Artificial intelligence in retail in Venezuela

Availability starts on the shelf

A product can be recorded in inventory and remain in the stockroom, out of the shopper's reach. Between having merchandise in stock and its availability on the sales floor, there are replenishment and display tasks that need follow-up.

Visual analytics provides information about that part of the operation. It makes it possible to examine what happens in front of the consumer and to guide the review of the spaces where products are sold. For supermarkets and pharmacies, having that reading helps organize the questions store teams need to resolve.

How AI-powered shelf analysis works

Shelf analysis uses computer vision, a branch of AI that interprets images, to study the visible state of the display. Captures obtained from video cameras are turned into data that make it possible to analyze the observed spaces and how they change across reviews.

Depending on the configured and validated scope, this approach can support detecting empty spaces, tracking product presence and analyzing visible display fronts, known as facings. When an agreed distribution reference exists, it can also make it easier to review the display against that reference or planogram.

Each project requires defining what will be observed and at what level of detail. Camera placement, lighting and image sharpness influence what can be measured. Identifying specific SKUs also requires a validated catalog. These criteria make it possible to design analytics suited to the conditions of the store.

Quarks and Trixo connect technology with commercial operations

The collaboration brings together Quarks' capabilities in data and artificial intelligence with Trixo's experience in trade marketing and point-of-sale technology. The joint work spans Venezuela and Central America and places visual analysis within the needs of the retailers both companies support.

The application starts with an operational question: what management needs to know about its shelves to better manage the display. That question guides the scope of the analysis and the way information is presented. In this way, images become useful for those who must review the store and coordinate its operation.

What analytics brings to store management

The concrete contribution of this experience is turning visual information from the point of sale into an analytical reading for the retailer. Management gains another source of information to examine the display and ground its operational reviews.

For example, detecting an empty space can prompt a replenishment review. If the same space appears empty in successive observations, the team can investigate the cause and compare it with its inventory records. These are examples of the operational use of analytics; each retailer defines the actions that fit its reality.

To evaluate the value of the project, it is advisable to agree on indicators such as visible availability, the recurrence of gaps on the shelf and the time between an observation and its follow-up. Measuring those indicators makes it possible to examine whether the information is helping to improve commercial execution.

AI for retail in Caracas and the region

In Caracas, the retail ecosystem brings together supermarkets, pharmacies and commercial spaces such as Tolón Fashion Mall and Centro San Ignacio. This diversity of formats makes it relevant to adapt analytics to the sales floor, the display and the needs of each operation.

Quarks' experience alongside Trixo in Venezuela and Central America shows a concrete application of artificial intelligence to physical retail: using shelf images as a source of information for management. For companies looking for AI for retail in Venezuela, Quarks provides analytical capabilities connected with business questions and with in-store work.