Manual price label management vs. electronic shelf label automation

Enter the time spent on manual price tag updates, the number of stores and the number of SKUs. The calculator estimates annual savings on labour and materials, compared with the investment in electronic shelf labels, gateways and software licences – and shows when the ESL investment pays back.

Estimate ESL payback for your operation

Three inputs your store managers can actually answer. The calculator estimates labour savings, consumables savings, and how long until the investment pays back. For a precise quote we'd need a site survey.

Currency

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Hours per week spent changing paper price tags & POS info (per store — typically 8-12h; can reach 20+ for weather-dependent or daily-promo retailers)

~12h — typical

~20h — daily/weather changes

1h40h

Number of stores

15,000

Number of SKUs (product codes) per store (one electronic shelf label per product facing)

~2.5k — speciality

~8k — supermarket

50015,000

Average hourly wage (EUR)

1555

Estimated impact

—

Total investment

—

Annual savings

—

Payback time

Labour saving (80% time reduction × wage × 52 weeks × stores): —

Consumables saving (~27 EUR/store/week in paper, ink, printer maintenance): —

Annual software licence (all labels): —

Net position over depreciation period

Break-even

Year 0 Year 5

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What this suggests: Adjust the sliders to see analysis.

Get a precise quote based on these numbers

About this estimate: The 80% time-saving assumption is based on Roland Berger benchmark data on ESL deployments. Consumables (paper, ink, printer maintenance) is set at a conservative 27 EUR/store/week — for high-volume retailers it can be significantly higher. Sustainability note: The calculator only counts the financial saving. The environmental impact of eliminating thousands of printed paper tags per store per year is meaningful too — relevant if you report on CDP, ESG or have packaging-reduction targets. Not included: Dynamic pricing margin (typically 2–5% basket lift), omnichannel consistency, or NFC scan-to-info — all of which often dwarf the time-saving story.

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Get an offer or be inspired

Not sure what you need for your space? Or are you curious about how to enhance your customer experience? Simply upload your floor plan or project details, and we’ll provide a clear recommendation — free of charge. Whether you’re looking for a specific solution or want to explore ideas like sound, screens, and lighting, let us know how we can help.