San Francisco-based provider of store intelligence solutions Simbe launched two product enhancements: Simbe Mobile and Simbe Virtual Tour. These advancements aim to streamline how retailers capture and act on store data, thereby enhancing business performance globally, according to a news release.
Simbe says the new product solutions represent its largest software updates to date.
Simbe Mobile is a configurable mobile application that puts Simbe’s store intelligence platform in store teams’ hands, offering prioritized inventory and pricing tasks, near real-time data analytics, planogram compliance and more, on any device.
The Simbe Virtual Tour feature allows retailers to view their stores from anywhere. This provides retail teams with remote insights to optimize store layouts and make strategic decisions with ease, saving significant resources while ensuring store operations and product presentation standards, the company says.
“Retailers have historically relied on costly capture services to take one-time snapshots of stores annually. At the same time, store teams across retail sectors yearn for more advanced, user-friendly tools that drive efficiency and effectiveness in day-to-day store operations,” Greg Buzek, founder, president and principal analyst of IHL Group, said in the release.
“Because of solutions like Simbe’s that support corporate and store-level objectives, top retailers gain a unique insight into store and inventory conditions,” Buzek continued.
Simbe Mobile features and functionality
In using Tally, an autonomous item-scanning robot, Simbe collects terabytes of data using advanced computer vision technology that stationary devices and other solutions on the market can’t offer, the release said. In addition to capturing high-quality store intelligence data that provides retailers with true visibility, Simbe says it has developed industry-leading ways of making that data accessible and actionable.
Store teams using Simbe’s platform receive reports, dashboards, and recommendations through both a web application and now, a configurable Simbe Mobile application that is available on multiple devices — including iOS, Android and Zebra — and offers:
• Simplified task management — Simbe Mobile streamlines retail operations by prioritizing daily inventory and pricing tasks in a way that’s intuitive and easy to follow, drastically improving workflows, productivity, and technology adoption.
• Enhanced inventory monitoring and responsiveness — Simbe Mobile increases efficiency with key inventory dashboards and reports, as well as a product scan feature that speeds inventory checks, enabling proactive management and improved customer service.
• Remote compliance assurance — Simbe Mobile ensures high standards of store compliance and strategic product placement through capabilities like planogram execution and its new Simbe Virtual Tour solution.
Simbe Virtual Tour features and functionality
With the Simbe Virtual Tour function, accessible through both its web and mobile applications, retailers gain frequent access to high-definition, 360-degree views of their store interiors that can be navigated remotely and with ease, the company says.
Specific capabilities include:
• Extensive virtual store navigation — Simbe Virtual Tour provides a complete virtual store view, saving retailers time and travel costs. This not only supports advanced operational planning and troubleshooting, but also serves as a powerful tool for optimizing product merchandising and stocking strategies.
• Improved remote oversight — Simbe Virtual Tour represents a revolutionary approach to store monitoring by enabling frequent, autonomous interior scans, transforming expensive annual processes into cost-effective, continuous oversight.
• Unmatched visual views — Through Tally, Simbe captures detailed snapshots and time-lapses of each aisle at multiple heights to provide diverse views of retail interiors and a near real-time understanding of store and shelf conditions.
Market impact and benefits
“We are thrilled to equip our valued retail partners with groundbreaking solutions that power a radical new approach to capturing and understanding store data,” Simbe CEO Brad Bogolea said in the release. “The quantifiable outcomes that our global customers produce every day affirm that only Simbe delivers the advanced technology retailers need to quickly prioritize inventory tasks by urgency, verify stock levels before the pre-dinner rush, implement seasonal promotions, remotely assess high-risk areas to enhance theft prevention and more.”
According to Coresight Research, an overwhelming majority of retailers experience significant challenges in managing core business functions like pricing and promotional execution (96%), planogram compliance (93%) and out-of-stocks (92%). Meanwhile, other studies have shown that taking inventory is the worst task according to store associates, most of whom wish they had better technology tools at work.
Store teams that have access to proven, scalable solutions cite multiple benefits spanning productivity, sales and margin, the release said. A recent survey of nearly 200 store managers found that Tally makes their jobs easier (90%) while also helping them sell more and increase consumer loyalty by improving the shopper experience (85%).
“Simbe’s mobile app is easy to use and allows us to resolve issues efficiently. It provides quick access to data and helps us proactively restock items,” Phil Gazzillo, senior director of regional operations at BJ’s Wholesale Club, said in the release.
“It’s a value-add for our team and helps us provide even better service for our members,” he added.
