Tesla Bot could be a big step forward in Retail Store Automation
Elon Musk announced last week that, Tesla will be introducing a prototype of a general-purpose humanoid robot, which can navigate through the world of humans. It resembles a human body with autopilot cameras and a display screen in the head and will have 40 electromechanical actuators to bring the required agility and flexibility. It will have an inbuilt neural network, auto labeling, and FSD hardware to support continuous learning and simulations.
Musk said, “It should be able to, you know, please go to the store and get me the following groceries, that kind of thing”.
So clearly, the Telsa Bot is not purely meant for industrial automation but apparently for domestic purposes. By the way, there are already commercial robots available for the factories and you can check out Boston dynamics for an instance
Likely, robotic automation will move from factories to the retail stores, with more lightweight robots being introduced in the market. It will close the gap between the physical and digital world for the retailers, which brings more automation and productivity.
1. Stockroom management
Receive goods, scan goods, and also do invoice verification using the autopilot cameras, optical character recognition integrated with the store management systems. It can also perform the inventory audits more frequently similar to drones but have the flexibility to move the hidden objects and navigate more seamlessly.
2. Visual Merchandising
Based on the programmed planograms, the bots can arrange the stock products on the shelves and sets the displays. It can also periodically monitor the shelves for the stocks and replenish them to avoid stock-outs.
3. Prevent the loss of inventory
Misplaced items are one of the key reasons for the stockout and Bots can regularly clean up the misplaced items back on the shelves. It can also continuously restock the goods returned and also products dropped at point of sales.
4. Maintain the store atmosphere
A tidy and pleasant atmosphere is mandatory to keep the customers within the store for a long time and also involves a lot of manual efforts. Though we have robotic vacuum cleaners today, productivity will be further elevated through intelligent moving bots. It can also help rearrange the unused carts and baskets cleaning the space to walk around
5. Customer Service
How often do you leave the store because there is no store associate to help you? Increase the touchpoints for the customers helping them find the right products at the right price and also appropriately market the store promotions.
6. BOPIS / BORIS / Same Day Delivery
Book online and pickup/return in stores has become more common in the retail eCommerce business. Especially stores competing for same-day delivery, these Bots will be of huge relief. Bots linked to the eCommerce platform can receive orders in real-time and pick up the orders quickly using the robotic arms and navigation system.
7. Assisting Self Service Checkouts
Missing bar codes, removing items from the list, incorrect pricing are some of the challenges in the self-service. Bots can use intelligence to detect the products and match the appropriate pricing, remove the goods and help the customer in troubleshooting.
8. Endless Aisle / Ordering
A lot of retailers place a kiosk in the stores, but it is not so easily accessible to everyone. When you have moving robots, which interact with customers and understand their wants. It can display the relevant products based on their interest and place the orders online immediately for them.
Finally the valuable insights that retailers can get from these moving bots within the stores. It will immensely help the business to analyze the customer journey and behavior in real-time and improve the experience better.
