Marks & Spencer is rolling out electronic shelf labels (ESLs) and Vusion’s Connected Store platform in several new stores. The solution is intended to support store operations and serve as the technical basis for future digital features.
The technical foundation is provided by the EdgeSense Smart Rail platform, which uses a Bluetooth-enabled infrastructure. EdgeSense links store systems, product information and staff activities across the entire store. Marks & Spencer aims to use this technology to modernise its outlets, optimise store operations and improve the experience for both customers and staff.
In the first phase of implementation, the British retail company plans to use the solution to manage product information. EdgeSense is also set to streamline stock management processes and enable staff to carry out tasks on the shop floor using location-based features. To this end, the platform can make labels of the items being searched for flash.
Marks & Spencer had already trialled ESLs back in 2016
Marks & Spencer had already trialled ESLs back in 2016. At a store on Fenchurch Street in London, just under 5,000 NFC-enabled labels with 2.7-inch displays, as well as a further 400 labels with 4.4-inch displays from Vusion (then SES-Imagotag), were deployed. The technology was integrated into the store’s central systems in collaboration with implementation partner MarketHub.
In the UK, the market for ESLs has developed more slowly in the past than in other European countries. Today, rising costs are prompting retail companies to expand the use cases for digital shelf labels.
ESL technology is becoming more widespread in the UK
British retailer Asda has introduced Vusion’s electronic shelf labels in all its convenience and petrol station stores. The Retail Optimiser reported. The roll-out has covered more than 550 Asda Express stores and petrol station outlets. In total, the retailer has installed more than 1.2 million ESLs.
Last year, Morrisons also decided to install Vusion’s electronic shelf labels in all 497 of its supermarkets. In total, the British retail group has ordered more than 10.8 million labels from the technology provider.
Tesco, on the other hand, relies on a different technology provider. In June, the British market leader selected Hanshow as its exclusive ESL supplier – The Retail Optimiser reported. Tesco plans to install the labels in all of its approximately 3,000 British stores within two years.
