🧠 Introduction

Retail and inventory management rely heavily on accurate shelf audits and timely restocking. In large operations, this process can be time-consuming and error-prone when done manually.

To solve this problem, I developed a Smart Shelf Audit and Restocking Bot using UiPath — an end-to-end automation that scans shelf data, identifies issues, and sends four daily reports straight to my inbox.

❓ Problem Statement

In a real-world retail environment, stock audits are often:

  • Manual and repetitive
  • Prone to human error
  • Not done frequently enough to catch fast-moving stockouts

These issues can lead to:

  • Lost sales due to out-of-stock items
  • Misplaced products on the wrong shelves
  • Delay in restocking because alerts are not timely

🧩 Solution Overview

The Smart Shelf Audit and Restocking Bot does the following:

  1. Pulls shelf data from UiPath Data Service
  2. Analyzes stock levels and detects:
    • Low stock
    • Misplaced items
    • Restocking requirements
  3. Generates four reports:
    • Audit Report
    • Inventory Report
    • Low Stock Products Report
    • Restocking Report
  4. Emails those reports daily via Outlook
  5. Is scheduled using UiPath Orchestrator

⚙️ Key Components

Here are the main components used in this automation:

  • UiPath Studio

    Used to develop the entire automation workflow with drag-and-drop activities.

  • UiPath Data Service

    Stores structured mock shelf data.

  • Excel Activities

    Generate and format multiple report files.

  • Outlook Activities

    Send the reports via email with attachments.

  • UiPath Orchestrator

    Publishes, deploys, and schedules the automation to run daily.

🧠 Workflow Diagram

Here is a high-level diagram of the automation flow:

Smart Shelf Audit Workflow Diagram

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🛠 Step-by-Step Breakdown

1️⃣ ScanShelfData.xaml

  • Extracts ProductID and ScannedStockLevel
  • Writes results to AuditLog.csv

2️⃣ InventoryAnalyzeData.xaml

  • Extracts Shelf & Warehouse stock levels
  • Outputs to Inventory.csv

3️⃣ GenerateAuditReport.xaml

  • Merges data based on ProductID
  • Outputs to AuditReport.csv

4️⃣ Email Automation

  • Sends 4 reports daily via Outlook
  • Uses Send Outlook Mail Message activity

🚀 Orchestrator Deployment

  • The automation is published to UiPath Orchestrator
  • It is scheduled to run every morning
  • While it works perfectly when triggered manually, I'm currently troubleshooting a minor issue with the scheduled execution — part of refining real-world deployment!

📈 Results and Benefits

This automation:

  • Eliminates manual shelf audits
  • Ensures daily visibility into inventory
  • Helps anticipate restocking needs
  • Demonstrates the power of RPA in retail

🏁 Conclusion

This Smart Shelf Audit and Restocking Bot shows how UiPath can simplify retail operations through automation. As part of my journey toward becoming a UiPath MVP, I’m sharing this real-world case study to help others build practical RPA projects.

Feel free to comment below or reach out if you have questions — let’s learn together!
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