Partnering exclusively in Australia with Crossmark allows us to bring the full strength of Pensa’s Vision AI to the AUS market with a team that knows retail execution inside and out - Mark Abernathy, Chief Commercial Officer, Pensa Systems
If you want to know what’s really happening on shelf, you’ve got two options:
- Camp out in a store all day.
- Let AI do the heavy lifting.
At CROSSMARK, we’ve always believed in smarter ways to see retail reality and that’s why we’ve exclusively teamed up with Pensa Systems and their cutting edge technology in Vision AI for shelf intelligence.
Together, we’re rolling out AI-driven shelf planning and execution across Australia.
How it works
Pensa is an image recognition software that uses computer vision and advanced analytics to capture real-time shelf data in retail stores. With Pensa, simply walking an aisle while filming it captures a complete picture of every product on the shelf - availability, placement and performance in 3 steps:
- Video on smart phone visually captures the shelf in seconds
- AI identifies items on the shelf and how the shelf is organised and stocked
- Pensa digitally reconstructs the aisle and analyses aisle problems and priority actions
Why this matters for our clients
Most image recognition systems in market today are… well, clunky. They can be slow and expensive to collect data, disruptive in stores and still leave you scratching your head about what’s actually happening.
Pensa’s tech flips that on its head. It’s powerful but easy to use, no more need for a qualification in cinematography to get pictures that can be used – in fact it doesn’t rely on individual photos at all. The simplicity of data capture means that it can be deployed with minimal training across channels that are traditionally “dark” independents, convenience and specialty where reliable shelf data has been tough or near impossible to get due to the cost of getting trained people in stores.
That means for the first time, brands and retailers can see the unseen.
What Vision AI unlocks
With Pensa & CROSSMARK, you’ll be able to track:
- Distribution – Is my product really where it’s meant to be?
- Share of shelf – How much space do I own versus competitors?
- Execution gaps – Where is my availability slipping and where do I act?
- Compliance – Do we have the space we agreed with the Retailer?
All of this is captured in real-time and translated into clear, actionable insights. The output isn’t just “nice to know” it’s fuel for smarter decision-making.
Smarter deployment of sales + merchandising
Utilising this data, knowing exactly where the biggest gaps and opportunities are means our field teams can be deployed with confidence. Instead of sending reps everywhere and hoping for the best, we can prioritise the stores, categories and moments that matter most. More impact, less waste.
The bigger picture
At the end of the day, this partnership is about helping brands and retailers get closer to the truth of retail. No more guessing. No more patchy data. Just a clear, AI-driven view of what’s happening on the shelf, and a direct path to acting on it.
This is the future of retail execution — and we’re excited to bring it to life here in Australia.
Quote from Pensa:
“Partnering exclusively in Australia with Crossmark allows us to bring the full strength of Pensa’s Vision AI to the AUS market with a team that knows retail execution inside and out. Together, we’re enabling brands and retailers to finally see what’s happening on-shelf in real time, and act on it with confidence. This is just the beginning, we’re excited to see where we can go from here,”
Mark Abernathy, Chief Commercial Officer, Pensa Systems.
More on Pensa:
Pensa is a leading innovator for AI transformation at retail. It is the industry's first scalable Vision AI solution to increase efficiency and maximise effectiveness of the retail supply chain. With its broad product portfolio for HQ planning and in-store execution, Pensa partners with global CPG brands and retailers to address a trillion-dollar “blind spot” at a critical time in the industry.