Electronic Shelf Labels Market By Components (Displays, Batteries, Microprocessors, Transceivers, and Others), By Type, By Communication Technology, By Size, By End User - Global Industry Outlook, Key Companies (PRICER AB, SOLUM, OPTICON, and others), Trends and Forecast 2025-2034

Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs) are digital price tags used in retail stores to display product pricing and other relevant information. Unlike traditional paper price tags, ESLs are dynamic and can update prices on the spot using wireless communication technology. These labels can show additional details like product descriptions, nutritional information, promotions, and QR codes, enhancing customers' shopping experiences and streamlining retailers' operations.

Further, the demand for ESLs has grown significantly in recent times due to the growing need for automation in retail. Retailers are under pressure to provide exact pricing, manage stock effectively, and improve customer experiences. With labor costs rising and e-commerce competition intensifying, ESLs provide an affordable way to enhance efficiency and ensure consistency between in-store and online prices. Major players like Walmart and SPAR have invested heavily in this technology, reflecting its expanding adoption across.

Modern ESLs come along with advanced features like NFC, QR codes, and better graphic displays. These features allow customers to access product details, reviews, & promotions with a simple tap or scan using their smartphones. Some ESLs, like Kroger’s EDGE labels, can even guide customers by lighting up specific shelf locations for items on their shopping lists. Sustainability is another key trend, as ESLs minimize the need for paper and ink, with some models running on renewable energy sources like solar power.

ESLs provide various advantages to retailers, like real-time price updates, reduced errors, and significant time savings. Tasks like updating thousands of price tags that earlier took days can now be completed in minutes. ESLs also enhance inventory management by providing livestock tracking and guiding customers to online options if a product is unavailable in-store.

Also, the future of retail depends in integrating digital tools like ESLs to create easy, efficient, and customer-friendly shopping experiences. By combining dynamic pricing, better visual displays, and sustainable practices, ESLs are not just transforming store operations but also contributing to a smarter and greener retail industry, which also highlights their value as a critical tool for retailers in a rapidly evolving market. 

The US Electronic Shelf Labels Market

The US Electronic Shelf Labels Market is projected to reach USD 0.8 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate of 12.0% over its forecast period.

Electronic shelf label (ESL) market growth opportunities in the US are driven by an increase in labor costs and a growing need for retail automation. Retailers are turning to ESLs to simplify operations, ensure pricing accuracy, enhance customer experience, and boost sustainability initiatives, adding further impetus for market expansion.

Further, the US electronic shelf label (ESL) market is driven by growing retail automation demand, rising labor costs, and customer expectations of real-time pricing updates. Retailers are adopting ESLs to enhance efficiency and improve customer experiences; however, initial investment costs and integration challenges with existing retail systems act as barriers, particularly among smaller retailers limiting widespread adoption despite their rising popularity.

Electronic Shelf Labels Market: Key Takeaways

• Market Growth: The Electronic Shelf Labels Market size is expected to grow by 4.8 billion, at a CAGR of 12.8% during the forecasted period of 2026 to 2034.
• By Type: The e-paper displays segment is anticipated to get the majority share of the Electronic Shelf Labels Market in 2025.
• By Component: The display segment is expected to be leading the market in 2025
• By End User: The retail segment is expected to get the largest revenue share in 2025 in the Electronic Shelf Labels Market.
• Regional Insight: Europe is expected to hold a 38.5% share of revenue in the Global Electronic Shelf Labels Market in 2025.
• Use Cases: Some of the use cases of Electronic Shelf Labels include dynamic pricing updates, enhanced customer experience, and more.

Electronic Shelf Labels Market: Use Cases

• Dynamic Pricing Updates: ESLs allow retailers to update prices across thousands of products instantly, ensuring real-time pricing accuracy for in-store and online consistency.
• Enhanced Customer Experience: Features like NFC and QR codes provide product details, promotions, and reviews at a tap, while some ESLs light up to guide customers to specific items on their shopping lists.
• Efficient Inventory Management: ESLs allow real-time stock tracking, easy replenishment, and guiding customers to alternatives if items are out of stock.
• Sustainability and Cost Savings: ESLs eliminate the need for paper and ink, reducing waste and operational costs, particularly when powered by renewable energy sources like solar power.

