Smart Supermarket Shelf: A Key shopping Transformation

Most supermarket purchases are still made in-store; a personalized in-store shopping experience is the next logical frontier of digital transformation.

It seems that no matter where we go, the world is undergoing digital transformation, and the next one may be your local supermarket. We are all used to "non-digital" supermarket shelves, but digital supermarket shelves are likely to be the future direction of development. That's because they can bring benefits to consumers and supermarket retailers, so this is a win-win situation.

The potential benefits of smart supermarket shelves for retailers include:

• Data-driven inventory management can automatically track in-store inventory levels. For example, an out-of-stock alert can be sent to relevant supermarket employees to prompt replenishment and reorder. Effective replenishment and reordering can help increase sales by ensuring proper inventory levels.

• Use and be able to update electronic price tags easily and quickly, saving time compared to manual pricing of inventory, and there is no need to check prices.

• Ability to use flexible digital signage to market to grocery shoppers in real time. For example, in-store promotions can be adjusted quickly and easily to adapt to changing circumstances, such as new product launches or seasonal marketing campaigns. Many supermarket purchases are impulse goods, so the ability to provide relevant and personalized information to supermarket consumers should not be underestimated.

• Able to generate detailed analysis on consumer shopping behavior to notify managers and other supermarket employees of store sales. For example, customer traffic patterns show ideal inventory locations to maximize sales.

• Prevent or minimize theft.

IoT technology that enables smart supermarket shelf technology

Electronic Shelf Labels

If you look at most shelves in the store today, you will see paper tags proudly announcing prices and discounts highlighted on the edges. Electronic tags will eliminate all paper and make it easier to change the price of an entire store in a matter of minutes. Kroger has already started using EDGE, a cloud-based shelf display solution. Kroger EDGE displays prices, advertisements, nutrition data, coupons, and videos. Imagine standing in front of a milk showcase, instantly comparing the nutritional information of different brands, and at the same time getting a flashing coupon scanned with a mobile phone.

Personalized Advertisements

The smart shelf can interact with the application on the customer's smartphone. For example, sensors installed on shelves can tell you when you are approaching them, so they can show you transactions for the same kind of bread you bought last week. In addition, if you use the store's app to create a shopping list, the smart shelf can interact with the list and tell you where to find the goods you want. Despite privacy and data collection issues, some consumers share their personal information and purchase history to close transactions.

RFID Technology

A radio frequency identification reader (RFID) usually has a tag that contains a microchip, reader, and antenna to transmit and receive data. It uses radio waves to identify items and transmit information about them. In supermarkets, RFID technology can help retailers manage and track inventory. RFID tags can alert shop assistants when the shelf is empty and needs to be restocked or someone puts the wrong item on the shelf. The combination of RFID tags on each item and robot checkout can automatically scan your purchases and speed up shopping.

IoT sensors

Internet of Things (IoT) sensors have many potential uses in supermarkets, the most basic of which is temperature control. IoT sensors can check the temperature in refrigerators and bins to ensure they are correct before fluctuations destroy all ice cream or make all meat sales dangerous. The Internet of Things can also collect data from smart shelves and transmit it to the store staff for analysis. This technology can help supermarkets understand which products are attractive to consumers and can influence how the store arranges the items on display.

Smart shelves will change the way you shop in the future. From digital displays that show instant price changes to ads that link to your shopping list, you can expect this technology to become more personalized.