Inventory Robot Tally in Use at SPAR and INTERSPAR

SPAR tests Tally in Vienna and Eisenstadt

Starting July 1, SPAR will be the first grocery retailer in Austria to test an inventory robot. The smart assistant, Tally, will now be rolling through a EUROSPAR store in Vienna and an INTERSPAR store in Eisenstadt. Its task is to scan shelves and check whether there is enough stock on the shelves. The goal of using Tally is to relieve employees of their workload and improve the shopping experience for customers – with greater product availability on the shelves.

The autonomous inventory robot Tally, just over 2 meters tall, is impossible to miss. It will now check the shelves several times a day at the EUROSPAR store at Sagedergasse 13 in Vienna and the INTERSPAR store in Eisenstadt. It precisely detects gaps on the shelves, summarizes the collected data, and sends a detailed inventory report to employees via email. Thanks to Tally, inventory control is continuous, more accurate, and much to the delight of the employees – automated. This means employees no longer have to interrupt their work and can concentrate fully on service and customers.

"We are continuously evaluating future-oriented technological solutions that will further reduce the workload of our employees. Automated inventory control and integrated reporting ensure better control of product availability on the shelves of our stores, and our employees have more time for personal customer service – a win-win situation ," says SPAR CEO Hans K. Reisch.

Phase 1: The inventory robot gets to know the store
Tally's test operation is scheduled for the next five months. In the first four weeks, Tally will familiarize itself with the store environment. During this period, adjustments to the device will be made and the inspection route within the store will be defined. Starting in mid-August, the collected data will be evaluated, and regular reports will be sent to employees. The inventory robot will check the shelves up to three times a day – Tally will not be active during peak customer traffic times.

Consistently practical and smart: How Tally will work in the store
After commissioning, the inventory robot will move independently through the store environment and, during the test phase, will check the entire food section in both stores. Equipped with cameras, Tally only takes pictures of shelves and the products on them. If someone accidentally walks in front of the camera, this is no problem: Tally automatically deletes images of people. Through these recordings, the inventory robot not only detects stock availability but also changes in the placement of goods, adapting its route to the changed conditions. Tally cannot speak and does not interact with people. It independently avoids customers, employees, or immobile objects and does not interfere with ongoing operations.

"The test of the Tally robot is an example of how smart automation can support employees in their work in the future while simultaneously improving data quality in the store. Such approaches are an important step toward further technological development in the food retail industry ," emphasizes SPAR CEO Hans K. Reisch.

After evaluating the initial data, a decision will be made as to whether the test phase will be extended or expanded beyond the five-month period.