IBM i Integration Gives Costco Shoppers Real-Time Inventory

September 28, 2026 Alex Woodie

Here’s the scene: Janet is perusing the computer aisles at Costco when suddenly she sees it: The exact configuration of a MacBook Pro she’s been looking for, at a really good price. As she’s getting ready to buy it, Janet makes a grim discovery: Costco is out of that particular MacBook Pro, and the item on display is the last one in the store.

Janet isn’t the first customer to be disappointed in this way. Retailers have long struggled to adequately reflect the actual warehouse product inventory with the items on display in the front of the store. Communicating out-of-stock conditions often comes down to continuously monitoring inventory levels and then getting staff members to manually place signs on product displays, which is a time-consuming, hit-or-miss affair.

Now a manufacturer of customized digital displays, OnQ Solutions, says it has found a way to automate the connection between the back-office inventory management systems and in-store signage to avoid situations like Janet’s. The company recently announced that its Converge platform can now integrate with IBM i applications, enabling digital displays to accurately reflect actual inventory in the store.

In addition to automatically suppressing out-of-stock items – thereby preventing shoppers from Janet from getting their hopes up – the integration will allow retailers to prioritize available inventory and align promotions with what can actually be purchased in-store, the Hayward, California-based company says.

Costco worked with OnQ to display real-time inventory from Costco’s IBM i-based inventory management system on OnQ smart retail displays.

OnQ said the integration has moved from the pilot phase into to real-world deployments. The company’s first customer is none other than Costco, the $30 billion retail giant. OnQ said it has worked with Costco to integrate its digital product displays with Costco’s back-office IBM i systems at 610 stores across the U.S.

Costco isn’t the only global retailer that relies on the IBM i platform to automate various parts of their operations, from inventory management to general ledgers and more. OnQ notes that Walmart, Target and Walgreens have also used the platform, which is “known for its unmatched reliability, uptime and ability to process real-time data across complex store environments.”

With the first round of IBM i integration work complete and the Costco deployment a success, the company is looking to expand its reach into other retailers that rely on the IBM i server to run their stores.

In addition to displaying real-time inventory counts, OnQ’s Converge system offers several other capabilities. Its interactive displays can generate QR codes to give shoppers a way to get more information. The Converge platform also comes with management features to support large, multi-site rollouts, as well as remote device management, content management, and reporting and analytics capabilities.

The future of retail belongs to platforms that connect everything, according to Paul Chapuis, the founder and CEO of OnQ. That includes not just screens and content, but the inventory, reporting, operations, and the customer experience itself, he said.

“Converge was built from the ground up to be that kind of platform,” Chapuis stated. “It’s already an incredibly robust system for managing devices, content and engagement across retail environments. Now, with AS/400 integration, it extends even deeper into the retailer ecosystem, helping brands and retailers finally bring the operational and customer sides of the store together in a meaningful way.”