You might have seen the ESL (Electronic Shelf Labels) in various stores recently, they are rapidly increasing in popularity and finally are coming to Australia. But why do retailers use them? What are the benefits for Retailers?
Amazon retail stores use ESL among other innovations.
Morrisons in the UK has recently started using electronic ticketing in some stores.
Walmart Montreal using Vusion ESL
Woolworths Australia has been seen using Electronic Shelf Labels in many stores
]]>The Gravity Bins have been a huge success in Europe, and we simply couldn’t wait to get our hands on this. Of course, the reality of the Global Pandemic hit, and we unfortunately had to delay this launch by almost a year (I’m sure a lot of you could relate). In light of this, Hang & Display would like to introduce a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to bulk produce merchandising.
Here are some key figures which may interest you in learning more about how this range will benefit you in the long run:
Source: Retail Food Sector Report 2019, GAIN Number AS1910
Source: Australian Government Waste Management Review 2018
Source: CSIRO Growth opportunities for Australian food business
Why choose our “Bulk It! Gravity Bins?
Supplied with an integrated 3 position flow-control system which is easy to use and access. It allows shoppers to adjust the flow of goods according to the size of the products and amount they’re after
At some point, we’ve all wanted to pull out our hair trying to assemble a flat pack with bare minimum instructions. We have come up with a solution that is clear and concise on how to assemble/dismantle these bins in less than a minute.
A lid locking system is used to prevent consumers from accessing the products, preventing cross-contamination, and leaving your produce nice fresh.
Inform your customers about the ingredients, allergens, nutritional information, origin, and pricing, thanks to the large customer facing label holder. A version for electronic labels is also available.
Invest sustainably and in a waste reduction approach. The materials used for our gravity bins are safe for food contact without the use of Bisphenol A (BPA) and is designed for long term use.
Our Bulk It! Range has 100% controlled manufacturing. Designed by the ISD Group’s innovation division and manufactured in France, our bins provide you with all the guarantees of quality and safety
- You have the ability to check product levels without having the need to dislodge the bins from their place, thanks to a built-in graduated gauge on the front
- Our 150mm gravity and scoop bins are perfectly aligned to create a complete and attractive shelf space with gravity bins on top and scoop bins at the bottom
Need I say more?...
Scoop Bins - Available in 8L or 11L
Two installation options:
Option 1 – Hook on cross bar with fitted sliding tray (FYI, we supply this)
Option 2 – Place on any type of shelving system
Also, if you were wondering, yes, we do supply the scoop bin tongs
Gravity Bins - Available in 8L, 11L, 14L and 21L
Two installation options:
Option 1 – On crossbar
Option 2 – On Shelf
Both scoop & gravity bin is compatible with a wide range of products such as:
I could go on however, I think you get the drift 😉
]]>Held every 3 years, EuroShop is the who's who of anything retail. The past 3 fairs have had over 100,000 visitors, 2000 Exhibitors and 100,000 m² of space.
EuroShop is one of those fairs where you have to plan a day or two before going in head first. To make it easier they have broken it down into 8 general categories.
It wouldn't hurt to google some of the names and see what they do if you haven't heard of them before. What kind of contact is your business hoping for? There is just so much potential for our industry purely because Australia's retail sector is a good 10 years behind in terms of technology and competition. Almost any world class brand you approach is an opportunity for partnership, ideas, importing, representation,... .
Best way to do so is to use their own website and build a planner:
https://www.euroshop-tradefair.com
They also have an interactive map with links to each exhibitor that you can access here.
As you can see with a quick browse, there is an abundance of German, Belgian, Dutch, French, Swiss, Spanish, Korean, British, Italian, Danish, Polish, Austrian and American companies present.
Basically this is where you go not to find the cheapest Chinese supplier that makes a product but to find the company that invented the product, the one that makes the best quality product and ones that have all the ideas.
Fun Fact: EuroShop was held in 1966 for the first time as an exhibition of shop fitting. In the 60's retail was moving from brand owned and operated stores towards supermarket and self service style stores and this was where you could find the solutions for this transition.
Sunday 16th of February 2020 to Thursday 20th of February
10am to 6pm
Fun Fact: If you go a few days early you can catch the International Endoscopy Symposium!
