ESL Future: What is the Future of Electronic Shelf Labels?

Electronic shelf labels, or ESL, have been a significant part of the retail industry in recent years. As a retail technology, digital label solutions have slowly entered the market and impacted retail businesses, operations, and even end consumers. But ESL, like other modern technologies, is ever-changing. There are many modern features and capabilities being developed. And with the consumer industry being erratic, chances are the future of ESL will also bring changes and new developments. So what is the ESL future? What will it bring in the coming years?

According to Mordor Intelligence, the electronic shelf label market size is estimated to be valued at USD 1.73 billion in 2024. It’s even expected to reach USD 3.33 billion in five years, by 2029. These numbers are a quick overview of how significant ESL is currently for the retail industry. It also highlights how much the industry is willing to welcome ESL usage in the future.

ESL, or digital label solutions, is one of the growing trends in the retail sector as modernization and automation take over various industries. The recent pandemic has had a big influence on the rise of ESL as well. This is because consumer preferences have shifted to modern solutions that often guarantee convenience, safety, and sustainability. Retail businesses quickly realized that having a digital label solution could streamline their operations and bring the digitalization many consumers wanted. With this kind of automation technology, they were also able to reduce operational costs, labor time, labor costs, and so much more.

E-commerce sectors and logistics centers are also implementing retail automation technology for accuracy and efficiency. Omnichannel retailing is also preferred in most retail and e-commerce transactions, driving the implementation and usage of ESL among businesses even further.

In a report by Fact.MR, the ESL market in North America has a growth rate of 18.8% and is likely to reach USD 1.2 billion in 2032. ESL has also made a mark on various other regions, such as Europe, East Asia, South Asia and Oceania, Latin America, and more.

Right now, the electronic shelf label market is expected to grow in the coming years as the retail industry itself shows no sign of slowing down.

Electronic shelf labels, or digital labels, are currently making remarkable contributions to the retail industry. From retail automation to operational efficiency, brand reputation, and customer engagement, ESL has brought many advantages to businesses that utilize it.

Here are several ways digital labels are helping businesses in the modern world:

1. Real-time price updates: Digital labels enable retailers to update prices in real-time without the need for taxing and manual label changes. This allows for dynamic pricing strategies, instant responses to market changes, and promotions. This, in turn, enhances pricing accuracy and competitiveness.
2. Inventory Management: Digital labels help facilitate automated inventory management by providing real-time data on product availability, stock levels, and location. This helps retailers optimize stock replenishment, reduce out-of-stock situations, and minimize overstocking possibilities.
3. Efficient Labeling Process: With ESLs, retailers can eliminate the time-consuming and labor-intensive process of manually printing and replacing paper labels. This results in significant time and cost savings when it comes to price changes. As a result, it also allows the staff to focus on other tasks.
4. Reduced Pricing Errors: ESLs reduce the likelihood of pricing errors caused by manual label changes or discrepancies between shelf labels and POS (point of sale) systems. This helps maintain pricing consistency across retail channels and reduces the risk of customer dissatisfaction and loss of revenue.
5. Streamlined Compliance: A digital label solution can also streamline compliance with pricing regulations and requirements. They can ensure accurate and up-to-date pricing information on the sales floor with digital labels. This reduces the risk of non-compliance penalties and regulatory issues for retailers.
6. Enhanced Customer Experience: Digital labels contribute to an improved overall shopping experience for customers. This is because they provide accurate and consistent pricing information, product details, and promotions in real time. This helps build trust and loyalty among customers and encourages repeat business.
7. Flexibility and Adaptability: A digital label solution offers flexibility and adaptability to changing retail environments. They allow retailers to quickly adjust prices, promotions, and product information to meet customer demands and market conditions. This agility is especially valuable in fast-paced industries and businesses with frequent pricing changes.
8. Data Analytics and Insights: Digital labels, of course, capture valuable data on customer interactions, purchasing patterns, and product performance. They can provide retailers with actionable insights for decision-making, merchandising strategies, and inventory optimization for the whole operation.

While the ESL market remains strong, a few interesting developments are being forecast. For business owners and vendors, it’s important to keep up with the trends that are likely shaping the ESL future in various retail environments.

Integration with IoT and Smart Retail

Digital labels are increasingly being integrated into IoT ecosystems and smart retail solutions. They can communicate with other devices and systems, such as inventory management systems, POS terminals, and mobile apps. This is made possible to enable seamless data exchange and full automation of retail processes.

E-ink Technology Preferences

Advancements in graphic display technology for ESL will also matter more in the coming years. Retail businesses and consumers will turn their attention to e-ink technology or e-ink types of digital labels. This is because e-ink technology offers higher resolution, faster refresh rates, improved visibility, low power consumption, and paper-like readability of ESLs.

Enhanced Interactivity and Personalization

The ESL future may incorporate interactive features and personalized content delivery as well. This is to engage customers and provide tailored shopping experiences. This could include interactive touchscreens, QR codes, personalized recommendations, and even targeted promotions based on customer preferences and behavior.

More ESL in Supermarkets and Hypermarkets

The grocery market sector is also expected to be one of the most prominent drivers of ESL usage as it grows. Supermarkets and hypermarkets are likely to seek automation technologies like digital labels to further enhance the customer experience and loyalty.

Mobile Connectivity and NFC Capability

Retailers and consumers will also look for mobile connectivity and NFC (near-field communication) capability more and more. This is because a digital label solution with these technologies can enable interaction with customers' smartphones and enable omnichannel retailing. This could allow customers to complete transactions via mobile payments, access additional product information, see reviews, and get digital coupons.

Augmented Reality (AR) Integration

AR technology can enhance the shopping experience by overlaying digital information, such as product details, reviews, and promotions. ESL providers might explore this technology on digital labels to create an immersive shopping experience and drive customer engagement.

Expansion into New Markets

Digital label solutions are not limited to traditional retail environments. This will become more and more evident as ESLs expand to other markets. They are now slowly being adopted in other industries, such as hospitality, healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing. This is because ESL can be used for various applications such as inventory management, pricing, and asset tracking.