For large-scale retailers, maintaining accurate and real-time visibility into shelf execution is a constant challenge. Tim Prieve, Senior Director of Strategic Retail Accounts at Brain Corp, describes this challenge as the “reality gap”—the difference between what retailers believe is happening in their stores and the actual state of their shelves and inventory. Overseeing strategic partnerships with some of the largest retailers, Prieve has been instrumental in helping them identify and close this gap, using robotics, AI, and automation at scale.

‍Understanding the reality gap‍

The reality gap is pervasive in retail environments, where stores can seem well-stocked and organized in company systems, but in reality, shelves may be empty, inventory misplaced, or items priced inaccurately. These gaps, Prieve explains, arise from a combination of human mistakes, inconsistent processes, and the limitations of existing technology. 

While retailers have traditionally relied on people, processes, and technology to solve operational issues, each of these elements has its flaws.

• People: Employees, balancing many tasks including helping customers while keeping track of thousands of SKUs, may miss identifying an out-of-stock item, misplaced product, or mislabeled prices. 
• Processes: Retail operations depend on consistent adherence to processes, but in a fast-paced, high-turnover environment, this can be difficult to maintain.
• Technology: Even advanced systems can't always account for incorrect data inputs or the time lag between decision-making and execution. A retailer may generate inventory orders based on outdated or inaccurate data, compounding the issue.

Prieve notes that when a small discrepancy occurs, it may seem minor, but this quickly adds up each day across an entire store, and becomes exponentially more costly when considering the scale of an entire banner of stores. Errors in inventory management—such as phantom stock (where a store believes it has items but doesn’t) or unrecognized stock (inventory that is physically present but not recorded in the system)—can lead to missed sales and frustrated customers.

Brain Corp’s approach: solving the reality gap with robotics and AI

At Brain Corp, we have worked with retailers to address these challenges through a new approach—using autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to provide timely and accurate insights into store operations. Prieve emphasizes three main ways that robots help close the reality gap:

1. Consistency: Robots execute tasks the same way every time, ensuring that procedures are followed uniformly across all stores.
2. Accuracy: Robots enhance human capabilities by reducing mistakes and providing precise data on inventory, pricing accuracy, and promotion compliance. This collaboration allows store teams to maintain a clearer and more reliable understanding of what's happening in their stores, freeing up employees to focus on customer service and other critical tasks.
3. Timeliness: By gathering data frequently and feeding it into retailers’ operations, robots provide up-to-date information that allows for immediate action and adjustments.

Prieve emphasizes that these benefits aren’t just theoretical. The consistent, real-time data that robots capture allows retailers to establish “ground truth”—a clear, real-world snapshot of their store environments.‍

Retailers’ automation journey: tailored solutions at scale

What sets Brain Corp apart, according to Prieve, is its customer-first approach. It’s not just about deploying robots for the sake of automation. “We work closely with retailers to understand their specific challenges,” says Prieve. “The reality gap manifests differently for every retailer, so we tailor solutions to meet their unique operational needs.”

With over 37,000 robots deployed in the field, Brain Corp has the experience and expertise to scale automation across hundreds or thousands of stores. But Prieve is quick to point out that not every retailer is ready for that kind of scale overnight. Deploying robots is a journey, and Brain Corp takes a consultative approach—helping retailers assess their readiness, develop a phased rollout, and ensure that robotic solutions are operationally feasible.‍

Closing the gap for good: long-term success with robotics

For retailers, automation isn’t a one-and-done project—it’s an ongoing process of optimization. “We see our partnerships with retailers as long-term journeys, not just a one-time deployment,” says Prieve. 

This approach includes offering a "white glove" service for maintenance, ongoing software updates, remote issue resolution, predictive monitoring, hands-on customer training, and seamless integration with existing systems. Such comprehensive support is especially valuable for retailers with hundreds or thousands of stores, helping them maximize efficiency while keeping unexpected costs in check.

As Prieve sees it, closing the reality gap is more than just an operational fix—it’s a way for retailers to deliver better service to their customers, reduce waste, and streamline their operations. By partnering with Brain Corp, retailers can finally align their perceptions with reality and bridge the operational gaps that have long plagued their businesses.

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If you'd like to learn more about how Brain Corp is closing the reality gap, please listen to the Progressive Grocer webinar.