Electronic shelf labels

Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) is an electronic display device placed on shelves to replace traditional paper price labels. It is mainly used in supermarkets, warehouses and other logistics systems to achieve rapid and accurate update of commodity prices, improve operational efficiency and enhance customer satisfaction.

Electronic shelf labeling system usually includes the main computer PC, EPD screen, electronic labels electronic shelf labels and intelligent handheld terminal equipment composed of four parts. The main computer through the electronic shelf labeling system application software for commodity information coding and processing, and then through the network will need to update the price and other information transmitted to the electronic shelf labels, to achieve price consistency between the cash register and the shelves.

In recent years, with the development of Bluetooth technology, the electronic shelf labeling system has also begun to use Bluetooth wireless communication technology, making the update of commodity information more convenient and efficient. For example, the application of Bluetooth 5.0 communication technology makes it possible for electronic shelf labels to carry out operations such as price changes and promotions on commodities through APP, and supports multi-machine linkage, which improves the efficiency of price changes.

In addition, the Bluetooth SIG released a new wireless standard for electronic shelf labels in 2023 - "Bluetooth Core Specification Version 5.4", which is expected to break the current technical barriers to wireless communication private protocols of ESL system vendors, and to promote the entry of more ESL ecosystem chip and machine suppliers, as well as to improve the communication between different manufacturers. This is expected to break the current wireless communication private protocol technical barriers among ESL system manufacturers, promote the entry of more chip and machine suppliers into the ESL ecosystem, and at the same time improve the system compatibility among different manufacturers and reduce costs2.

In summary, electronic shelf labels, as a modern retail tool, are gradually changing the way the retail industry operates, improving efficiency, reducing costs, and providing consumers with a better shopping experience. With the continuous advancement of technology, the application of electronic shelf labels will become more widespread in the future, and the impact on the retail industry will be more far-reaching.