Sainsbury’s is testing in-store digital price displays that will update product prices on the shelf automatically.
Use of the new technology is intended to save supermarket staff time as well as reducing the use of paper.
Jon Rudoe, director of digital and technology at Sainsbury’s, said: “A key part of our strategy is to make sure we’re looking at new technology on behalf of our colleagues to make their lives easier.
“So this trial will give us useful feedback about quicker, efficient digital pricing information and how much time and paper we’ll save in the process.”
The trial is currently running at Sainsbury’s Shoreditch Old Street Local branch, before the technology is potentially introduced to other branches.
Our view: While the chief benefits of replacing paper prices with electronic displays may currently be limited to saving staff time and reducing the use of paper, in the future the use of such technologies may extend in more interesting ways. For example, stores could offer different prices to people that they recognise through geo-location as being a member of their loyalty scheme or, in Sainsbury’s case, as Nectar card members.
