What is Retail Electronic Signage?
This three-word phrase could be misleading to the uninitiated, who might believe it refers to the colourful lighting displays above the doors of an emporium announcing its brand and its tagline to passing consumers. In reality, however, it is a reference to a display system employed inside a store. Also known as electronic shelf labelling (ESL), the system uses RF technology to speed up and simplify several essential management activities. So, how does retail electronic signage work, and what can it do?
A Streamlined Process
One of the most time-consuming tasks for a busy store is updating price tags. Prices are constantly changing for various reasons, like undercutting a competitor, promoting a slow-moving product or compensating for cost increases. Instead of needing to browse the shelves, locate the affected stock items and substitute newly-printed paper labels for the outdated ones, installing an ESL system allows a store employee to perform the entire task remotely. It’s no longer necessary to print and replace labels. With retail electronic signage, the digital display tags have a battery life of at least five years and can remain in place permanently. The information on their screens is updated from data transmitted wirelessly.
A Durable and Versatile Solution
In addition to saving time, these digital shelf labels are also far more visible than their paper equivalents, which tend to fade after a while. Furthermore, they are unaffected by moisture. Some can even be mounted inside a refrigerator or freezer without affecting their legibility. ESL can also be the perfect way to draw the customer’s attention to those special promotions or roll-back prices. When using retail electronic signage, one can set a colour LED indicator on the label to flash. The flashing facility can also help packers locate shelves that require re-stocking.
A Tech-Savvy Option
One of many recent developments has been mobile shopping apps. These digital tags can enable customers to scan QR or barcodes or use near field communication (NFC) to access additional product information via a smartphone. Some stores have extended this function, enabling customers to pay for their purchases on the fly or keep tabs on their spending. However, the most significant benefit of retail electronic signage is undoubtedly its role in optimising inventory management.
Optimised Inventory Management
While the information displayed on digital labels is invaluable, their greatest strength often lies in the invisible data they exchange. They can employ the input from points of sale to update an enterprise resource system regarding dwindling stock levels which may then initiate purchase orders where indicated.
Teraoka is a leading supplier of retail equipment, including DIGI electronic shelf labels. Watch the DIGI video or download a pdf to discover how retail electronic signage could enhance your store’s productivity.