One of the largest trade fair organizers in the world with 40 fairs per year at it's 300,000 m² facility a few km's north of Dusseldorf city center and close to the airport. They've been doing it for over 70 years and have a 300,000 foreign visitors from over 100 countries so you can trust them to be organized and provide an enjoyable experience.
Fun Fact: They once hosted a Davis Cup final match.
An important German city with 500 years of history, the city has a population of less than a million but is home to numerous global advertising, industrial, telco and financial corporations. Dusseldorf has a very high quality of life but to be honest, it isn't one of the "must see" cities of Europe. Most rankings don't even list it in top 5 and top 10 touristy cities of Germany.
However it would be nice for a day or two. It has a very smooth hoppy bear called Altbier and a diverse range of food including German roasts and bakes.
Temperature is between 1 to 7 degrees so open up that winter suitcase you just put away.
So our recommendation would be to get in on the weekend, spend 2-3 days at the fair, 2 days to explore the city and head back the next weekend.
Fun Fact: the upside-down man logo seen all over Dusseldorf and stamped on it's souvenirs is not the flayed man from House Bolton of the Dreadfort, it's actually a boy doing cartwheels which is like the town's "thing".
Qantas in partnership with Emirates has 1 stop flights from Sydney and Melbourne, 22 hours each way and under $2000 return. Hotels are a bit expensive during the fairs and be ready to pay at least €200 a night. We're not going to recommend any hotels or flights, it's 2019, just Trivago the hotels, Skyscanner the flights and check Airbnb for good deal as well.
Fun Fact: Üter Zörker, the German exchange student in the Simpsons is from Dusseldorf. When they show the cartoon in Germany he claims to be from Switzerland!
We will be with our parent company under the banner "Sitour"
We have a very large space along with all the other subsidiaries and brands of ISD in hall 1 booth C51 showcasing our retail technology. We also have another space in hall 3, E34, where we showcase retail marketing products.
We will be marketing our group to the visitors while on the look for new partnerships on opportunities. Our Group, ISD, provides products and services in 49 countries and EuroShop is a great way improve our market reach.
This is your opportunity to start shifting away from China and balancing your dependency. China can only hold prices down for so long, currency and market manipulation are not sustainable trade strategies. China's plan is to kill our industries and with the know-how escaping us, they will eventually balance exchange rates and prices. So you want to have a few other suppliers and partners in your pocket when that happens.
The other reason you need to strengthen your ties with the rest of the world is that working with China has a very low barrier to entry, a strong relationship with China is not really a company strength. You want to have a point of differentiation and that comes from the west. Sprinkle some innovation into what you do to stand out from companies that just import from China and resell in Australia.
Now you just have to ask yourself, are you in your growth phase? Do you have time to chase up leads? Are you prospecting and do you chase up every inquiry no matter the size? Then yes, if you want to continue to grow, send your Director, BDM or an energetic Manager.
On the other hand, are you always behind on orders? Do you have a pile of unanswered emails? Did Karen from accounts quit and you are doing accounts receivable as well as sales management and almost everything else by yourself? Are you still contemplating that new website project you started in 2015? Do you still use a fax? Then no, don't waste your time or money. This fair will take a good few weeks from your best employee or yourself. It will also require a lot of follow up work even going overseas a few months later to these companies and factories. Finish the website and replace your fax with a nice coffee machine.
]]>These simple product display accessories are actually more sophisticated and useful than they look, they come in over 20 common styles to cover all types of display needs and are guaranteed to improve sales.
Why use them?
How many types of them are there?
There are plenty of styles but just 3 major factors that differentiate them:
Depending on the thickness and size of the product you need to choose the appropriate model. If your product is small and thin you would go for maximum number of stations such as 15 or 18 in a normal length such as 70cm or 80cm. If the product is thick or has bigger packaging then go for the longer ones with more spaced out stations. You could also use every other station for example display 9 products on an 18 hook strip. Most styles have between 6 and 18 clips and are 600mm to 1100mm in length.
We have a hook, which holds hangsell items like the STR301, a clip like the MHS1 which grabs the packaging and a combo which is a clip with a small prong on top that can also be used to hold a product by hanging like the SEL1.
