NATUURWINKEL-UTRECHT

Running an organic store is one of the best ways to promote sustainability in a community; however, operating one is not without challenges.

For a large organic store like Natuurwinkel Utrecht, these difficulties mainly stem from the fruits and vegetable department. From tomatoes and pumpkins to watermelons, apples, and oranges, their inventory is composed of a significant amount of fresh items that must be sold immediately before they turn into waste.

Requirements

Managing an inventory of fresh and organic goods can be challenging as they only have a much shorter shelf life than other types of retail goods. In particular, the vegetables and fruits being sold at Natuurwinkel Utrecht must be displayed with accurate prices throughout the day. 

The problem, however, lies with transparency as important data such as the prices and the quality grade of these goods require changes at least twice a day. Fresh goods must be priced strategically as the day progresses not only to maximize the profits but also to minimize food wastage and sell products of high-quality. 

Hence, a solution that will allow the store to update the labels simultaneously and display information clearly and accurately is extremely vital to provide the customer with correct product information at all times. 

Results

The introduction of SOLUM Electronic Shelf Labels and Valk Retail Solutions in Natuurwinkel store in Utrecht has empowered the organic retail business with a new technology that allows them to maximize their employees’ skills on more important tasks, save on costs associated with printing paper labels, and last but not the least, provide a seamless and more satisfying shopping experience to their loyal and visiting customers. 

With ESLs now in place, the management can implement new prices for their fresh goods during specific times of the day, in real-time and in a simultaneous manner – all with relative ease.

This eliminated the need for the employees to spend hours manually changing labels per shelf, enabling them to focus on more meaningful activities such as promoting products and assisting customers with their inquiries.