In recent years, the grocery industry has seen significant advancements in technology, and one of the most impactful innovations has been the adoption of Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs). These digital displays, which replace traditional paper price tags which sometimes take even more than 20 hours of manual work to update labels every day. ESLs offer a number of benefits over their analog counterparts, including improved accuracy, real-time updates, and cost savings. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the advantages of using ESLs in the grocery industry and what the future of grocery shopping might look like as this technology continues to evolve.
Accurate and Up-to-Date Pricing
One of the biggest advantages of ESLs is their accuracy and real-time updates. Unlike traditional paper price tags, which can take hours or even days to update, ESLs can be updated instantly, ensuring that customers always have access to the most accurate pricing information. This is particularly important in the grocery industry, where prices can change frequently due to fluctuations in the cost of goods or promotions.
Cost Savings
Another advantage of ESLs is the cost savings they offer. By reducing the need for manual updates to paper price tags, ESLs can help retailers reduce labor costs and improve efficiency. In addition, because ESLs are more durable than paper price tags, they can also save money on replacements and maintenance.
Improving the Shopping Experience
ESLs can also help improve the shopping experience for customers. By providing real-time pricing information, customers can make more informed purchasing decisions, saving time and money in the process. In addition, because ESLs are digital displays, they can be used to display additional information, such as product descriptions, images, and even advertisements.
Facilitating Inventory Management
Finally, ESLs can also facilitate inventory management. By allowing retailers to update pricing information in real-time, they can ensure that the right products are on the shelves at the right prices. This can help reduce stockouts, increase sales, and improve the overall efficiency of the store.
In conclusion, ESLs are revolutionizing the way that retailers approach pricing and inventory management in the grocery industry. With their accuracy, real-time updates, and cost savings, they offer significant advantages over traditional paper price tags. As this technology continues to evolve, it’s likely that we’ll see even more transformation in the grocery industry, with ESLs playing a major role in improving the shopping experience for customers and streamlining operations for retailers.
An example that illustrates how grocery stores are widely adapting to ESLs
For instance, Schnuck Markets’ decided to introduce electronic shelf labels into their stores based on their own experiences. The company’s technology staff, who also work as store associates to gain insights into the company’s daily operations, realized during a recent exercise that the task of putting up shelf labels throughout the stores was a difficult and time-consuming process. This led to the decision to explore electronic alternatives.
Schnucks is not the only grocer that has explored the use of ESLs. Other retailers such as Kroger, Hy-Vee, and Chicago-based startup Dom’s Kitchen & Market have also implemented ESL pilots or full-scale deployments. Ahold Delhaize USA is currently testing ESLs at undisclosed locations and aims to expand the use of the technology.