The hook itself can be just a simple outward hook, a push-out hook or a triple prong hook which is actually very smart. The 3 prong hook (see H125, H130 or H188) has one going up and two going down, these are soft cut-out flaps. The one pointing up hold the product and two going down lock it in so it doesn't fall off when the strips is being hung or it's shaken. But when the customer pulls the product outwards the flaps bend over and easily release the product! The 3 prong system is also available in injection molded hangstrips by having one large hook going up and two small prongs on the top to prevent the item accidentally falling off (see H138 and H139).
How do you hang a hangstrip?
All hangstrips have a whole at the top to be hung with S Hooks. We have a range of S hooks specially designed for hangstrips, check them out here. That whole or any part of the body can also be secured with cable ties.
What's new in the world of hangstrips and hangstrip enthusiasts?:)
- Double sided hangstrips to be hung off and overhang or shelf edge. Checkout the SEL11
- Hangstrips on reels that can be cut to size such as the REF-182
- Not much else, the hangstrip enthusiast world is rather small and we can't seem to find any recent papers or patents:)
]]>18 Feb 2019
Background, then and now.
Electronic Shelf Labels started out in the early nineties, multiple companies mainly in Europe started utilizing the then cheap and accessible LCD technology to replace paper, cardboard and permanent labeling. Sitour Electronic Systems (SES) from France and Pricer from Sweden are two of those pioneers. Over a decade of R&D with not so impressive results went into this technology before any proper results were achieved. Up until 2010 or so, these digital pricing systems had many issues such as:
- Low battery life due to high energy consumption screens and chipsets.
- Low visibility in various lighting situations and viewing angles.
- Inability to communicate with the central system without a direct line of sight due the use of infrared technology.
- Bulky labels that were not resistant to humidity, water, sunlight and temperature changes.
- Difficulty connecting and integrating with POS systems.
- Requirement to have stickers on the labels as they couldnt display fine text.
- Heavy, expensive and difficult to maintain servers and core appliances in store.
But hard work paid off and with the introduction of cheaper more reliable tech, WLAN technology became cheaper and more reliable while consuming less energy so the communication was switched to radio frequencies.
ePaper technology got cheaper and better, creating high contrast screens that were easy to read from every angle while consuming very little energy. ePaper became available in low temperature versions as well and red colour was added to e-ink products.
Battery technology boosted, creating cheap high capacity batteries increasing the label lifespan by years.
Cloud systems and advanced API integration and connection software made it easier to plug in the electronic pricing systems to any POS system. Prices were changed instantly, data was backed up and the connection to almost any POS, ERP, IMS or WMS was made easy.
Further advancement in technologies such as blinking LED lights, location tracking of the labels, communication with NFC enabled mobile phones and displaying QR codes also added to the benefits of these systems over traditional paper based technology.
How does it work now?
Well, the first part obviously is the actual labels, stores need to install the labels on the data strips and merchandising systems (that's where Hang & Display comes in). The labels have batteries included and are usually sealed so the end user can not change the battery. Currently the latest products on the market, have battery life spans from 3 to 15 years depending on brand, size, display colours, settings, operating frequency, enabled features and the amount of times the data is updated. That seems like a reasonable amount of time, considering the investment in the labels themselves. I just hope than manufacturers have a plan to recycle these at end of life otherwise they just add to our e-waste problem! The actual labels should cost about $20-$50 and up a piece for small orders of the smaller sizes (under 5 inches in diameter) going down for bulk and enterprise applications. Most suppliers don't have hard MOQ's so you could just buy a carton of 100 or a pallet of 10,000.
The second part is the back-end hardware and software. So depending on store size, a number of RF stations are installed on the ceiling, the stations are about the size of a regular modem. These are connected to a network switch and server somewhere safe in the office or server room of the store. This System has to be connected to the POS system somehow and it seems cloud systems and software integration is how it's done now. This means that all pricing and information changes in the POS are communicated to the ESL server and it can be communicated to the labels instantly. Various brand offer various solutions for the connection and ESL management. Some may provide an interface in which the screen of the ESL can be customized by the retailer, this seems like the best solution as each retailer has different information it wants to present. Plus retailers may wish to change the layout to improve the customer experience. A WiFi connected PDA system can also be integrated for staff to use. The PDA can operate via NFC or just through WiFi and WLAN and implement changes to the labels.
