We all know the power of walking the sales floor. But what happens when technology can do it every day?

Today on Modern Work Mondays, Nolan and Jeff explore how robotics and automation are becoming part of one of retail’s most familiar ritual: the store visit.

Robots in the aisles

Autonomous retail robots are no longer a far-off concept. They’re already in stores, scanning shelves, capturing images, and helping ensure displays are in order. Outside of retail, automation is also showing up in daily life. Think airport wheelchairs that drive themselves, delivery bots on sidewalks, and drone deliveries arriving at front doors. The technology is here, and it’s advancing quickly.

Expanding use cases

While early in-store robotics focused on pricing and planogram compliance, new use cases are emerging. Image recognition tools, for example, are now being used to assess shelf condition and product facings – key aspects of store visits. Robots can perform this type of monitoring continuously, rather than during scheduled visits that often find stores “on their best behavior.”

The human side of automation

Offloading mundane tasks such as out-of-stock scanning and shelf audits to robots makes sense. But their presence raises questions for employees. How do associates feel about working alongside robots? Is it seen as helpful, or does it feel like surveillance?

Striking the right balance is critical. Retailers need to think carefully about how these tools affect the employee experience.

Still early days

There’s undeniable potential in robotics and automation in retail. But the industry is still in early stages, and retailers are right to be cautious. Each deployment must deliver value—not just in ROI, but in the everyday experience it creates for associates and shoppers alike.

Catch the full conversation here:

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