Simbe deploys Tally inventory robot at Harmons grocery stores following pilot

Simbe, a global provider of retail shelf digitization, announced the deployment of its autonomous shelf-scanning robot Tally, across Harmons, Utah's independent, locally owned and operated neighborhood grocer.

Simbe said that Tally will be utilized to optimize inventory management and deliver a consistent customer experience. Following a successful five-store rollout, Tally is now live across 17 of Harmons locations, bringing real-time shelf intelligence and automation in store. 

Improving associate productivity through automation

Store associates typically spend up to 30 hours per week manually verifying and scanning out of stock inventory, a time-intensive and error-prone task. Simbe said that because Tally captures real-time, shelf-level data on product availability, pricing and placement, it allows Harmons to achieve cleaner data, better execution and minimize out of stock inventory. Ultimately, this frees up Harmons' store associates to focus on what matters most: serving customers and creating a better in-store experience.

With the shopper experience central to Harmons’ mission, ensuring shelves are stocked with the right items, in the right place, at the right price is critical for success. Simbe’s Tally autonomously traverses aisles and scans shelves multiple times daily to automate and guarantee the completion of repetitive and time-intensive tasks. 

“It’s not uncommon for associates to have been part of the Harmons’ grocer family for 20, 30, even 40 years, and we wanted to ensure we were introducing tech to fit their world,” said Bruce Hatch, chief information officer at Harmons. “Our goal for Tally was to empower and support our associates while also improving our operations and the customer experience. Simbe proved to be the perfect partner. Tally provides reliable, actionable data that helps our teams execute better, reduce missed sales opportunities, protect margin and allow us to focus on what matters the most, our customers. It’s an essential part of how we continue evolving our business while staying true to our values.” 

Following a successful pilot, Harmons deployed Tally across 17 locations. The decision was based on Tally’s performance and design, such as its ability to safely navigate around customers and pause in busy aisles.

Simbe and Harmons identified the following key outcomes of the pilot program, including:  

• 20% reduction in out-of-stocks across high-margin, high-velocity items, increasing sales, improving customer satisfaction and enabling smarter inventory decisions 

• Increased pricing accuracy with automated daily scans replacing manual checks
• Comprehensive shelf intelligence, strengthening planogram execution and revealing real shrinkage for faster resolution and margin protection 

“Harmons demonstrates how integrating real-time shelf visibility into daily operations elevates retail execution,” said Cari McGinnis, senior director of client success at Simbe. “Beyond inventory, Tally’s shelf data fuels smarter automation, boosting performance and creating an agile, data-driven operating model centered on shoppers and store teams.”

Harmons joins Simbe’s growing base of U.S. and international retailers in ten countries across grocery, club, alcohol, home improvement and farm supply, including HomeBase USA, DeCicco & Sons and Prime Markets. These companies are all utilizing various Simbe automation technologies to modernize store operations and boost shopper satisfaction.