There are rumours that SES-imagotag is working on integrating their communication protocol with WiFi and if that happens it would be ground-breaking as almost every retailer now should have WiFi coverage in the store.
At the moment none of the manufacturers work directly in Australia but some have certified re-sellers and agents here including SES-imagotag and Hanshow. These companies should determine the pricing for these services and at the moment it's not a very competitive market so there won't be many plug and play solutions and retailers may be looking at high setup costs due to all the man hours involved in the setup.
Ceiling mounted transmitters are part of the required infrastructure for ESL's, this one is a Pricer IR dome.
So what are we looking at now?
Right now there seems to be 9 major players in this field. SES-imagotag from France is the biggest player in the market and Pricer from Sweden comes in second. Hanshow and Zkong from China, Solum from South Korea, Altierre and NCR from the USA, Teraoka (DIGI) from Japan and DisplayData from the UK are also offering some solutions but are yet to deploy anything major at least in Australia.
The ESL market has been predicted to be worth over 2 Billion USD in 2019 so no wonder that there are new players joining the market every year. Multiple companies in the electronics sector, many Chinese knock offs of popular designs as well as some startups are trying to cash in on this new tech.
So if you are in the market for ESL what should you expect?
- Manufacturers should offer you labels available multiple sizes from 1.5 inch diameter to 12 inch to suit various products, pick and choose depending on your needs.
- Labels are roughly 10-15mm thick and above 90% screen to front surface ratio. You can Also ask for colored frames instead of white to match your stores theme.
- ePaper to display in 2 (Black on White) or 3 (Black on White with Red) colors. Some companies have announced new products with 4 colors this year.
- Battery life to be around 5 years or more.
- The manufacturer should offer you an end of life collection or replacement/upgrade plan for the labels so you don't need to throw them away.
- One radio signal emitter per 200-300 square meters or so, installed on your ceiling.
- One server per store or a full cloud solution.
- Integration with your current POS for pricing as well as user defined fields such as product name, features and highlights with custom label layout. You should get some training on the interface and ongoing support as well.
The future?
As with any electronic/digital based product, the future solutions will have:
Lighter and thinner labels
Display more than the 2 or 3 colors available on current ePaper
- Integration with POS will be easier possibly as an app or API capability
- Additional features such as communication with customer apps will be added.
Outside of improvements we predict that the applications will go beyond Retail.
- Warehouses will start using them for fast, easy access to stock.
- Offices, educational institutes and businesses will start using them for meeting rooms and classes, integrating them with calendars to display up to date schedules.
Where does Hang and Display fit into the ESL market?
Hang and Display is the market leader is ESL shelf support and display methods in Australia. As part of the ISD group we have 2 decades of experience working with the manufacturers developing ESL shelf supports for retail. Our R&D team is constantly in contact with the manufacturers providing, easy, strong, cheap and reliable support rails and parts so the labels can be held in place on almost any shelf or hook.
Our engineers have worked and tested various designs to try to come up with one solution fits all systems on as many labels as possible. This way we reduce costs and offer flexibility to the retailers in choosing the label provider that suits them. We have 3 main lines of solutions:
Sitour FreeLine:
The Freeline rails are extruded to size and can hold tickets, electronic labels, dividers, pushers and promotional media at the same time. Available in multiple versions to suit various shelves, the Freeline secures on to the shelf edge and then an array of accessories can be added, One of the accessories is the ESL support than snaps on to the label and then snaps in place in one of many angles as required based on shelf location.
Sitour EasyFix:
An advanced multi material extrusion profile made to size for your shelves. The EasyFix has multiple simple features allowing it to adapt to a wide range of shelves. Once secured to your shelf, the labels snaps in place. We also provide an installation tool, for firm and fast installation of the rail and a label remover tool to quickly remove high quantities of labels. The EasyFix can be ordered with a cover for high impact areas and it takes multiple types of labels from SES, Pricer, Hanshow,...
Individual Supports:
Supports for items displayed on hooks
Adhesive back supports for non shelf surfaces such as acrylic boxes, cabinets, walls,...
Call us now to discuss the best solution for your store!
]]>What is a Hang Tab?
A small Plastic sheet with adhesive backing that turns any packaging or product into something you can hang of a hook, prong or hang strip.
