Simbe Marks 10 Years of Tally the Robot: 600M Shelf Gaps Detected, 80 Million Promotion Errors Fixed, and a New Era of Retail Store Intelligence
Celebrating a decade of customer-led innovation across 10 countries, 3 continents, and nearly a dozen retail sectors
Simbe today honors a pivotal industry milestone: ten years since introducing Tally, the world's first autonomous shelf-scanning robot—now a foundational power tool for leading retailers across grocery, mass merchandise, club, and specialty formats.
In 10 years Simbe's work with leading retailers has helped catalyze a broader transformation, as AI and automation have redefined the physical store and reshaped how the industry executes, measures, and scales. Tally now operates across 10 countries and nearly a dozen sectors, serving nearly five dozen global retail leaders, regional innovators, and high-service independents alike. Simbe powers the most retail banners worldwide with digitized shelf intelligence and remains the only platform combining autonomous robotics, RFID, and fixed-point sensors for full-store visibility.
"The foundation we've built with Tally is unlocking extraordinary new possibilities," said Brad Bogolea, Co-Founder and CEO of Simbe Robotics. "We're proud to support retailers in modernizing operations, turning real-time shelf data into an enterprise-wide performance advantage."
A Decade of Retail Intelligence: 2015-2025
In 2015, Simbe introduced Tally with a bold vision: illuminate the store interior, the last blind spot in retail, with real-time, actionable shelf intelligence. Simbe's Store Intelligence™ platform is now a strategic layer of retail infrastructure, helping the industry's top operators see what's in stock, what needs to move, and what decisions to make—faster, smarter, and at scale.
Tally's impact by the numbers:
600 million shelf gaps detected, helping retailers fix 42% instantly
18 billion price tags scanned, identifying more than 80 million promotion errors
1.8 million kilometers traveled, the equivalent of circling the globe 45 times
44.8 billion shelf photos captured
4.7 million autonomous hours logged
Timeline of Progress: 10 Years of Industry Firsts
Over the past decade, Tally has been at the forefront of the industry's evolution—from early pilots to full-chain deployments. Highlights include:
2015: Tally debuts as the world's first autonomous shelf-scanning robot
2018: Tally RFID introduced; partnerships with Schnuck Markets, Inc. and Decathlon validate operational value of Tally 2.0.
2020: Simbe launches Tally 3.0 with enhanced vision, durability, maneuverability, and embedded data processing.
2021: Schnuck Markets, Inc. becomes first grocer to deploy Tally chainwide
2022: BJ's Wholesale Club becomes the first wholesale club to use Tally, eventually scaling chain-wide.
2023: Food solutions company SpartanNash introduces Tally to Family Fare and Martin's Supermarket stores following a successful pilot.
2023: Wakefern , the largest U.S. retailer cooperative, deploys the robot in more ShopRite stores after a successful pilot
2024: Simbe launches Mobile & Virtual Tour solutions for real-time insights on the go and Simbe Brand Insights enabling retailers to deliver actionable shelf insights to brands and vendor partners daily
2024: Expansion into Turkey, Germany, and farm supply in the U.S.
2025: Introduction of Tally Spot, fresh department capabilities, and Simbe for Merchants expands coverage to fixed zones and functional workflows
2025: Simbe recognized as #1 in Robotics & Engineering and #28 overall Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies list
2025: Expansion across EMEA into Ireland, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Austria, Canada, Mexico, and continued growth in the U.S.
Along the way, Simbe earned recognition from Fast Company, Inc., Modern Retail, Progressive Grocer, RETHINK Retail, RTIH, TIME, and more, reflecting its leadership in retail AI and automation. The company has received more than $100M from top-tier investors—including Goldman Sachs, Eclipse, Pathbreaker Ventures, Valo Ventures, Build Collective and others—to scale its platform globally. In 2023, Simbe tripled its contracted annual recurring revenue, while nearly doubling store footprint in 2024. With continued global expansion and Fortune 100 adoption, 2025 is shaping up to be Simbe's strongest year yet.
Client Results
Tally has helped retailers achieve outcomes that directly impact the top and bottom line:
98% on-shelf availability
90% improved price and promotion accuracy
50+ hours per week returned to store teams
Retailers have publicly credited Tally with meaningful performance gains and cited Tally's impact in earnings commentary, reinforcing its operational value and shopper relevance at scale. "Tally has provided us data and capabilities that we didn't have just a few years ago," said Bob Eddy, Chairman & CEO of BJ's Wholesale Club. "And our members love it."
The Next Decade of Shelf Intelligence
Simbe's impact extends beyond operations to the in-store experience. According to recent research, over 80% of shoppers prefer stores with robots, specifically Tally, citing improved product availability and better customer service. The sentiment is shared by store leadership: 90% of store managers prefer their jobs with Tally, with 85% reporting increased ability to sell more and serve customers better. By removing tedious manual tasks, Tally allows teams to reinvest time in delivering knowledgeable, human-centered service where it matters most.
Recent Coresight research underscores the growing relevance of store intelligence technologies, with global market value expected to reach $12.6 billion by 2029 and a 151% year-over-year increase in retailer investments, with the greatest concentration in robotics.
As Simbe enters its second decade, the company is extending shelf intelligence into enterprise-wide orchestration—connecting price accuracy, on-shelf availability, omnichannel fulfillment, and merchandising decisions around a shared, real-time data layer. This evolution is already fueling new implementations across global markets and at multiple Fortune 500 retailers, reinforcing Simbe's strategic role in operational modernization. Building on a decade of trust and results, Simbe is advancing predictive insights and integrated workflows to serve every retail stakeholder: from store teams to suppliers to executive decision-makers.
About Simbe
Simbe is the global leader in retail shelf digitization. Its Store Intelligence™ platform combines advanced computer vision, AI, and automation to give retailers real-time visibility into every shelf, every product, and every store. Deployed across 10 countries and trusted by retailers across nearly a dozen sectors, Simbe empowers organizations to scale intelligent automation, improve operational precision, and elevate both associate and shopper experiences.
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