Co-op’s new electronic shelf labels are inviting shoppers to tap or wave their phones to “quickly and easily” become a member of the convenience retailer.
The feature utilises the built-in near-field communication chip in the ESL, which can be read by most modern smartphones. Once tapped or waved in proximity of the ESL, the phone’s NFC reader can immediately load a URL directing customers to the Co-op’s membership webpage.
On this webpage, “they can simply sign up and start to save on a wide range of everyday essentials” Co-op said.
“Co-op is committed to continually exploring innovative technology that can improve how we operate – with ease, convenience and the customer experience at the heart of everything we do,” David Tyas, Co-op’s operations innovation lead, told The Grocer.
“The electronic labels not only have the potential to enhance product information and transparency, avoid paper waste, and improve ways of working, they can also enhance the shopping experience and make it easier for customers to become a Co-op member and start to benefit from member price savings, promotions and deals, and save on a wide range of everyday essentials,” he added.
Co-op partnered with VusionGroup in May to replace paper shelf-edge labels in store with ESLs across all of its near 2,400 stores.
The technology is currently in around 700 Co-op stores and is expected to be deployed to 1,500 stores by the end of this year, and across the entire estate by the end of 2026.
Toby Pickard, retail futures senior partner at IGD, who first spotted the feature, said the move was “a fascinating and forward-thinking use of the technology”.
“Traditionally, ESLs have been valued for their ability to display accurate pricing and product information, cutting down on the time and cost associated with manual price updates,” he said. “However, their transformation into interactive digital touchpoints illustrates how retailers can creatively leverage existing infrastructure to deepen customer engagement.
“One of the most interesting aspects of this approach is the seamless integration of the physical and digital retail experiences,” Pickard added. “By enabling shoppers to sign up for a membership programme simply by tapping their smartphone against the shelf-edge label, retailers remove conventional barriers to enrolment. There is no need for paper forms, remembering to visit customer service desks, or even navigating apps or websites. This instant connection turns an ordinary moment of browsing the shelf into an opportunity for meaningful interaction.”
While a number of major supermarkets, including Asda, Waitrose and Lidl, have all trialled ESLs in a limited number of stores, Co-op is the first major UK retailer to announce a full rollout.
Future iterations of Co-op’s ESL system will use help store staff find or restock items by “flashing” to indicate where an item should be stocked. The system could also help Co-op staff fulfil on demand orders, the retailer said.
The ESLs also serve to “enhance the transparency of product information (such as allergen and nutritional information or country of origin), improve inventory management and cut paper waste associated with traditional shelf labels” Co-op said. They can also “simplify everyday store tasks including stock replenishment and picking online grocery orders”.
VusionGroup works with a number of UK convenience retailers including Morrisons, and more than 350 grocery companies globally. In December it signed a partnership with the world’s biggest retailer Walmart to add its tech to 4,600 stores in the US.
“Co-op’s innovative use of NFC tags to seamlessly link customers to the benefits of membership directly from the shelf is just one demonstration of how this technology can transform the retail experience,” said Roy Horgan, CEO UK & Ireland, VusionGroup.
“With other applications across the supply chain and customer journey – for customers and associates – this rollout is an important step in what we expect will be a broader industry transformation.”
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