OKKO has taken a decisive step toward completely eliminating paper-based routine in its retail area. The new station has become the second facility in the network where all price tags have been replaced with digital ones, NaftoRynok’s correspondent reports after visiting the new OKKO 3.0 concept station in Irpin.
As NaftoRynok has found out, the first pilot project involving electronic shelf labels was tested at one of OKKO’s stations in Lviv. However, they are still used there in a hybrid format alongside traditional paper labels. The new complex in Irpin has become a space where paper price displays have been completely eliminated. This significantly optimizes staff operations, as price updates are now performed automatically through an application on the manager’s smartphone. The main benefit of the innovation is the time saved by managers when changing product prices and implementing promotions.
The “electronic ink” technology has been introduced not only on store shelves but also in the food service area. Traditional coffee and food menus, previously displayed on regular printed sheets, now operate on the same principle as electronic shelf labels.
According to NaftoRynok’s estimates, equipping an entire filling station store with the most expensive black-and-white electronic labels could cost the company around UAH 1.5 million.
Market participants remain divided on the practicality of OKKO’s innovation. “For now, it is expensive for such a number of SKUs at a filling station and still has technical drawbacks — it heats up the shelf,” says one fuel station network director. According to him, this technology is more typical of large supermarkets with tens of thousands of SKUs, such as Auchan and other major retailers. However, electronic shelf labels undoubtedly provide a significant advantage in terms of speed when changing prices.
As previously reported, OKKO has added beetroot to its coffee.
