Why More Supermarkets and Fresh Food Stores Are Adopting Electronic Price Tags in the Era of New Retail

Price Adjustments Are Challenging in Fresh Food Retail

In supermarkets, the prices of products like fruits, vegetables, meat, and seafood are frequently affected by factors such as seasonal changes, transportation and storage costs, production conditions, and supply-demand dynamics. These frequent price fluctuations require timely updates. If prices are not updated promptly, it can negatively impact sales performance and, in turn, the supermarket's profitability. Fresh produce may become difficult to sell due to outdated pricing, leading to inventory waste and financial losses for the store.

Traditional Paper Tags vs. Electronic Price Tags

Large supermarkets typically manage a vast number of fresh food SKUs. With traditional paper price tags, changing prices within a short period becomes a highly complex and labor-intensive process. It requires multiple people to collect data, manually write or print tags, locate the correct products, and replace tags one by one. Promotional products require even more effort to produce special promotional tags. The time and cost involved often far exceed expectations.

Smart Pricing with Electronic Price Tags

Real-Time Updates & Accuracy
Electronic price tags allow prices to be updated in real-time, ensuring that product information remains accurate and eliminating issues caused by delays or incorrect pricing.

Improved Operational Efficiency
With centralized remote management, electronic price labels eliminate the need for manual replacement, saving significant time and labor. This enables staff to focus more on customer service and store management.

Data Integration & Intelligent Management
Connected with inventory systems, electronic price tags provide real-time sales and stock data. This supports smarter business decisions and improves operational oversight.

Environmentally Friendly & Sustainable
By reducing the need for paper and ink, electronic price tags contribute to environmental protection and align with sustainable development goals.

Enhanced Customer Experience
Clear and modern designs improve the shopping experience, reduce confusion caused by incorrect information, and increase customer trust in the store.

Five Advantages That Give Retail Stores a Fresh New Look

Easy Price Changes
In the past, changing prices with paper tags involved a manual process: requesting a price change, printing new tags, and physically updating them at the shelf. Now, with cloud-based platforms, price changes can be made and refreshed instantly with a few clicks.

Cost Savings in the Long Term
While digital price labels require a higher initial investment compared to paper tags, over the span of 3–5 years, they lead to significant savings in labor and printing costs. Labor expenses rise annually, and each promotional event using paper tags incurs additional costs. In contrast, electronic price tags are a one-time investment with minimal maintenance costs—batteries can last up to five years and are replaceable—making them cost-effective in the long run.

Timely Promotions
During holidays or sales events, mistakes in printed paper tags can be difficult and time-consuming to correct. With electronic price tags, pricing changes are fast, accurate, and flexible—ideal for back-to-back promotions without delays or errors.

Omni-Channel Price Synchronization
This is something paper tags simply can’t do. Supermarkets with online stores can synchronize prices across both physical and digital platforms using electronic price tags. Through open API integration on the tag management system, stores can connect to third-party platforms, allowing price updates to be managed in one central system.

Multi-Store Management
With cloud-based platforms, electronic price tags enable centralized control across multiple locations. Roles and permissions can be assigned to manage different stores, ensuring consistent pricing and real-time visibility across branches—ideal for chain stores and retail groups.

Electronic price tags have become a defining feature of the new retail landscape, and are now widely used across various retail formats. In the coming years, they are expected to become standard in convenience stores and supermarkets alike, supporting smarter, greener, and more efficient retail operations.