Badger Technologies, a branch of Jabil and a pioneer in retail automation, has partnered with BRdata Software Solutions to help grocers acquire usable data and aggregated analytics to enhance store profitability, operational efficiencies, and shopping experiences.
Badger Technologies multipurpose autonomous mobile robots (AMR) can collect real-time inventory, price, and trend data, which can be ingested by BRdata’s cloud-based retail software to help discover discrepancies and resolve on-shelf product and pricing issues with greater agility and precision.
As part of a commercial solution, AMRs collect and communicate near-real-time pricing and inventory data with cloud-based, enterprise retail software. Inventory stocking tactics, customer engagement, and omnichannel shopping are enhanced by aggregated insights on purchasing trends and customer preferences. Independent grocers, such as Woodman’s Markets, benefit from data-driven automation in order to maximize efficiencies, address labor gaps, and keep up with rapid retail developments.
Through seamless integration of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Badger Technologies and BRdata empower grocers to transform operations and customer shopping experiences. “We are excited to collaborate with BRdata to provide grocers with a comprehensive view into what’s really happening on their store shelves every day,” said William “BJ” Santiago, CEO of Badger Technologies. “Independent grocers, in particular, will benefit from the integration of our robot-collected data and dashboards with BRdata’s enterprise retail software to maximize sales and profits.”
According to the National Grocers Association, nearly one-third of U.S. grocery sales in 2016 were generated by independent supermarkets (NGA). Independent grocers consistently adapt to the demand for new shopping experiences by investing in automation to improve operations, lower cost structures, and increase consumer interaction.
“BRdata understands the need for simple yet powerful solutions that enable independent grocers to deliver greater value to their customers through the collection and use of accurate, real-time data,” said John Abbene, president of BRdata Software Solutions. “Through our collaboration with Badger Technologies, we can ingest the latest pricing and product data into our software to quickly identify and easily resolve product and price discrepancies across order fulfillment, warehouse, inventory, POS and e-commerce systems.”
Woodman’s Markets to Showcase Solution at BRdata World
Woodman’s Markets will demonstrate the supermarket chain’s usage of Badger Technologies’ autonomous robots and the ability to combine extremely precise in-store data with BRdata’s business software at the BRdata World user conference.
Woodman’s, an employee-owned retail chain with 19 locations in Wisconsin and Illinois, is renowned for its extensive product range, which often exceeds one hundred thousand items each site.
In addition, the ability to give precise product location information improves Woodman’s online shopping system via enhanced pick-list management and speedier order fulfillment. Data collected by Badger robots is connected with BRdata’s enterprise software to enable order fulfillment and warehouse management, among other crucial retail activities.
“Our automated shelf scans have not only improved Woodman’s inventory strategies, but we also gain critical trending insights to better forecast and manage third-party suppliers,” said Kristin Popp, executive vice president at Woodman’s Markets. “Combining the data gathered by the Badger robots with the capabilities across the BRdata cloud ecosystem will enhance our mission to provide the widest variety of grocery items at the best prices.”
