise shelf space, reduce overstocks and minimise losses in line with local needs.

They considered innovations that use real-time data analytics to adapt to changing sales patterns, ensuring shelves are replenished proactively rather than reactively.

And solutions that boost visibility of shelf inventory levels to enable quicker replenishment, while ensuring high-demand items are always available to shoppers.

The judges were looking for innovations that could streamline picker accuracy, to cut errors and ensure customers get the right product every time.

And they considered new ways to simplify security checks at self-checkout. This includes developments that cut errors and prevent bottlenecks in the payment process.

Solutions that address these critical challenges on the shop floor can improve sales and customer satisfaction. And also play significant roles in controlling retail losses.

Standout innovations that impressed our panel of 36 global OSA experts, representing dozens of leading international brands, in the Shop Floor category include:

Captana

Sub category: Outdated manual audit practice

Captana revolutionises retail audits with computer vision and IoT, ensuring on-shelf availability through real-time monitoring, live insights, and automated alerts.

Clobotics

Sub category: Oudated manual audit practice

Clobotics uses advanced computer vision technology for real-time inventory monitoring and compliance, optimising retail operations and ensuring consistent product availability.

Databricks

Sub category: Safety stock levels

Databricks optimises retail inventory with AI-driven out-of-stock modelling and real-time insights, ensuring consistent on-shelf availability and minimising stock issues.

 Evershelf

Sub category: Enabling real-time stock visibility

Evershelf enhances high-value retail aisle security with real-time stock visibility and alerts, reducing shrinkage and optimising inventory accuracy through scalable monitoring.

METAshelf™

Sub category: Enabling real-time stock visibility

METAshelf™ by NomadGo leverages AR and computer vision for real-time inventory intelligence, enhancing supply chain automation and driving operational efficiencies.

Neoalto

Sub category: Enabling real-time stock visibility

Neoalto uses IoT and proprietary sensors to enhance on-shelf availability, optimising inventory and store operations through real-time, data-driven insights.

Rapitag

Sub category: Security tags

Rapitag enhances on-shelf availability with smart tags that integrate anti-theft, mobile payment, and inventory management, streamlining the retail and checkout process.

Shelfie

Sub category: Real-time data for replenishment

Shelfie uses camera technology and AI analytics to optimise on-shelf availability, reduce stock-outs and enhance retail efficiency through automated replenishment alerts.

ShelfWatch

Sub category: Enabling real-time stock visibility

ShelfWatch by ParallelDots uses image recognition for real-time retail shelf monitoring, optimising planogram compliance and enhancing on-shelf availability.

Shelfwise

Sub category: Static Planograms

ShelfWise leverages AI and image recognition to provide real-time shelf monitoring, ensuring optimal inventory and reducing out-of-stocks in retail environments.

Store Intelligence™

Sub category: Outdated manual audit practice

Simbe's Store Intelligence™ uses AI and robotics to enhance retail operations, reducing stock and pricing errors, and improving online order fulfillment efficiency.

Tech Shelf

Sub category: Real-time data for replenishment

Tech Shelf reduces retail losses by providing real-time shelf data, enabling proactive replenishment and boosting sales through efficient stock management.

V7 Labs

Sub category: Static Planograms

V7 Labs uses advanced AI and computer vision to automate planogram compliance and optimise shelf management, ensuring consistent product availability in retail.

Will any of these be among the ten finalists selected to pitch to our judges? The only way to find out is to sign up for our OSA Innovation Challenge showcase finale on May 22.