Stats & Facts

• Modern electronic shelf labels (ESLs) support advanced features like Near Field Communication (NFC) and QR codes, allowing customers and employees to access product information seamlessly by placing their mobile devices near the label. Additionally, ESLs with NFC tags facilitate self-checkout for improved efficiency.
• Kroger’s EDGE ESLs improve customer convenience by reading shopping lists from mobile devices and illuminating corresponding shelf labels, making item selection faster and easier.
• Advanced graphic capabilities in ESLs provide visually appealing displays, offering customers clearer information on products, promotions, and sustainability details like origin, nutrition, and production methods.
• ESLs automate real-time pricing updates, reducing errors and significantly saving time compared to manual methods. For instance, Walmart announced its plans to implement ESLs in 2,300 stores by 2026, enabling price updates through mobile apps to be completed in minutes instead of two days.
• Retailers can use ESLs to illuminate specific product locations, streamlining tasks like order picking and shelf restocking. Walmart’s ESLs also signal areas needing attention, enhancing productivity during stock replenishment.
• ESLs enable real-time inventory tracking, optimizing stock management and guiding customers to online options when items are out of stock, ensuring no missed sales opportunities.
• By eliminating the need for paper and ink, ESLs promote sustainability, particularly when powered by renewable energy sources like solar energy.
• Further, SPAR Austria introduced multicolor smart ESLs in 200 stores, offering modern, convenient, and accurate price and promotional displays, enhancing the shopping experience for customers.
• ESLs automate pricing strategies in brick-and-mortar stores, ensuring accurate, dynamic pricing and seamless omnichannel retailing compared to error-prone manual methods.
• ESLs accelerate shelf replenishment and fulfillment for click-and-collect shoppers, avoiding undetected stockouts and increasing product availability on shelves, reducing missed sales.
• A shopper’s experience at the shelf edge is critical to purchase decisions. ESLs enhance this by offering real-time promotions, accurate pricing, and a cohesive omnichannel experience.

Market Dynamic

Driving Factors in the Electronic Shelf Labels Market

Rising Demand for Automation in Retail
The increasing need for efficiency in retail operations is driving the adoption of ESLs. Retailers face major pressure to reduce labor costs, minimize pricing errors, and improve inventory management. ESLs address these challenges by automating price updates, streamlining stock tracking, and enhancing overall productivity, making them an essential tool in modern retail environments.

Omni-channel Retailing and Customer Experience
The push for an easy shopping experience across physical and online stores is a major growth driver. ESLs ensure price consistency between channels while providing additional product information, live promotions, and personalized offers. Advanced features like NFC, QR codes, and illuminated displays enhance customer engagement, further boosting their demand.
Restraints in the Electronic Shelf Labels Market

High Initial Investment Costs
The adoption of ESLs needs significant upfront investment in hardware, software, and installation. For small & medium-sized retailers, these costs can be prohibitive, mainly when in comparison to traditional paper price tags. In addition, ongoing maintenance and system upgrades may add to the financial burden, slowing down the adoption rate in cost-sensitive markets.

Technical Challenges and Integration Issues
Implementing ESL systems includes integrating them with existing retail infrastructure, like inventory management and pricing systems. Technical glitches, connectivity issues, and compatibility concerns can complicate deployment. These challenges may impact retailers, particularly those without advanced IT infrastructure, from adopting ESL technology.

Opportunities in the Electronic Shelf Labels Market

Expansion in Emerging Markets
The growth in the retail sector in emerging economies provides numerous opportunities for ESL adoption. As modern retail chains expand in regions like Asia-Pacific & Latin America, the demand for automation, accurate pricing, and inventory management solutions increases. ESLs can support retailers in these regions to improve efficiency and meet the requirements of a rapidly evolving retail landscape.

Technological Advancements and Sustainability Trends
Innovations like multicolor displays, solar-powered ESLs, and features like NFC and QR codes provide opportunities for retailers to enhance customer engagement and operational efficiency. In addition, the global transformation toward sustainability creates demand for eco-friendly solutions, and ESLs, which eliminate paper and ink usage, align perfectly with these goals.

Trends in the Electronic Shelf Labels Market

Integration with Smart Retail Solutions
Recent ESLs are being integrated with smart retail technologies like AI and IoT. These developments allow features like real-time inventory tracking, dynamic pricing based on demand, and customized promotions triggered by customer preferences or location. Retailers are utilizing these technologies to develop a simple & engaging shopping experience, driving the adoption of ESLs globally.

Adoption of Multicolor and High-Definition Displays
A main trend is the transformation toward multicolor and high-definition ESLs, providing better visual appeal for customers. Retailers like SPAR Austria are adopting these advanced labels to improve the presentation of promotions, product details, and pricing. These displays are not only more attractive but also enables retailers to emphasize key information, improving overall customer interaction.

Research Scope and Analysis

By Component

By component type, the electronic shelf label (ESL) market can be divided into five main segments, namely displays, batteries, transceivers, microprocessors, and others. Among these, display components are expected to dominate this global market in 2025. Displays play an important role in ESL systems as they provide product information, prices, and promotions directly to customers. Their quality and clarity have a major effect on how efficiently ESLs provide real-time, accurate information. Retailers majorly appreciate the customization options afforded them by ESL displays, which allow them to tailor layouts, fonts, and graphics by their branding for a visually engaging shopping experience. Being able to personalize displays not only adds extra functionality but also contributes to an increase in the ESL market adoption of display components.

