SATO assists food retailers to reduce waste and out of stock, increase inventory visibility, and improve labor efficiency with dynamic technologies
Dynamic pricing and shelf replenishment are the key to moving product and automating key inventory processes
TOKYO & NEW YORK, January 12, 2023–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SATO America LLC, a leader in modern identification and labeling solutions, is helping supermarkets, grocery stores and convenience chains better manage inventory, reduce expired products and optimize labor costs through two new offerings showcased at the annual NRF Big Show, January 15-17, 2023, in New York City at booth 4265.
SATO Dynamic Pricing Solution
Food retailers have been struggling for decades to figure out how to increase the cost of perishables over time to encourage purchases and reduce food waste.
Even today retailers in the U.S. dispose of up to one-third of perishables because they expire. While markdowns can be used to sell older products within the sell-by periods, the manual process for pricing is labor-intensive.
SATO Dynamic Pricing removes that barrier by automatically pricing products as they reach their sell-by date. This appeals to price-conscious consumers. It also reduces expirations by moving older products before the prices go up. Because prices are automatically reconciled with each product’s expiry data, no staff intervention is required at checkout, unlike most AI pricing that isn’t integrated with POS systems.
A combination of a GS1 DataMatrix Barcode, encoded expiry and electronic shelf labels (ESLs) allows retailers to stock shelves and add group pricing data to the store management software. The ESL automatically adjusts the group pricing as products age. This allows consumers to see all options and select the product that suits their needs. The manufacturer applies group identifying tags, which eliminates the need for staff to manually price items. This allows them to concentrate on customer service. The best-of-breed partnership with digital commerce brands, and the use of GS1 standards provide a turnkey solution that can be easily deployed for retailers of any size.
“The way we interact with products is changing. Retailers can improve the expiry management of perishable food by tracking products at both lot and batch levels,” stated Kentaro Oguchi of SATO Holdings Corporation, head of retail strategy. “This is why we are promoting the transition to 2D barcodes at point-of-sale – which GS1 US has dubbed Sunrise 2027 – which can help enhance not only inventory management but recall readiness, sustainability and ethical sourcing practices and product authentication for greater brand trust.”
“Legislation like the Food Waste Policy Action Plan The Zero Food Waste Act The U.S. has introduced new legislation that will hold food companies accountable for reducing food waste during its lifespan. Consumers are also eager to increase their grocery spending,” he said. Kerry Langley, vice president, SATO America LLC. “By offering consumers more choices that are compatible with their lifestyles, we reduce waste and lower costs while allowing retailers optimize margins for every soldable product.
Ito-Yokado, Japan’s largest supermarket chain, was the beneficiary of a pilot project by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
SATO dynamic shelf refill
Food retailers are often hit hard by out-of stock. Traditional inventory systems show only total inventory. This means that the back-of store and on-shelf inventory is all combined into one number. Retailers can see the actual stock status of their product by placing product-sensing mats on shelves with embedded tags. Employees can be notified when stock is low or inaccessible for quick restocking.
This approach eliminates the alternative—and much more expensive and labor-intensive— approach of placing RFID tags on individual products and is equally effective with products placed side-by-side, stacked or in rows. It’s possible by using Wiliot battery-free IoT Pixel tags, wireless energizing from Energous and SATO’s unique shelf sensing devices. It offers more visibility than AI cameras, is simpler to deploy and does not require any additional labor. CPG brands can share this data easily to find out when and where products sell best.
The software updates inventory data as consumers take products off the shelves. This allows the software to display a near-real time count of products remaining, which is visible to employees in the store. This helps to reduce lost sales and maintain product availability, which in turn improves revenue and customer satisfaction.
For more information, please visit www.satoamerica.com/solutions/retail/
About SATO
SATO (TOKYO:6287) is a global auto-ID solutions provider for leading companies in manufacturing, logistics, retail, food & beverage and health care. SATO tags every ‘thing’, making them knowable in real time for a connected world of productivity, safety, reassurance and sustainability. SATO is an industry leader with a strong focus on the site. They engineer hardware and integrate solutions to streamline the supply chain. SATO is a global company with over 5,600 employees and has 82 years’ experience. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, it reported revenues of 124,783 million yen ($1.11 billion*).
Further information on SATO is available at www.sato-global.com
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