Retailers Embrace Innovative Solutions – Pricer Research

Retailers are no longer viewing technology purely as a cost — increasingly, they see it as a strategic investment that drives efficiency and improves the customer experience. According to the latest research by Pricer, more than 67% of UK retailers plan to invest in AI-based solutions in 2025. They also intend to implement electronic shelf labels and automation across their stores.

Top In-Store Operational Challenges

Based on a survey conducted by Pricer among over 100 retail professionals in the UK, the most commonly cited in-store operational challenges for 2025 include:

• Product availability (36%) – empty shelves translate directly into lost sales and lower customer satisfaction.
• Inventory accuracy (34%) – errors in stock systems lead to inaccurate data across omnichannel touchpoints.
• Rising rental costs (35%) – increased real estate expenses impact operational flexibility.

Just behind the podium were efforts to improve in-store conversion (31%) and engagement (29%) rates. Challenges for retailers also remain:

• Staff management (28%) – including difficulties in optimizing schedules and using human resources effectively.
• Operational efficiency (27%) – lack of automation causes downtime and reduces the speed of customer service.

Retailers are shifting their investment priorities

According to Pricer research, two-thirds of retailers (67%) plan to spend on implementing artificial intelligence-based solutions, even if it means abandoning previously planned investments in technology. And one in six UK companies has already implemented at least one such solution.

AI is thus no longer treated as a tool of the future, but as a solution that brings immediate, tangible benefits, such as by providing streamlined operations or increased efficiency, thereby reducing the organization’s operating costs.

Retailers in particular would like to use artificial intelligence for:

• demand forecasting and inventory optimization (41%);
• real-time price management (35%);
• automating customer service in stores (29%);
• analyzing shopping behavior (24%).

Retailers want immediate access to data

The majority of retailers believe they need tools that offer real-time insights into store operations and data in 2025. Most notably, these include:

• automated inventory monitoring;
• shelf outage detection systems (electronic shelf labels and cameras);
• predictive tools to support purchasing and logistics decisions;
• dashboards to support store managers’ decisions.

Access to real-time data means faster decision-making and less operational risk.

Electronic shelf labels and automation on the rise

Electronic shelf labels (ESLs) are small, digital displays mounted on store shelves that show current prices and other product information. Unlike traditional price tags, which must be manually replaced, ESLs pull data from a central management system (such as Akeneo PIM) and update the displayed information in real time.

According to Pricer’s survey, 47% of retailers plan to combine ESLs with automation solutions to most effectively manage shelf inventory, respond to price changes and thus prevent losses. Electronic shelf labels are also becoming a tool to increase customer engagement (45%) and reduce store losses (42%). They can also help collect data that will be used to further improve efficiency.

If you’re interested in electronic shelf labels or AI-based solutions, feel free to contact us.