Instacart unveiled software Monday that provides grocers and consumer packaged goods companies with real-time data on product availability and shelf conditions across stores.
The technology maps individual products on store shelves, allowing retailers and brands to monitor inventory levels, identify out-of-stock items and analyze merchandising effectiveness without physically visiting locations.
The San Francisco-based grocery technology company said it collects more than 10 million data points daily from approximately 600,000 shoppers who scan shelves while fulfilling orders at stores across North America. Instacart shoppers visit stores an average of more than 15 times per day per location, according to the company.
The system combines shelf scan data with information from 1.6 billion orders placed through Instacart's platform and imagery captured by shoppers and the company's Caper smart shopping carts, which use computer vision technology from Arpalus.
"Traditional inventory systems weren't built for today's reality — they rely on estimates and periodic counts, leaving grocers and brands with an incomplete picture of what's actually happening on shelves," said Ryan ...