NEWS
Retailers planning to shore-up labelling systems, study finds
UK SME retailers are planning to invest in labelling technology to boost efficiency and minimise error, with 74% expecting to upgrade label systems in the next 12-months, according to research by Brother UK. The study of 250 SME retailers and 2,000 consumers, which explored the frequency of in-store pricing errors, revealed 38% of retailers admit to mis-labelling prices on products at least once a day and 28% said it happens multiple times per week, with only 7% saying they never mis-label prices. Only 51% of retailers said they currently use a label printer linked to smart devices. Handwritten labels being illegible was the top reason cited by retailers for pricing errors (31%), followed by the technology not printing labels in the correct format (29%), and staff unintentionally rolling out the wrong pricing by mistake (28%). The study found consumers are cashing in on retailer’s price label blunders, with 41% saving money on products that have been mis-labelled in-store or know family and friends that have saved. Customers saved an average of £38 on a mispriced item, with a lucky 5% saving as much as £500. Brother UK completed the study as it launched a new partnership with technology reseller and software developer BarcodeGenie. The pair’s label printers and cloud-based labelling system links directly with a retailers’ product file to ensure store staff always print the right pricing to
minimise mistakes. “Pricing errors happen in retail for a
multitude of reasons, from human error and miscommunication to technology not working efficiently,” said Simon Brennan, senior end user client manager, at Brother UK. “Lucky consumers have cashed in on such mistakes at a cost to retailers. But other shoppers are clashing with retailers over their refusal to honour pricing mistakes, or from clear price labelling errors forcing them to fetch store assistants for clarity. “Minimising error is a big part of why retailers are turning to labelling technology. But many are also looking to boost efficiency, to save employees time, to have more visibility over pricing rollouts and to be more reactive to margin opportunities. “Our new partnership with BarcodeGenie aims to make shelf-edge ticketing, reduce to clear, mark-downs and shipping label printing faster, simpler and more accurate for retailers.” Adam Corcoran, managing director at BarcodeGenie, added: “The cloud based LabelGenie system enables head office to digitally issue labels for use in multiple stores, ensuring campaigns are rolled out effectively and accurately. “Reporting tools also help managers to build accountability by understanding what’s being printed across multiple sites with greater visibility. This allows them to maximise revenue opportunities from price changes and sales discounting.”
Simon Brennan senior end user client manager
brother.co.uk
barcodegeie.co.uk
TD SYNNEX awarded Disability Confident Employer Level 2
TD SYNNEX has been awarded Disability Confident Employer Level 2 in recognition of the activities and processes it has in place to ensure that co-workers and job applicants with a disability are treated fairly and can access the resources they need. Disability Confident is a government initiative designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with health conditions. The award follows the launch in March of TD SYNNEX’s Limitless business resource group (BRG), which has been formed to represent and
support people with physical or hidden disabilities or neurodivergence. Several other initiatives that make a difference for disabled people are already running at TD SYNNEX in the UK. These include a partnership with specialist consultancy Disability: IN aimed at improving hiring practices, enhancing the accessibility of vacancies and strengthening the company’s culture of inclusion. TD SYNNEX UK is also including disability topics on manager training courses to help build knowledge and understanding around barriers that people with disabilities
Jodie Carroll HR director, UK & I TD SYNNEX
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