Microprocessors are an integral component of ESL systems, commanding an increasingly significant share of the market. Acting as central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors manage and execute various functions within ESLs such as processing incoming data, executing instructions, and keeping labels accurate. Through providing easy communication between ESLs and their central management system, microprocessors play a pivotal role in maintaining efficiency and reliability - hence their immense popularity in driving the market growth.

By Type

The electronic shelf label (ESL) market can be divided into LCDs, e-paper displays and graphic e-paper displays based on type. Of these displays, e-paper displays are expected to account for the highest market revenue share in 2025. E-paper displays are mainly renowned for their energy-saving abilities; unlike backlit LCDs, which need constant energy use, e-paper screens only use power when updating content, unlike their counterparts that demand constant power to maintain images, leading to longer battery life. Energy-efficient designs integrated with their ability to provide high contrast and outstanding readability in various lighting conditions make these monitors highly desirable for retailers. E-paper displays can simulate the look and feel of traditional paper, lowering glare while maintaining clear visibility of pricing and product information even under bright lighting conditions. These features have driven rapid expansion and large adoption in the ESL market.

Further, LCDs will also hold a significant share in the market due to their vibrant colors and dynamic content display capabilities, making them particularly suitable for retailers who wish to highlight promotions, branding, or product descriptions in an eye-catching and visually engaging manner. Although less energy efficient than e-paper displays, LCDs tend to be preferred in cases when vibrant displays must capture customer attention; both technologies serve different functions: one offers energy efficiency while visibility, while the other dynamic and colorful displays; this affords them multiple options to meet retailer's particular operational and marketing requirements.

By Communication Technology

The electronic shelf label (ESL) market can be categorized by communication technologies into radiofrequency (RF), infrared, near-field communication (NFC), etc. RF communication technology is expected to lead in terms of revenue by 2025, taking up the largest market share, as it offers superior efficiency by facilitating wireless connectivity between ESLs and central management systems. Wireless technology allows retailers to quickly respond to market shifts, adjust pricing dynamically, and ensure accurate product information across stores. Its flexibility and speed make RF technology the go-to choice for retailers who wish to expand their operational efficiencies and deliver superior customer experiences in an increasingly competitive market.

Further, infrared communication is projected to experience remarkable growth over the forecast period. Infrared provides many advantages, like high-speed data transfer that allows ESLs to efficiently transmit product details. Additionally, infrared technology's direct line-of-sight data transmission makes it inherently secure, reducing risks such as unauthorized access or interference from occurring, which makes it particularly appealing in applications where secure communication is a top priority; retail applications with speed, security, and accuracy requirements have shown major interest in using infrared communication in ESL systems; this trend has gained steam as retailers attempt to adopt technologies with these characteristics that combine speed with security and accuracy for greater growth within their marketplaces.

By Size

The electronic shelf label (ESL) market can be subdivided by size into four distinct subsegments: less than 3 inches, 3 to 7 inches, 7 to 10 inches, and more than 10 inches. Of these segments, the less than 3-inch sub-segment is expected to become the leading sub-segment by 2025 and dominate overall sales volume. Compact devices like these are accurate for optimizing retail shelf space. Their small form factor allows them to fit seamlessly into shelves without blocking customers' views of products, keeping a clear and organized display. Producing these smaller labels is more affordable and space-saving, making them an attractive option for retailers with multiple products to label. Their combination of efficiency, affordability, and space optimization contributes to their popularity in the ESL market.

Moreover, ESLs larger than 10 inches are expected to experience the fastest growth. Larger ESLs provide more space for product information display along with promotional messages and images, which help enhance the shopping experience significantly. Refreshing customers with multiple pieces of content at once helps engage them and provides them with better information that makes purchasing decisions simpler. Better visibility and interactivity are driving forces behind the rapid expansion of larger ESLs as retailers look to create more engaging in-store experiences for customers. Furthermore, rising demands for customer engagement services and detailed product displays is anticipated to fuel this segment's exponential growth.

By End User

Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs) are used in two main end-use markets - retail and industrial. Among these, the retail segment is projected to lead in terms of revenue share by 2025 due to retailers' focus on improving customer experiences, simplifying operations, and increasing pricing accuracy. As more businesses look for ways to increase efficiency through ESL adoption rates, their real-time updates and accurate pricing make ESLs an appealing solution that helps retailers remain competitive as well as meet modern consumer expectations.

Also, retail applications of ESLs are anticipated to experience rapid growth over the coming years as retailers look to automate operations while cutting operational costs. ESLs have quickly become an essential part of retailers' strategies in this regard. ESLs allow retailers to manage and update pricing from a central system, so all shelves and stores reflect identical prices simultaneously. Traditional paper labels need frequent manual updates which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. ESLs allow retailers to make updates in an automated and time-efficient manner while saving labor costs for updating prices manually.

