Metro and JRTech Solutions: How did the adoption of graphic electronic shelf labels enable them to optimize their sales operations?
Metro, one of the largest Canadian food retailers, renewed its framework agreement with JRTech Solutions in order to continue the program of deployment of ESL in its main banners.
Challenge
Metro, a leader in food and pharmacy in Quebec and Ontario is one of the few chains to have managed to survive during the COVID crisis. This success is due to Metro’s rapid adaptation in e-commerce capabilities, which however required a modernization of its supply chain in terms of digital technologies.
The pandemic turned out to be a trigger since Metro was able to observe growth in its revenue despite the crisis situation, thus realizing the effectiveness of certain technologies, including that of electronic shelf labels.
That’s why, this major Canadian grocery retailer wishes to continue to make technological progress, involving new installations of Pricer’s ESL with JRTech Solutions in their main banners.
Integrated Solution
Adding extra technological tools such as self checkouts and electronic shelf labels then became a priority for Metro. The food retailer has accelerated the adoption of Pricer’s electronic shelf labels by renewing its framework agreement with JRTech Solutions, the Canadian market leader in ESL. In addition, these partners have concluded an additional agreement to deploy Pricer Plaza’s Cloud Automated Product Positioning solution.
On the one hand, the acquisition of fully graphic electronic shelf labels adds value to shoppers and employees as they will not only have products with exact prices but also have transparent access to all product information. On the other hand, Pricer’s Automated Product Positioning helps identify the exact location of products in-store, speeding up the purchase process.
The combination of these solutions allows the optimization of all sales operations whether they are online or in store. The employee will be able to benefit from the automation of ESL prices and its intelligent display to free themselves up and offer better customer service and follow-up. Moreover, when restocking shelves, they can use product geopositioning to perform this task quickly and efficiently.
Results
The very first Pricer electronic shelf label installations dating back to 2018 helped Metro stand out from other food chains during the pandemic. In fact, this digital transformation has not only enabled them to meet the growing demand, but also to extend and develop their operational strategies, thus giving them a competitive advantage in the retail market which is increasingly becoming “phygital”.
Thanks to the renewal of this framework agreement, Metro can now continue to deliver an optimal shopping experience and services such as Click & Collect, which was very popular during the health crisis. The addition of the new Automated Product Positioning solution from JRTech Solutions will allow them to extract maximum value out of their initial investment.
About METRO Inc
With annual sales of more than $18 billion, METRO Inc. is a food and pharmacy leader in Québec and Ontario. As a retailer, franchisor, distributor, and manufacturer, the company operates or services a network of some 950 food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C and Food Basics, as well as some 650 drugstores primarily under the Jean Coutu, Brunet, Metro Pharmacy and Food Basics Pharmacy banners, providing employment to almost 90,000 people. For more details, visit corpo.metro.ca
