Canadian electronic shelf label (ESL) provider JRTech is installing its latest fully graphic Pricer labels, SmartTag Power+ and Pricer’s Plaza SaaS cloud platform in 24 independently-owned Rona hardware stores across Canada.

Given the growing need for technological aid within the physical retail sector, the move of multiple Rona affiliated dealer stores towards JRTech’s digital price tag is consistent with other banners that have recently signed with JRTech in the past few months. Hardware stores have especially seen the need to adopt technology in the wake of ongoing labour shortages and other market pressures.

“JRTech’s technology clearly impressed us and this was only further substantiated by JRTech’s history in the market and their ability to quickly deploy throughout our nine locations,” said Nancy Powell Quinn, president of Rona Moffatt & Powell. “Their attention to detail and the references they provided gave us the peace of mind that we were choosing the right partner for our network of stores.”

Lee Harney, senior vice president of Moffatt & Powell, added: “We feel JRTech will provide us far more advantages for our operations than just price changes. We see a significant opportunity in becoming more efficient with inventory, picking and putting away stock, geolocating products and many other inventory management tools that will help with our customers’ and employees’ in-store experience.”

JRTech is a privately held corporation, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. It provides ESLs and distributes Pricer ESLs in North America, and has been involved in over 900 store installations with over 13 million labels installed since 2008.

Swedish firm Pricer serves the rapidly growing smart retail market with in-store digital technology that enhance both store performance and the shopping experience. Through ESL, technology such as optical wireless communications and AI, and continuous innovation, Pricer offers a foundation for in-store communication and efficiency. Pricer was founded in 1991.

“We had previously installed a radio-frequency-based digital smart label within one of our stores but opted to upgrade to JRTech’s infra-red communication platform within all of our stores due to their advanced features and unparalleled battery-life,” said Eddy Calderon, owner of Rona stores in Terrebonne, Pincourt and Laval, Quebec.

Eric Deslongchamps, owner of Rona Deslongchamps, added: “After years of assessment and careful consideration of different electronic price label players within the market, it became all too evident that JRTech’s Pricer ESL technology was, hands downs, the best choice.”

And Ray Cyr, owner of Fraser Valley Buidling Supplies in British Columbia, said: “Reputation and the ability to deliver a technology that can scale with our operations is the hallmark of choosing the right technology partner. JRTech and their Pricer digital shelf tags proved all of the above. JRTech’s electronic labels will not only help us automate our price changes across all of our stores but facilitate the restocking of shelves, digitise our inventory cycle counts and more.”

Diego Mazzone, CEO of JRTech, said no other technology compared with its future-proof capabilities of click-and-collect, geopositioning, stock replenishment and four-fold proven battery life.

“With dozens of Rona affiliated dealer stores and over 400 hardware stores already installed with our label technology since 2008, we have proven time and again that we meet the needs of Canadian hardware retailers,” Mazzone said. “Combined with our custom plastic mounting and our dozens of point-of-sale integrations, we not only make it easy for hardware retailers to clearly see the value-proposition of our turnkey smart label, but we do so for all retailers across every retail vertical.”