Electronic Shelf Labels: A Smart Upgrade for a New Era of Retail, Driving Operational Efficiency

For many born in the 1980s, shopping meant standing at a glass counter, asking a store clerk about each item’s price one by one. Occasionally, a clerk’s unfriendly attitude could sour the entire experience—far from the idea that “the customer is king.”

Today, shopping malls and supermarkets are everywhere, with product displays designed to bring items closer to customers in both distance and accessibility. The service industry increasingly prioritizes customer “experience.” Price inquiries are no longer handled manually but are clearly displayed through modern tags with detailed product information.

Rapid Expansion of Electronic Shelf Labels

Paper price tags used to be widespread in supermarkets. But as technology advances, electronic shelf labels (ESLs) are becoming more common in everyday retail environments.

Also known as electronic price tags, ESLs are electronic display devices equipped with information transmission and reception capabilities. They are mainly used in supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, and other retail settings to display price and product data.

An ESL consists of a communication module and a display module. The communication module receives control commands and image data from the server in real time and sends back response information. The display module is responsible for presenting this data visually.

Electronic shelf labels allow rapid, large-scale, real-time updates of product information, enabling functions such as in-store price management, inventory control, and human-machine interaction.

Four Key Advantages of Electronic Shelf Labels

1. Real-Time Price Updates & Flexible Promotions

Connected via a wireless network to the backend system, ESL price tags enable one-click price changes and real-time promotion updates. This allows retailers to implement marketing strategies faster and more efficiently.

2. Enhanced Store Image & Improved Customer Experience

Using e-ink displays, ESLs offer clear and aesthetically pleasing visuals. They support various fonts and layouts, instantly upgrading your store into a "smart retail space" and delivering a futuristic shopping experience for customers.

3. Reduced Labor Costs & Increased Operational Efficiency

Electronic price labels support bulk updates—thousands of labels can be updated within minutes. This drastically reduces labor requirements, allowing your staff to focus on more value-added services.

4. Accurate Data Management & Smarter Decision-Making

ESLs seamlessly integrate with backend systems to display real-time inventory and product information. This helps store managers gain precise sales insights, optimize product placement, and streamline inventory management.

Compared to traditional paper tags, electronic shelf labels significantly reduce labor and paper consumption in physical stores, vastly improve price consistency and management efficiency, and offer energy-saving and eco-friendly advantages. As a result, ESLs are rapidly expanding across the retail industry.