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Retail Technology Trends Shaping the Future: Part II

Chris Jensen

Bella in Aubuchon Hardware’s Ipswich, Mass., store is sporting the new Theatro communication system.
Bella in Aubuchon Hardware’s Ipswich, Mass., store is sporting the new Theatro communication system.»

Busy Beaver Building Centers recently opened its 25th neighborhood home improvement center in Delmont, Pa. Formerly a movie theater, the 44,000-square-foot store features an array of state-of-the-art technologies. It is the first home improvement center in the United States to fully use Pricer electronic shelf labels (ESL), a system that provides greater pricing accuracy by electronically maintaining the price signage. Imagine never having to worry about price changes or losing margin when prices aren’t updated promptly.

Further automation at Busy Beaver’s store comes in the form of Badger Technologies’ autonomous robot equipped with Badger® Retail InSight software, which scans the entire store every day and alerts management to out-of-stock and misplaced products. Robots can help with other inventory management functions like zero auditing and cycle counting and Badger Technologies is working on ways these machines can help put away freight.

Busy Beaver’s new store in Delmont, Pa., is the first in the U.S. to fully use Pricer electronic shelf labels.
Busy Beaver’s new store in Delmont, Pa., is the first in the U.S. to fully use Pricer electronic shelf labels.»

Both technologies relieve the staff of time-consuming tasks and give them more time to service customers. In addition, the ESL system and robot significantly speed up the handling of online orders, a popular shopping option at all Busy Beaver locations.

“Technology is a key imperative in our mission to be the favorite home improvement center in the communities we serve,” says Adam Gunnett, Busy Beaver’s director of IT and marketing. “We relentlessly look for innovative ways to increase efficiencies and empower our associates to provide legendary customer service.”

If you missed it, click here to see Part I of “Retail Technology Trends Shaping the Future” from the April issue of The Hardware Connection. Read on to gain more insights into retail technology trends.

Continue Reading in the May/June 2022 Issue

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