German pet supply chain Kölle Zoo is digitising its store operations with electronic shelf labels (ESLs) from South Korean firm Solum.

With the introduction of Solum Newton ESLs, Kölle Zoo has established the foundation for more efficient communication of price and product information at the shelf, while freeing up time for customer advice, service and engagement. The company has stores across Germany and Austria.

Previously, price changes, promotional labelling and seasonal campaigns involved considerable organisational effort and cost. This was particularly evident during monthly leaflet promotions and campaigns, when store teams had to prepare, distribute, insert, remove and, where necessary, correct large numbers of paper labels. With the ESL technology, price and product information can now be managed centrally and updated within a very short time. This reduces manual work, lowers the risk of errors and ensures information at the shelf remains up to date.

The rollout covered around 300,000 ESLs across 28 Kölle Zoo stores and was completed in eight weeks. In addition to the technology itself, close collaboration between everyone involved and professional execution by the project and software teams at Kölle Zoo and Solum were critical to the project’s success.

Following the introduction of digital shelf labels, Kölle Zoo reduced the effort required for price changes and promotional updates. Depending on the season, campaign and product range, stores may need to implement up to several hundred price changes. Processes that previously required extensive manual coordination can now be managed centrally and efficiently.

The time saved allows store teams to focus more closely on customer-facing activities. This creates additional value for customers, particularly in specialist pet retail, where expert advice plays an important role.

“We were particularly impressed by the exceptional battery life of more than ten years, the very low field failure rate, the award-winning design of Solum Newton ESLs and the professional, partnership-based collaboration between all the teams involved,” said Michael Dipper, head of IT at Kölle Zoo (www.koelle-zoo.de). “This enabled us to implement the project quickly, efficiently and to a high standard.”

The technical foundation consists of the Newton ESL platform, the central Aims management platform and associated infrastructure. Together, they provide a future-ready digital foundation that supports efficient store operations and enables further steps in Kölle Zoo’s digital transformation.

“Kölle Zoo is known for the highest standards of expert advice and customer service in specialist pet retail,” said Jochen Goppold, senior sales manager for Solum (www.solum-group.com) in Europe. “We are therefore delighted that our ESL platform has made a measurable contribution to the digitisation of its store operations. The significant reduction in the workload associated with price and promotion changes, together with the additional capacity created for customer service and advice, clearly demonstrates the value that digital technologies can deliver for retailers today.”