Focal In The News
Stay up to date with the latest news from Focal Systems. From industry awards and strategic partnerships to innovative AI-driven solutions, explore how we are transforming the future of retail automation and efficiency.
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Blogs
Focal’s take on the latest news in the grocery store space and how AI and other software can help solve problems.
Why AI Fails at Scale in Retail and What Actually…
In September 2025, Starbucks put an AI inventory-counting tool into more than 11,000 North American stores.
Summerween is Real: Halloween is Arriving on Shelves Earlier Every…
If it feels like Halloween is popping up in stores earlier and earlier each year, that’s because it is.
The Hidden Cost of What Sits Above the Shelf: How…
How retailers are unlocking tens of thousands of dollars in recoverable inventory, every month, per store, with overhead vision technology.
Retail Experience Sits at the Heart of Loss Prevention
I didn’t come to retail technology from a spreadsheet or a boardroom.
What the World Cup Did to the Beer Aisle
Match-day demand is real, it is measurable, and it looks different in every country.
From Loss Prevention to Loss Intelligence: How Shelf Visibility Changes…
Retail shrink has always been treated as a cost of doing business.
When Ordering Systems Can’t See the Shelf: How Store Reality…
Retailers don’t struggle with inventory because they lack systems.
The Hidden Cost of the Backroom — and How Shelf…
For decades, the retail backroom has been treated as a necessary safety net, a place to store “just in case” inventory that protects against out-of-stocks.
New Focal Data Exposes Overlooked Theft Patterns
Retail theft has surged in recent years, costing U.S. retailers billions annually. For grocers, thin margins and open layouts make the impact especially severe.
Lessons Learned from Winter Storm Fern
Last weekend’s snowstorm reinforced a key lesson in grocery operations: weather-driven out-of-stocks peak earlier - and last longer - than the storm itself.
The 4 PM Stock-Out Surge: Preempting Evening Rush Empties
Roughly twice as many of your top 100 movers go out of stock at 4 PM compared to 12 PM. Here's how to keep shelves full during the after-work rush.