Fourteen Pick n Pay Express stores at BP petrol stations have been installing Pricer electronic shelf labels (ESL) since September 2015.
The number of Pick n Pay Express stores opening for business has escalated since last year leading to ramped-up Pricer installations.
“The Pick n Pay Express stores are open 24-hours,” says Procer’s Hendrik Bredenkamp. “This means they don’t have downtime to update prices and more acutely feel the need to automate the process. They also need to have tighter control over their stock-on-hand as they gauge local markets shortly after opening since they tend to open with a full basic range then tailor the ranges as they learn local tastes. The Pricer system is one of the key tools that helps them quickly understand that aspect of their business.”
Pick n Pay Express stores offer around 2 500 Pick n Pay fresh and convenience items on their shelves and over time tailor those to suit local customer preferences.
These forecourt operations, says Bredenkamp, need quick deployment of the Pricer system so they can offer customers unimpeded access to shopping that is a hallmark of their convenience nature. Installation can now be performed in three days or less since the Pricer team has a great deal of experience in the environment.
“The Express stores are all about convenience for their customers,” says Bredenkamp. “Pricer’s always-on, battery powered ESLs, more reliably fixed to shelves than paper labels and always 100% correctly priced, are professional and give customers the immediate convenience they want from that rapid access, rapid turnaround retail environment. It’s simple, efficient, and effective so customers develop trust for the stores and their prices and feel comfortable popping in for their basket of items.”
Store owners themselves find the rental finance option convenient, too, with typical contracts coming in at R3 000 to R4 000 per month over three to four years. That gives them direct access to hassle-free installation and maintenance as well as the tax write-down opportunity as opposed to capex expense that requires slow gain depreciation.
“The Pick n Pay Express model is gaining traction around the country and owners are exposed to the Pricer system already operational at other stores so they immediately grasp the benefits by word of mouth. That has been instrumental to our success in the Pick n Pay Express BP forecourt environment,” he says.