Chemist Warehouse partners with Augmodo to give physical store associates spatial AI assistants

Augmodo has launched pilots in four Chemist Warehouse locations in Australia.

This involves wearable tech that recommends actions and tasks to increase efficiencies, including restocking shelves, placing orders and improving compliance.

“Every day in each store, our hardworking associates spend hours auditing and working tirelessly to keep products on the shelf,” says Mark Finocchiaro, Managing Partner, CIO & Director at Chemist Warehouse.

“With Augmodo, the AI assistant lets them know which products are out of stock and in the wrong place, and which tasks are needed next. They simply wear the lanyards around their neck and no longer need to spend hours auditing - everything is automatically scanned as they walk the floor, making their role even more valuable. Not only are they helping to provide real-time inventory data, but now have more time to help customers.”

SpatialView is Augmodo’s analytics platform for retail executives and brand partners, which provides real-time visibility into shelf conditions.

“Retailers lose $1.75 trillion in revenue worldwide due to out-of-stocks, preventable returns and overstocks,” says Ross Finman, Founder and CEO at Augmodo. “Our innovative tech helps cut down a good amount of this lost revenue. With better tools, data and insight, we’re working with Chemist Warehouse to decrease data disconnects and make the shopping experience even better for their customers.”  

Chemist Warehouse and Augmodo initiated their pilot in the summer and report that participating stores saw a 30% decline in inventory gaps in the first month of operations. As Augmodo rolls out to more stores, the data captured at the product and store levels throughout the day will be used to create greater efficiencies in inventory and reduce carrying costs.  

“We can’t wait to make associates happier by reducing mundane tasks, and shoppers happier with increased product availability, which drives our top and bottom line,” says Finocchiaro. “We are also looking forward to collaborating with our supplier community, who can find out how their products look in store and identify and solve issues quickly from their laptops.”

The Chemist Warehouse locations launching Augmodo are in Melbourne.

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Physical stores were a key focus area at the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, Scala, CADS, 3D Cloud, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, Business France, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended last month’s gathering.