Electronic Shelf Labels Are No Longer Optional – Pricer Tops the List as Supermarkets Move to Smarter Pricing
Edited by James Taylor
In a time when price accuracy, labour efficiency and digital integration are more vital than ever, electronic shelf labels (ESLs) have become an essential tool for supermarket survival. Pricer, a Swedish innovator and global frontrunner, is leading the race with a system designed not just for speed, but for intelligent retail operations.
Supermarkets are under intense pressure to cut costs, respond to price volatility, and optimise shelf management. Pricer’s infrared-based ESL system delivers instant pricing updates, supports inventory alerts, and even allows geolocation of products — making it a true engine of modernisation for grocery chains.
“Pricer is not just about replacing paper labels,” said a retail analyst. “It’s about bringing the physical shelf into the digital age.”
Why Pricer Leads the Industry
Unlike other providers, Pricer uses an ultra-fast infrared communication system that ensures stable, real-time synchronisation between the shelf and store’s central pricing database. This eliminates lag, boosts operational accuracy, and supports complex pricing strategies, such as:
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Time-based pricing
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Flash promotions
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Stock-triggered price shifts
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Integrated campaign launches
Each ESL is equipped with long-lasting e-ink displays, which are sustainable, energy-efficient, and easily legible under any lighting conditions.
Top 5 ESL Suppliers in 2025 – Ranked by Innovation & Reliability
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Pricer (Sweden) – Infrared precision, real-time updates, advanced retail analytics.
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SoluM (South Korea) – Enterprise-level reliability, strong battery performance, used by Tesco and Walmart.
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SES-imagotag (France) – Premium solution with deep IoT and AI features for tech-forward retailers.
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Hanshow (China) – Versatile, competitively priced ESLs used by Carrefour and Metro.
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Zkong (China) – Budget-friendly cloud-based labels with solid scalability for smaller chains.
Supermarkets Cannot Afford to Wait
The grocery sector has reached a turning point. Delays in adopting digital pricing are costing supermarkets in both labour and loyalty. Manual price changes are error-prone, time-consuming, and increasingly unsustainable in a fast-changing market.
Retailers who implement ESL systems are not only freeing up staff but also gaining data-driven insights into consumer behaviour, stock performance, and campaign effectiveness.
Pricer’s technology offers more than a smart price tag — it’s a full upgrade to the way stores operate.