"For retailers and brands from Coca-Cola to Anheuser-Busch, incorrectly-stocked shelves, whether because stuff is selling or because it''s been put in the wrong place, is more than an annoyance: it''s potential for millions in lost sales."
"But a new startup thinks drones can solve this problem, giving close-to-real-time updates on in-store inventory to both retailers and brands. It''s a lightweight alternative to the armies of cameras that track a customer''s every move in Amazon Go convenience stores. The Pensa Systems drone can fly around a store and examine items on both normal shelves and coolers, comparing what''s actually in the store to planograms — a retailer''s map of what things should look like. Pensa worked with Anheuser-Busch InBev on a pilot program that focused on easy setup and integration with existing retail locations, minimizing the work required to begin getting data. Andrew Green, Global Director of Innovation at AB InBev — the world’s largest brewer — said in a press release that the company was “enthusiastic” about Pensa’s approach and that the company plans to continue testing it. With manpower-intensive manual stock-level checks running hours behind the drone-powered alternative, retailers could find appeal in the aeronautical solution. Of course, walking into a store and having a drone flying around you might be unnerving for customers, especially since a whizzing robot has the potential to be far more noticeably intrusive than an eye-in-the-sky camera silently watching your every move. But, if it means there''s a better chance of having your favorite beer chilled and ready for you in the cooler, it''s probably a trade-off buyers will happily make."
Drone captured data
At a store in Montreal, Pensa was able to collect hourly and daily data on out-of-stocks and share-of-shelf within the beer section, recording a 98-percent success rate on out-of-stock detection over 200 test flights.