Smilga, a retailer with two grocery stores based in the Curonian Spit, is introducing electronic shelf labels. The move is aimed to reduce manual labor required for store upkeep and improve customer experience.

Smilga stores are based in the Lithunian part of the Curonian Spit, a popular resort area and a summer vacation destination. In summer the stores experience seasonal customer peaks. In addition, the labor force is difficult to come by in the area. The decision to adopt ESLs was driven by the need to improve store efficiency and ensure great customer experience – even in the high season.

“In summer, store customer flow increases dramatically. Nobody wants to stand in line for groceries while on holiday. Therefore we can direct our workforce to open more cash registers instead of manually updating price labels”, explains the owner of Smilga stores Arnas Lukavicius.

ESLs also help to ensure that ‘the price is always right’ on the shelves, thus avoiding unpleasant situations at the cash registers.

“People are on their holiday here. And we want to contribute to the great holiday experience, even in the minute details”, adds Arnas Lukavicius.

Smilga stores adopted an original ESL design. The prices in the labels appear as if hand-drawn with chalk on the blackboard, contributing to the store design concept and the laid-back vacation atmosphere.

The owner of the grocery retail chain said that he was following the ESL technology developments for a long time – yet they finally became affordable and commercially viable for smaller, regional retailers.

Smilga began their ESL rollout with fresh foods and fruit and vegetable sections. After a pilot run, ESLs were deployed throughout the store. The ESL solution was deployed by retail technology company Neto Baltic.

“Smilga serves as a great example that the latest technologies can be adopted not only by the largest retail chains. The solution simplifies store upkeep, which is especially important for smaller retailers with limited workforce. In addition, when adopted with a creative twist, ESLs can serve as a great extension of store stores’ design concept”, says Head of Business Development at Neto Baltic Kestutis Kadelskas.