Morrisons is making its supermarket shelves flash pink – here’s what’s going on
Morrisons is rolling out flashing pink shelf labels in more than 270 UK stores, allowing shoppers to locate products using their phones. Here’s how the new system works.
Morrisons is introducing flashing pink lights on supermarket shelves in a bid to stop customers wasting time hunting for products.
The supermarket is rolling out technology that allows shoppers to make individual price labels flash using their mobile phones, directing them to the exact item they want.
The system is being introduced in more than 270 stores and Morrisons claims it is the first UK supermarket to use the technology, which is already widespread in the US.
It comes as retailers increasingly turn to digital technology to change how people shop, from self-service checkouts to electronic price tags.
Why are Morrisons’ shelves flashing pink?
The new system, called shop to light, is designed to tackle a familiar supermarket frustration: knowing what you want but being unable to find it among hundreds of similar products.
Customers using the Morrisons More Card app can search for an item using a product finder tool on the home page.
After selecting “flash price label”, they are directed to the relevant aisle and asked to confirm their location.
The digital price label beneath the product then flashes magenta, revealing exactly where it is.
Morrisons says the system should be particularly useful in densely packed sections such as herbs, spices and sauces.
The supermarket is also promoting it ahead of Christmas, when customers may be searching for less frequently purchased items such as cranberry sauce.
Is Morrisons changing its price labels?
The flashing lights are part of a wider move towards electronic shelf labels, which allow supermarkets to change displayed prices remotely rather than replacing paper tickets by hand.
Morrisons has partnered with technology company Vusion to install the labels, which it says will improve pricing accuracy.
But the new flashing feature will only be available in stores already equipped with the digital technology, and customers will need the More Card app to activate it.
Gordon Macpherson, Morrisons’ group productivity director, said the supermarket wanted to make shopping easier during the busy Christmas period.
He said: “Our new ‘shop to light’ feature is a great example of how we’re using technology to make a real difference in-store, helping our customers find the products they need quickly.”
The move adds another digital element to the weekly supermarket shop, although customers who don’t use the app will still have to find products the traditional way.