The consumer sees an advertised price on the shelf but pays a different price at the register. Correcting this minor problem will require multiple people and perhaps even an apology, as well as printing a new label. Wireless technology is enabling retailers to address these kinds of issues before customers encounter them.
For retailers who really know how to run a good business, what makes Bluetooth technology appealing is not fancy gadgets. Rather, it is the connection of small battery-powered devices without laying wire throughout each aisle.
Shelf Prices That Change Without a Paper Chase
The Electronic Shelf Labels system replaces paper price tags with small digital screens. It becomes possible to change prices for thousands of items using a central system instead of running around the store with stacks of papers. The promotion starts on time, and workers have more time to do other tasks.
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group developed a standard for wireless communication of electronic shelf labels in 2023. The Electronic Shelf Label Profile uses functions introduced in Bluetooth Core 5.4. This is important for retailers who want to grow their business without complete reliance on one supplier.
But a digital label is only as reliable as the price database that backs it up. Stores should synchronize data in checkout systems and displays and have an update failure procedure in place.
Finding Equipment Across a Busy Store
Not possessing a stock cart or hand-held scanner may make it difficult for the employees during a busy shift. BLE tags send periodic signals that are picked up by the nearby receivers. This kind of information can be used to determine where the item last was seen or found.
In a basic proximity system, it uses signal strength that may be affected by metal shelving or refrigerators. In the case of a direction finding system, there would be special antennas used to determine positions. But both are not indoor GPS and therefore need to be tested in the store itself.
In the case of a warehouse retailer, BLE tags will definitely make a lot of difference behind the sales floor.
Sensors Protect Products Behind the Scenes
Bluetooth technology also supports sensors that report temperature and humidity. A grocery operator could monitor refrigerated storage and receive an alert when readings move outside an acceptable range. That creates an earlier opportunity to investigate a door left open or a malfunctioning cooler.
Minew, for instance, provides Bluetooth-powered temperature sensors, asset tags, gateways, and other connected devices useful in retail-oriented applications. Hardware is not all that is needed. The alerts require definite thresholds, reliable gateway coverage, and an employee to act on them.
These systems can be used in food handling practices, but they cannot substitute for calibration and safety standards.
Beacons Need a Reason to Interrupt Shoppers
The beacons that are placed in the store can send signals that would be detected by an application running on the mobile phone of the customer. The owner of the store can use these beacons for helping the customers find their way in the store or a pickup point. It is worth noting that the app must be developed in such a way that it could communicate with the beacons, and the customers could use some of the features of the app.
The suggestion of notifying the customers about the discount each time they walk past a shelf contradicts the principle of providing relevant information. The excessive amount of notifications may push the users to stop getting notifications or uninstall the app. The criterion that can be used is whether the question of the customer can be answered or not.
Start With One Operational Problem
The retailers have to choose the objective measurement prior to buying hundreds of the devices.
The grocery retailer will launch a pilot project of product labeling and compare the differences of the current system and the proposed solution due to the errors in pricing, working time of employees and the errors that occur in updating prices.
Apart from the devices and signs, there are other costs that should be included in the budget, such as maintaining the connections and networks, batteries and device replacement.
Security and privacy problems should be considered, especially in case the app will be used to operate with the shoppers' locations.
For the pilot project of the smart store concept, the information from the test should be used instead of estimating the number of vendors. The test signals should be checked in the freezer and other places first.
Better Stores, Not Just More Devices
Post-pilot, conduct an analysis of a sales cycle, technical problems, and employee feedback. The rationale behind using Bluetooth technology is to prevent daily problems without creating another dashboard that will be ignored.
The perfect implementation of smart retailing is rarely the biggest. It is the implementation that employees can rely on at their busiest time of the week.
