Sam’s Club Finalizes Chain-Wide Deployment of Robotic Inventory Scanners
Walmart division Sam’s Club has completed a national chain-wide rollout of Inventory Scan towers that have been added to its existing fleet of robotic scrubbers in partnership with artificial intelligence (AI) company Brain Corp.
“Our initial goal at Sam’s Club was to convert time historically spent on scrubbers to more member-focused activities,” said Todd Garner, VP, in-club product management at the company. “Our autonomous scrubbers have exceeded this goal. In addition to increasing the consistency and frequency of floor cleaning, intelligent scrubbers have empowered associates with critical insights. At Sam’s Club, we have a member-obsessed culture. These scrubbers help associates ensure products are out for sale, priced correctly and findable, ultimately making it easier to directly engage with our members.”
The chain-wide rollout of nearly 600 Inventory Scan towers, which began in late January 2022, positions Brain Corp as the world’s top supplier of robotic inventory scanners.
“The speed and efficiency of the deployment of this next-generation retail technology with Sam’s Club is a testament to the strength of our team,” noted David Pinn, CEO at San Diego-based Brain Corp. “Through the use of Inventory Scan, Sam’s Clubs across the country are able to access a trove of critical inventory data in real time, which they can use to better inform decision-making, run their clubs more efficiently and provide a better in-club experience for their members.”
Employing a first-of-its-kind dual-function design, the scanning accessory has been fitted to the floor scrubbers already deployed at Sam’s Club locations nationwide. The towers are powered by Brain Corp’s AI operating system, BrainOS, combining best-in-class autonomy and ease of use with equipment.
Once installed on the scrubber, the cloud-connected Inventory Scan tower captures data as it moves autonomously around the club. As functionality is deployed, insights such as product localization, planogram compliance, product stock levels, and verification of pricing accuracy will be delivered to the club. Each function negates the need for time-consuming and potentially inaccurate manual processes that can affect product availability and member experience, or create waste caused by inaccurate ordering.
Sam’s Club, a division of Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart Inc., operates nearly 600 clubs in the United States and Puerto Rico. Each week, approximately 230 million customers and members visit Walmart’s more than 10,500 stores and numerous e-commerce websites under 46 banners in 24 countries, with approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, while Sam’s Club ranks eighth.
