From stock management and shelf replenishment to real-time price updates, electronic shelf labels (ESLs) are a valuable tool for both customer experience and business productivity. However, it is also a significant burden that can represent hundreds of thousands of pounds of investment. In addition, overlaying ESLs with other connected services can lead to unwanted human and radio interference, and thus limit their effectiveness.
Who will manage the support if the electronic labels do not work due to WiFi radio interference? What happens when a WiFi failure causes a bug in the stock management software, which is itself linked to the business tablets?
By switching to a shared infrastructure, i.e. a single terminal that manages both WiFi and ESL, the point of sale saves money and the simplified technical management allows the teams to concentrate on their core business.
The most important cost element in the deployment of a point-of-sale connectivity base is precisely the installation of the infrastructure (most often requiring the work of technicians at height with a cherry picker). With a single deployment, deployment costs are halved and maintenance costs are reduced by 30%, i.e. 8,000 pounds per year for a medium-sized food store. Indeed, the absence of radio interference limits calls to technical support and, in the event of a disaster, only one intervention is necessary to get all services back up and running. Consolidation of the infrastructure becomes a matter in itself, especially in the case of a newly constructed building. In this case, savings of up to 60% of the total cost are possible.
Arnaud Puy, Commercial and Innovation Director at Wifirst, explains:
In the case of a redeployment, Wifirst takes into account all the constraints to prepare the local network for the arrival of the converged radio infrastructure. Our teams carry out an automated survey of the existing network on each POS and advise the IT teams to optimize the configuration of the local network and thus set up the engineering necessary for the arrival of the radio infrastructure, with all the constraints of the POS. For a site already deployed in ESL, the savings represent more than 30%, just for the installation.
Wifirst, a leading WiFi operator, has designed its WiFi as a Service solution to address all issues related to cost, performance and sustainability of the infrastructure. More than WiFi, we operate converged wireless networks, serving as technical support for WiFi, radio and IoT uses, with increased mobility and productivity.
Xavier Marvaldi, Digital Leader at MOBIVIA Groupe SA testifies:
The initial need was for digital transformation in order to better serve customers and employees. WiFi is one of the links in the chain, it must be perfect, reliable, stable and fast. What we appreciated in Wifirst's approach was its specialisation in the WiFi field, which it manages and guarantees regardless of the diversity of our points of presence.
In fact, the Norauto chain called on Wifirst in 2020 to digitalise all its car centres in order to connect telephones, payment terminals, printers and PDAs. We have ensured the deployment and management of a business LAN and Guest on 100% of the interior and exterior spaces of the group's 650 car centres throughout Europe.
Wifirst relies on its in-house operations division for the supervision and administration of all its services, in order to guarantee the relevance, responsiveness and transparency of the actions taken to ensure maximum availability of the service in all circumstances.
.png?width=120&height=120&name=FT-Logo-Next40_alumni_2023%20(1).png "FT-Logo-Next40_alumni_2023 (1)"){kind=logo}
Wifirst - The HKX Building
3 Pancras Square, London, N1C 4AG
