When you turn your attention to the shelves in supermarkets, you can witness how fast they are changing. In the very near future, when you walk past a supermarket shelf with products, you will be able to see electronic labels, personalized advertisements, RFID (radio frequency identification reader) technology, Internet of Things (IOT). While retailers are replacing the classic price tags we know, smart shelves with digital displays are preparing to take their place in many stores.

Electronic Labels

Look at most grocery store shelves today and you'll see labels pinned to the side, proudly displaying prices and discounts on the front of each one. Electronic labels will put an end to all these paper labels, allowing prices to be changed throughout the store in minutes.

Kroger, one of the largest retail supermarket chains in the US, has already started using EDGE, a cloud-based display application for shelf solutions. Kroger's app has the ability to display prices, advertisements, nutritional data, coupons and videos. Imagine standing in front of a milk stand and instantly comparing nutritional information between different brands while receiving a flashing coupon that you can scan with your phone.

Figure 1 - Smart shelves displaying Kellog's products in the aisles of Wal-Mart, the world's largest supermarket chain.

Personalized Ads

Smart shelves have the ability to communicate with the customer through apps on their smartphone. For example, sensors attached to the shelves can show a discounted price for the same loaf of bread you bought last week when you approach them. Also, if you use the store's app to create a shopping list, the smart shelves will communicate with your list and tell you where to find the product you need. Despite concerns about their privacy and data, some consumers will not hesitate to share their personal information and purchase history to use the store's app.

Figure 2 - Personalized ads are applications that retail companies use to sell more products to customers.

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Reader) Technology

A radio frequency ID reader is a device with a tag that incorporates an antenna, reader and microchip to receive and transmit data. This reader uses radio waves to recognize products and transmit information about them. In supermarkets, this technology can help retailers manage and track inventory. RFID tags can alert store workers when shelves are empty or need to be restocked, or when someone puts the wrong item on the shelf. Working in tandem with robotic supermarket checkouts, RFID tags on each item automatically scan your purchases, making it faster to check out.

Figure 3 - RFID technology significantly speeds up shopping with compatible baskets and checkouts.

IOT Sensors (Internet of Things)

Internet-enabled sensorized objects have many potential uses in a supermarket. One of the most fundamental is temperature control. IoT sensors can check the temperatures in freezers and the boxes in which these products are packaged to make sure they are OK before a temperature fluctuation ruins all the ice cream or spoils the meat for sale. The system also sends data from the smart shelves mentioned above to store employees (aisle attendants, store managers and assistant managers) for analysis. The IoT system can help us understand which products appeal to customers in supermarkets. In this way, it can also closely influence how products are displayed in the store.

Image 4 - IOT technology comes with innovations that will change many balances in stores.