Lift And Learn Retail Application Cleverly Doubles Up As Stock Level Counter

July 4, 2024 by Dave Haynes

People who have been in this industry for many years are likely amused, as I have been, when software and solutions companies demonstrate what they call new and innovative “lift and learn” applications for retail with the same kind of enthusiasm they’d have if they’d invented fire or figured out cold fusion.

On-screen content triggered by simple shelf sensors has been around for coming on 20 years. It’s not new … BUT, it has certainly grown more sophisticated, as happens with technology.

The Dutch company Nexmosphere is probably the most active, inventive and experienced technology provider doing this work in the context of digital signage and other pro AV applications, and it has a video up on Linkedin that shows a method I haven’t seen before – weight sensing that doubles up for doing inventory counts.

So … if a fully-stocked merchandising shelf weighs X, as products are removed the weight lowers and that can be tied to stock levels, as each product has a specific weight and less of that product means less aggregate weight. It works well, as you might expect, with heavier items like drinks, but is also sensitive enough to detect a bag of chips/crisps being lifted, and as we have all experienced, those bags are 99% air these days.

Nexmosphere calls this stuff Fast Moving Consumer Goods. That might be a retail industry term. Dunno.

“One standout feature,” it says in a Linkedin post, “of incorporating this sensor is its capability to provide real-time stock content information to the back office. As soon as stock levels for specific items dip below a predetermined threshold, an automatic notification is triggered, alerting staff to restock promptly.”

Clever.