PCC to test electronic shelf-edge label technology

Seattle PCC Natural Markets has announced a partnership with ZBD Solutions, Windsor, U. K. This makes PCC the first Pacific Northwest retailer to adopt ZBD’s electronic point of purchase (epop) technology, an eco-friendly alternative to conventional paper shelf-edge labels.

PCC will conduct a pilot test of the epaper solution in its store in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle before extending the trial into its eight other locations. The anticipated test result is a notable reduction in human and natural resources in the forms of labor now required to produce and replace paper tags, and in paper and ink used to print tags that are eventually replaced and recycled. The epaper solution is also expected to offer significant customer service and product knowledge potential and, because point-of-sale inventory will be easier to monitor, making product restocking more efficient.

“We respect our customers’ time and food budgets, as well as their right to know as much about the products we sell as possible,” said Tracy Wolpert, PCC’s CEO, “and ZBD’s epops will help them to more quickly make informed product selections. We also try to run our stores as efficiently as possible, so that our employees spend more time with customers than with routine tasks. Implementation of ZBD’s epop solution promises to help us take another step towards better serving our customers with current, best-available prices and most up-to-date product information, and towards optimum use of store staff skills.”