This article is brought to you by VusionGroup.

In convenience retail, every second counts. Between fluctuating prices, limited staff and increasing customer expectations, stores are under pressure to work smarter—not just harder. Electronic shelf labels (ESLs) are part of a broader move toward connected commerce.

“With ESLs, roughly 95% of the manual work tied to pricing is removed at the store level,” said Jeff Neihart, vice president of enterprise sales at VusionGroup. “That translates to an 80% reduction in the time employees spend on price changes—and those hours are being reinvested into the customer experience.”

Empowering Employees Through Technology
By automating pricing updates, retailers free up their teams to focus on what technology can’t replace: human connection.

“Most retailers redeploy that labor back toward customers,” Neihart said. “When we speak to associates in stores that use VusionGroup ESLs, their response is often the same: ‘I don’t know how we did this before.’ It’s a win for employees and a win for shoppers.”

Building Trust Through Price Integrity
ESLs are synchronized directly with the point of sale, ensuring that shelf prices always match what rings up at checkout.

“That means customers can trust what they see—and retailers can eliminate nearly all price disputes,” said Neihart. “We’ve measured 99.9% pricing accuracy across deployments.”

Driving Agility and Profitability
On the operational side, ESLs eliminate pricing lag, allowing retailers to respond instantly to cost changes from manufacturers or distributors. “Instead of waiting days for paper tags to be updated, prices can be changed system-wide in seconds,” Neihart noted.

This agility can also drive creative promotions—such as time-based or event-driven offers—to help attract customers during slower dayparts. “If there’s a midday lull, why not offer an instant deal on a snack or beverage?” he added. “That flexibility can turn casual visits into higher basket sizes.”

Creating a More Connected Store
“Ultimately, ESLs are about much more than pricing—they form the foundation for a digitally connected store. Together with digital signage and retail media networks, they give retailers the ability to unify store operations, improve communication and create more personalized experiences for every shopper,” he noted.

“One convenience retailer saw a 3% increase in total sales after implementing our ESLs,” Neihart said. “But the real story is how it transformed the way their teams worked. It made the store more efficient, more consistent and more human.”

This article is part two of a two-part series from VusionGroup. To learn more about how digital signage is transforming in-store communication and engagement, read part one.