Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein for thermal monitoring in a retail facility. A system for thermal monitoring in a retail facility comprises: a thermal sensor positioned in a predetermined location of a portion of the retail facility; a database for storing thermal images and thermal data obtained from the thermal sensor and known thermal profiles; and a control circuit configured to identify a thermal image obtained from the thermal sensor that deviates from an expected baseline thermal profile for the portion of the retail facility; and compare the thermal image to the known thermal profiles to determine at least one of estimated occupancy, temperature control unit efficiency, temperature control unit operation and whether a temperature-sensitive retail item has been abandoned.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to facilitate expedient shopping in a physical retail facility. In one embodiment, a shopping system directed to pre-filling shopping carts with retail items prior to a customer's arrival at the physical retail shopping facility includes a user database of user profiles having one or more partialities associated with customers, a product database of retail products with identified vectorized characterizations or product vectors, a plurality of physical shopping carts, and a control circuit. By one approach, the control circuit is configured to access the user database and the product database and identify suggested retail items for a particular customer based, in part, on comparisons between the identified partialities and the identified vectorized product characterizations of the retail products.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to locating containers with low inventory in a shopping facility. Some of these embodiments include systems for identifying and determining the location of containers in a low inventory condition in shopping facilities, the system comprising: a container configured to hold merchandise items in a shopping facility; a light sensor disposed in the container, the light sensor calibrated to detect an ambient light level and to respond when the detected ambient light level exceeds a predetermined ambient light threshold; and a control circuit operatively coupled to the light sensor and configured to transmit a signal indicating a low inventory condition when the light sensor determines the detected ambient light level exceeds the predetermined ambient light threshold.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein for tracking carts in a shopping space. A system for tracking carts in a shopping space comprises: a sound sensor array, a cart location database storing location information and sound profiles associated with a plurality of shopping cart identifiers, and a control circuit configured to: identify a cart sound made by a movement of a shopping cart traveling in the shopping space, determine a current location of the shopping cart based on the cart sound, match the shopping cart to a shopping cart identifier in the cart location database, update the location information associated the shopping cart identifier in the cart location database based on the current location of the shopping cart; and update the sound profile of the shopping cart identifier based on the cart sound captured by the sound sensor array.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein for monitoring stock information in a shopping space. A system for monitoring stock information in a shopping space comprises: a support structure configured to hold a plurality of items in the shopping space, a sound emitter device configured to produce a sound in response to a movement of at least one of the support structure and an item placed on the support structure, and a sound sensor configured to capture a sound produced by the sound emitter device and transmit the sound produced by the sound emitter device to a stock tracking system.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems of monitoring featured product displays at retail sales facilities are described. For one or more products received at a retail sales facility and designated as a product for a featured product display at the retail sales facility, a predetermined time interval is set from a delivery time of the one or more products to the retail sales facility to a time for generating an indication that the one or more products has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility. Then after the expiration of the predetermined time interval, electronic data is generated indicating that the one or more products delivered to the retail sales facility has been set on the featured product display at the retail sales facility.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems of loading products into a delivery vehicle at a product distribution facility for delivery to a retail sales facility are described. A computing device at the product distribution facility may receive at least one inventory management factor that is associated with each of products to be loaded into the delivery vehicle. The computing device may then determine, for each of the products to be delivered and based on one or more of the received inventory management factors, a loading location in a cargo area of the delivery vehicle where each of the products to be delivered are to be loaded. The computing device may then generate an output including an indication of the loading location in a cargo area of the delivery vehicle where each of the products to be delivered are to be loaded.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for securing merchandise. In one embodiment an apparatus for securing merchandise comprises a locking mechanism limiting access to one or more items, one or more optical sensors configured to detect a plurality of wavelengths and an intensity associated with each wavelength from at least one light beam emitted by an optical key, and a control device comprising a control circuit and a memory device. The control device being configured to store a lock code comprising a plurality of wavelength values and a plurality of intensity values each associated with a wavelength value on the memory device and determine whether to release the locking mechanism based on whether intensities of each of the plurality of wavelengths detected by the one or more optical sensors match the lock code.

Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatus are provided in predicting an On-Shelf-Availability (OSA) and/or implementing modifications to achieve a desired OSA. Some embodiments provide a system, comprising: A system comprising: an OSA control system comprising a control circuit that executes instructions from a memory to cause the control circuit to: receive a future OSA goal at the multiple shopping facilities; receive predicted workloads corresponding to the defined period of time and predicted to be assigned to the multiple shopping facilities; determine a forecasted OSA as a function of the predicted workloads relative to the planned work force availability at the shopping facilities to complete the work tasks at each of the shopping facilities; and determine whether the forecasted OSA is predicted to be within an OSA threshold of the OSA goal as a function of the predicted workloads relative to planned work force availability at the shopping facilities.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems, apparatus and methods are disclosed that utilize customer feedback to obtain store intelligence and automatically respond to the customer without the need to involve a store associate or employee, thereby allowing employees to continue on with other tasks. For example, customers may provide feedback for a particular product not on the shelves and be advised that it is being pulled (if it is on-site, such as in a back room), or offered the opportunity to order the product or advised of an alternate on-site or off-site location where the product can be found. The system, method or apparatus may also identify products the store should add to its assortment of products based on such customer inquiries and/or may take automated actions in response (e.g., generating pick requests, generating orders for products, reporting potential new products to add to offerings, etc.).

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems, apparatus and methods are provided herein useful to improve store management. These utilize customer actions to provide or obtain store intelligence and/or improve store management so that store associates are freed-up to do other tasks (e.g., help customers) and reduce risk of human error. In one form, the system includes a control circuit configured to receive data obtained by a customer in the retail sales environment, the data obtained from an asset identifier associated with a given product or product display, and process the obtained data and update store systems or records regarding same. In some embodiments, additional action may be taken in response to the received or processed data.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are provided for use in monitoring inventory. Some embodiments provide a product inventory evaluation apparatus, comprising: an inventory tracking unit comprising: a transceiver; a control circuit coupled with the transceiver; and a memory coupled to the control circuit and storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to: receive one or more images of a floor of a shopping facility upon which multiple product support units are positioned and configured to store multiple different products; identify, in each of the one or more images, one or more shadows of at least a portion of one or more product support units; and determine, from the one or more shadows of at least the portion of the one or more product support units, whether a first product is present and stored relative to each of the one or more product support units.