E INK is experiencing explosive demand for its electronic shelf labels. These replace traditional price labels in grocery stores, big box retailers, and everywhere. Instead of stock boys manually changing the prices, price changes are done by management with computers that can change the prices on anything that the store sells, making it easier to do.
A week ago, E INK announced that a deal reached between Walmart and e-paper solution provider SES-imagotag to deploy the next-generation retail IoT networks and ESLs at several hundred US retail chain store shops would help boost the adoption of ESL solutions. The deal calls for installing over 60 million ESLs during the first phase of operations, which will last for 12–18 months. A couple of years ago, E INK invested in SES since they are the most significant player in the shelf label space, and various E INK executives had seats on the board of directors.
For 2023, EIH expects its revenue to grow within a single-digit range as macroeconomic environments remain weak. In addition to ESL solutions, the CEO of E INK believes that demand for colour e-book readers and e-notes will gain momentum in 2024, driving revenue growth at EIH.
There are a few technologies that make shelf labels a reality. The primary one is called Spectra, which has various colour configurations. Spectra 3000 has white and red, perfect for price tags. Spectra 3100 has four colours, and Spectra 31000 Plus adds orange. Aurora e-paper is used in freezers and refrigerators; the tech is designed to withstand sub-zero temperatures.
E INK’s latest generation tech is Spectra 6, a full-colour product, providing a level of colour saturation and vividness never before seen in a reflective display and with the ability to give a visual performance similar to the most advanced paper colour printers on the market today. It features an enhanced colour spectrum and a refined colour imaging algorithm to provide full colour to improve marketing and advertising performance. It has 200 pixels per inch (PPI), depending on panel size, and a typical contrast ratio 30:1.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