For the manufacturer:
Incorporating a hangsell hole and flap into your packaging can be expensive and prolong the production line. Some markets or customers may need delta holes, some Euroslot and some circle holes. Manufactures can't design 3 types of packaging so they use different hangtabs for different markets at post packaging.
A manufacturer may design the product for shelf display but have one specific customer, retailer or distributor that requires hang-sell capability. Instead of loosing the customer the manufacturer applied the appropriate hangtab to that particular production run or batch.
Hang tabs on reels are specifically made for this type of customer as it can be incorporated in the automation process. We also supply the application machinery if required.
For the retailer:
Retailers can save space and have better displays by having products hanged on hooks. If the product is not designed for this then hangtabs do the job.
Some products may have hang-sell capability but not on the side or orientation that the retailer wants. For example a rectangular box may be designed for horizontal display but the retailer wishes to save space by displaying vertically.
Some products may need specific furniture for display that the retailer does not have, so instead they can attach a hangtab and display on hooks. Examples include wrapping paper, sport equipment and gift cards.
Retailers return or discard items on a daily basis due to damaged packaging. In many cases the slot has been ripped or torn off. By using a hangtab retailers can recover thousands in wastage.
Hangtabs allow products to be displayed on hangstrips which utilize previously unused space in stores as well as offering cross sell opportunities.
Retailers can use hangtabs on sheets or pads. We developed hangtab pads specifically for retailers so staff could carry them in their pockets and use as required. The unique adhesive we use ensures that each tab has maximum adhesion while the top surface of the tab underneath is not sticky at all.
For the distributor:
Distributors, importers and agents constantly struggle being the medium between supermarkets and manufacturers. Often the supermarket requires specific packaging or hang sell capabilities that the product does not have. By using hang tabs, intermediaries can ensure they get the product in the stores.
For the printer:
Printers can save time and money by designing the packaging as simple as possible and adding the hangtab at a later stage.
Display manufacturers can promote products on plastic hooks in their cardboard and plastic display stands by applying hangtab to the products.
We manufacture million of hangtabs per year in our facility in Belgium and export to 48 countries around the world. Look around you see if you can spot one of our Hangtabs on a product near you.
]]>Today I want to introduce you to FixTwist, the best 20 bucks an appliance or electronics store can spend.
Scene 1: You are the customer in a store and browsing home appliances, in all the promotions and signs, you struggle to find the price of the items you are looking for, where is the ticket, sitting in stand on top? sticker on side? hanging somewhere above from the ceiling? Eventually you have to ask, or maybe just move on never knowing that you missed a good deal...
Scene 2: You buy a display model electronic or appliance, taking it home you notice a stain from sticky tape, Blu Tack grease or some other adhesive where the store had affixed the price or promotion sign, frustrated you ask yourself if you should go back to the store or keep on trying different sprays and wipes...
Scene 3: You manage a store and have awesome deals and promos going on, or you are just tired of being asked hundreds of times a day for prices when all the products are supposed to have tickets. If only there was a way to attach tickets and labels to the front and face of electronics and appliances, but no you don't want to damage that surface with tapes, adhesives and Blu Tack.
Fixtwist or as our system calls it HAN01/RT is a little button from heaven. This hanger has an adhesive gel designed to stick on to the most premium and precious surfaces in a store, mobile phones, monitors and TV screens, fridge, dishwasher, oven, microwave,... wack it right on there, anywhere! Run a little attacher cord through the hole and through your ticket or sign and as the French say Vwa-lah (Voilà)!
These bad boys will hold up to 125 grams on those kind of surfaces for as long as you want. Once you decide to remove it, just twist and the button comes off without leaving a mark! For every 100 units in a pack, we also supply a little tool to help remove them faster, it's not necessary but comes in handy if you want to remove a lot of them quickly.
The factory has tested these things for years on every surface imaginable and we did too cause we just couldn't believe how cool this thing is, and yes it works perfectly. The fact sheet mentions that they also tested it on walls, cardboard, glass, wood, aluminum, plastic,... and it works on them all.
Retail price on a pack (100pcs) of the FixTwist is $17, discounts apply for larger purchases as well. So what do you think? One has to just wonder why some big name retailers are still sticky taping labels and using greasy and dirty adhesives such as Blu Tack.
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