Chemist Warehouse is ditching the old-school stock check for something straight out of a sci-fi movie. In a $18 million partnership with Augmodo, the wearable tech provider, Australia’s largest drug retailer is rolling out AI-powered SmartBadges to its store associates, turning them into walking, talking inventory trackers.
Employees will now wear SmartBadges on lanyards or clips, automatically scanning products as they walk the floor. There will be no more guesswork or manual tracking, just real-time data on stock levels, gaps, and restocking needs. After a wildly successful pilot in four stores, Chemist Warehouse is going all in, expanding to 550 locations over the next two years.
What are the results so far?
The drugstore chain has seen a 30% drop in inventory gaps within the first month. Chemist Warehouse is also launching the SpatialView programme, opening up real-time shelf data to suppliers, promising better stock forecasting and fewer empty shelves for shoppers. Seven major suppliers have already signed on, with more expected to join as the rollout continues.
The badges collect ten times more data at a fraction of the cost of traditional inventory tracking solutions, with a setup in under 20 minutes per store. Employees simply charge up their badges and go.
With Augmodo’s real-time analytics platform set to launch later this year, suppliers will gain valuable insights into shelf conditions, ensuring promotions and pricing are spot on. By 2026, the system will also track compliance on promotions and pricing, making the whole supply chain sharper than ever.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with our suppliers on the design and implementation of Augmodo. With a continuous joint purview into what’s happening on the shelf in real time, we can work together to implement solutions faster, eliminate gaps on shelf and promotion delays, optimise store visits and deliver the best experience for our shoppers,” said Ilias Babalis, General Manager, Sales at Chemist Warehouse.