Walmart is testing digital shelf labels to manage pricing and save time, the company announced.
The digital shelf labels are being tested at a Walmart location in Grapevine, Texas, about 24 miles northwest of Dallas.
The new price tags will replace traditional paper labels that must be adjusted by hand when prices change. They are expected to be installed in 2,300 stores by 2026, writes Daniela Boscan, head of a food and consumer goods team in Texas.
Boscan said the digital labels will save employees time because Walmart carries over 120,000 products with individual price tags. The traditional tags must be changed individually each week for price updates, price drops and discounts.
“Digital shelf labels developed by Vusion Group allow us to update prices at the shelf using a mobile app, eliminating the need to walk around the store to change paper labels by hand and giving us more time to assist customers in the store,” she wrote.
A Walmart spokesperson said the digital shelf labels are currently in use in 63 stores, including 32 in Texas. The company launched its pilot program in 2023 and said its success has prompted it to roll out more digital shelf labels in other stores across the United States.
“We will continue to deploy DSLs to more and more stores this year and next,” the company said in a statement to USA TODAY on Wednesday afternoon.
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Walmart: Digital shelf labels make price changes easier
So far, digital shelf labels have increased productivity and shortened walking distances, she wrote, and price changes that used to take two days can now be done in a few minutes.
The digital shelf labels also feature a “Stock to Light” feature that allows employees to use a mobile device to flash an LED light on the shelf label to identify where work is needed.
“This feature makes it easier for employees to identify shelf locations when restocking shelves,” Boscan wrote.
Additionally, there is the Pick to Light feature that helps employees easily find products for online orders, making the process faster and more accurate.
“It’s not just about improving efficiency and customer satisfaction, but also about integrating sustainability into our work, in this case reducing operational waste,” she wrote in the press release. “We are excited about the positive impact this innovation will have on our operations and the environment.”
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757th. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Walmart to eliminate paper price tags, introduce digital labels by 2026
