German hypermarket chain Kaufland Group has announced it will be rolling out electronic shelf labels across its store estate.
The retailer, which has 650+ stores and is part the Schwartz Gruppe which also includes value grocery chain Lidl, has teamed up with UK-based tech company, Displaydata, for the supply of ESLs to its German sites.
It comes as the ESL market is estimated to grow from $186.5 million in 2014 to $399.6 million by 2020, at a CAGR of 14.1% between 2015 and 2020.
According to market research firm Marketsandmarkets, the ESL sector is driven by the growing demand for real-time product positioning and stringent government mandates on accurate label pricing, mostly in the North American and European regions.
The report says that full-graphic labels, which are e-paper-based electronic labels that support graphics and include new communication technologies such as near-field communication, are expected be the dominant player in the ESL market during the forecast period.
US grocery chain, Whole Foods, has recently opened a new chain of stores called 365 by Whole Foods Market, and ESLs feature in these shops as part of a range of technological installations aimed at appealing to a younger shopper demographic.
Using Scandinavian tech firm Pricer's ESL, the supermarket can change prices quicker than before, as well as deploying staff to undertae other roles. Additional in-store tech at the 365 shops includes a mobile app used for staff communication, and a tie-up with Instacart means shoppers can receive rapid delivery when ordering on the Whole Foods website.
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