A supermarket giant has announced a huge change to the way customers will shop in their stores. The shift comes after a three-month trial in a branch in Manchester
Supemarket giant Asda is gearing up to introduce digital price tags across its largets and busiest Express convinience stores.
The new initative will see 250 stores adopt the new technology, following in the foosteps of Lidl and Currys who already use electronic shelf edge labels (ESLs) in their shops.
It’s a huge change for shoppers, who may have seen the labels as Asda’s Oxford Road branch in Manchester – where the tech was trialled for three months.
Asda bosses say that the trial allowed staff to dedicate more time to helping customers, managing deliveries, and restocking shelves as the task of changing outdated labels became obsolete.
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Around 2,800 separate electronic shelf edge labels will be installed in stores, meaning workers will no longer need to manually update pricing in-store.
The technology, from rVusionGroup and its partners, Renovotec and HL Display, also helps to display allergen information at the shelf edge via QR codes, as well as the cost, weight, and unit price of products.
Asda recently announced it will open up to 20 new Express stores before the year ends as part of its convenience store opening programme.
Each new Express shop will feature the electronic shelf edge labels from day one, in a bid to improve efficiency and customer experience.
Joseph Sutton, Vice President Asda Express, foodservice and fuel, said: “We’re continuing to invest in enhancing our stores, and the launch of cutting-edge technology across our Express estate is proof of this. By streamlining our instore operations, we can free up our colleagues to focus on what they do best – serving our customers.”
Roy Horgan, CEO UK and Ireland – VusionGroup, said: “We are proud to be extending our partnership with Asda as they accelerate their digital transformation. This next phase is a testament to both Asda’s digital ambition and the strength of VusionGroup’s market-leading technologies. By combining ESLs with IoT innovation and data-rich insight, we are helping to transform the in-store experience for Asda customers and colleagues.”
Asda customers could spot several other changes on the horizon too. A previous Mirror report revealed that shoppers at some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets were told that a significant transformation could be happening to the checkout within months, if proposals to overhaul till operations are given the green light.
Meanwhile, shoppers will want to mark some specific dates on their calendars if they are keen to take advantage of any toy sales in the lead-up to Christmas. Most of the major chains have already launched their big deals, but some are yet to happen.
Some shops are offering as much as 50% off the original prices of certain items, while stocks last. Others are selling toys that cannot be bought anywhere else.
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