The below article appeared in GDO Week magazine featuring Nicolis Project, Hanshow’s partner in Italy and market leader for in-store digital solutions, introducing its strong collaboration with CONAD.
CONAD is a leading food retail brand in Italy and has chosen Nicolis Project to digitize and improve the operation of its stores in part with Hanshow solutions.
The brand has been rewarded for its investments in ecological transition and digital evolution, with increased productivity and efficiency thanks to technological innovations such as electronic shelf labels
Conad consolidated its leadership role as the first Italian large-scale retail store brand in 2020 as well: its market share has grown in the last 12 months, rising from 13.8% in 2019 to 15.01% in 2020 (+ 1.21%).
Many activities were started in 2020 with sustainability in mind: alongside initiatives to reduce emissions and energy use, and projects for the transition to sustainable packaging for Conad branded products, there were many social initiatives as well.
But there is more, as the investment plan with a budget of EUR 1.5 billion over three years is still ongoing. These resources will be used to make points of sale more modern, technological and digital, supporting the multi-channel strategy launched last year.
The collaboration between Conad and Nicolis Project is part of the wide-ranging project of transformation and digital evolution. Nicolis has been accompanying Conad for years in this process of innovation, which is increasingly based on sustainability and added value for the customer. The partnership began in 2017 and, to date, new full-graphics labels have been installed in over 250 points of sale in the Conad network.
The automatic updating of electronic labels has reduced the time spent by the sales assistants doing this activity, time which can therefore be dedicated to customer service, resulting in increased sales.
The expiration date control function has dramatically reduced costs: stores can dynamically manage prices and promotions for products that are about to expire, encouraging customers to buy them, thus reducing waste. This has an important effect in terms of profitability as well as environmental sustainability.
Electronic labels have also resulted in significant savings in paper and ink, which further reduces costs and is a valuable contribution to environmental protection.
Conad stores have become even more in step with the times, because electronic labels have also made them interactive creating a real connection with customers and providing them with a series of real digital service.
We asked Mr Valter Geri, Chairman of Conad, what role Technology plays in a context of Sustainability and Value for People:
"Technology enters our lives independently of our will. This can provoke two reactions: we can reject it and continue as if nothing happened, or accept it willingly and see the new effects it produces. In our field, these innovations allow us to change behaviour, increasingly eliminating repetitive and non motivating jobs and replacing them with more professional activities. This gives us time to better focus on the relationship with people, to increase our distinctiveness.
We also manage to be consistent with the message of sustainability, actively contributing to preserving our environment for a better future for the next generations, reducing the consumption of paper and consumables in general.
Technology helps us improve the way we see things, it gives us resources to improve ourselves."
Left to right: Roberto Girardi (Country Sales Manager Italy at Nicolis Project), Enrico Romano (General Manager at Nicolis Project), Valter Geri (Chairman of Conad), Leonardo Natali (Operations Manager at .venditaservice), Vincenzo Parisi (Sales Manager at Nicolis Project)
(Conad reconfirms its position as the leading Italian retailer)
(Over 250 Conad stores have installed Nicolis Project electronic labels, improving productivity and customer experience)About Hanshow
Hanshow is a global leader in developing and manufacturing electronic shelf labels and digital store solutions. As an innovation leader in the industry, Hanshow is dedicated to offering its global customers a series of world-class customized IoT touchpoints and digital store solutions. Hanshow’s intelligence-enabled platforms and systems deliver customer-centric insights, helping retailers streamline operations and providing various solutions to support optimal pricing strategies to offer consumers a more personalized experience. Hanshow currently serves over 20,000 stores in more than 50 countries.
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