The Electronic Shelf Labels Market Report is segmented on the basis of the following

By Component

• Displays
• Batteries
• Microprocessors
• Transceivers
• Others

By Type

• LCDs
• E-paper Displays
• Graphic E-paper Displays

By Communication Technology

• Radio Frequency
• Infrared
• Near-field Communications
• Others

By Size

• Less than 3 Inches
• 3 to 5 Inches
• 7 to 10 Inches
• More than 10 Inches

By End User

• Retail
• Hypermarkets & Supermarkets
• Non-food Retail Stores
• Others
• Industrial

Regional Analysis

Europe is projected to hold the largest share of the electronic shelf label (ESL) market by 2025, accounting for more than 38% of sales of ESLs worldwide, which can be due to its highly competitive retail sector, where businesses are always looking for ways to enhance customer experiences while improving operations. Retailers in this region have mainly turned to ESLs as a strategy for competitive advantage. Self-checkout kiosks in European grocery chains have increased demand for ESLs as these labels help simplify operations, improve pricing accuracy, and boost overall customer satisfaction. ESLs have become an invaluable asset to retailers looking for efficiency and convenience as part of modernizing retail operations across Europe.

Further, North American ESL markets are driven by several key drivers. Store automation's increasing popularity, along with inconsistent paper availability due to high demand for packaging materials like boxes, are two of the driving forces for ESL sales in this region. As a result, retailers are making the switch from paper labels to eco-friendly paperless shelf labels, which provides more sustainable and efficient solutions. With labor costs on the rise, retailers are turning to ESLs as a solution to automate pricing and inventory management to reduce manual work and save time and resources. 

In addition, Asia-Pacific regions have also seen significant adoption of ESL systems within electronics retail sectors. Retailers in this region are quickly adopting Industry 4.0 technologies like automation, robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT), creating growth opportunities for ESLs while meeting customer expectations and improving operational efficiencies.

By Region

North America

• The U.S.
• Canada

Europe

• Germany
• The U.K.
• France
• Italy
• Russia
• Spain
• Benelux
• Nordic
• Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

• China
• Japan
• South Korea
• India
• ANZ
• ASEAN
• Rest of Asia-Pacific

Latin America

• Brazil
• Mexico
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• South Africa
• Israel
• Egypt
• Rest of MEA

Electronic Shelf Labels Market: Competitive Landscape

Electronic shelf label (ESL) market competition is fierce, with leading players focused on innovation and technology integration to remain ahead of competitors. Companies invest in advanced features like NFeC, multicolor displays, and IoT connectivity to differentiate product offerings; collaborations, partnerships and acquisitions are favored strategies to expand market presence and improve service capabilities; while key players cater to an ever-increasing need for automation and sustainability in retail, which drives further fierceness between businesses as businesses race to provide efficient, customizable and cost-effective ESL solutions.

Some of the prominent players in the global Electronic Shelf Labels are

• PRICER AB
• SOLUM
• OPTICON
• MINEW
• VUSIONGROUP
• COMQI
• DISPLAYDATA LTD
• TERAOKA (PTY) LTD
• HANSHOW TECHNOLOGY
• SEN SECURITY SOLUTIONS
• OTHER KEY PLAYERS

Recent Developments

• In July 2024, Walmart unveiled its plans to implement Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs) in 2,300 of its US stores by 2026 to enhance pricing accuracy, improve operational efficiencies, and manage its extensive inventory through digital price tags. Walmart’s strategic partnership with Vusion Group to implement ESLs across these stores, which represent around 21% of its total locations, signifies a big leap toward in-store digitization.
• In July 2024, Instacar announced that Carrot Tags' pick-to-light functionality is rolling out chainwide. Carrot Tags are Instacart's software solution that simply integrates into a retailer's electronic shelf label (ESL) hardware to allow incremental functionality, including pick-to-light capabilities. Schnucks will be using Instacart Carrot Tags' pick-to-light functionality across most of its stores, allowing Instacart shoppers to activate items from their picking list within the Instacart Shopper App for easier and more accurate order fulfillment.
• In March 2024, Hanshow launched its pioneering GenAI product strategy, marking a significant leap forward in retail's AI era. The showcase contained the upgraded Hanshow Polaris Pro series electronic shelf labels (ESL) and a new green digital store solution, reaffirming Hanshow's dedication to providing retailers with advanced technologies for better efficiency, improved shopper experiences, and sustainable practices.
• In February 2024, Lidl plans to launch electronic shelf labels across all its stores to cut down on paper and ink consumption, which will see old paper price labels replaced by the end of 2024 after trials in over 35 stores, like in Epsom and TootingThe supermarket, which will save an estimated more than 206 tonnes of carbon annually. The new technology also saves time for store workers who currently have to manually check and update the paper price tags.