Digital Price Labelling for Automotive Retail

Summary

Founded in 1998, VISI/ONE became a market leader for price labelling in the stationary automotive retail market. With the shift to digital solutions, VISI/ONE partnered with Embever to develop an IoT-enabled price labelling system for car dealerships. This system allows for cloud-based price updates, significantly enhancing operational efficiency and scalability.

Challenge

VISI/ONE faced significant challenges in scaling their digital pricing system for car dealerships. The key challenges were:

Complex Installation Process

The initial digital pricing system required complex signal strength tests, optimal placement of routers, and extensive cabling, making it difficult to scale internationally.

Maintenance Inefficiency

The installation process was time-consuming and labor-intensive, involving digging trenches and laying cables, which hindered the product’s market scalability.

Need for Simplified Deployment

To meet customer needs, the new IoT product had to use cellular communication independently of routers, simplifying the deployment process.

Solution

In response to these challenges, VISI/ONE and Embever developed an IoT-enabled price labelling system to enhance efficiency and scalability. The solution includes:

Cellular IoT Communication

Embever expanded the hardware with its own board to enable mobile operation and connection to the Embever IoT Core, eliminating the need for routers and cabling.

ePaper Displays

The IoT devices use ePaper displays controlled by the Embever Operating System, which manages mobile communication and extends battery life.

Cloud Middleware Integration

Embever’s Cloud Middleware fits between the CSI Cloud and the NB-IoT enabled ePaper displays, ensuring efficient data transmission and seamless integration.

Energy Efficiency

The IoT devices are in Deep Sleep Mode most of the time, using minimal power. They wake up at defined intervals to check for updates, ensuring long battery life.

The Outcome

The collaboration between VISI/ONE and Embever has led to significant improvements in price labelling efficiency and scalability in the automotive retail market. The IoT solution enables easy deployment, reduces installation and maintenance efforts, and enhances operational efficiency. This innovation helps VISI/ONE provide a reliable and scalable solution for digital price labelling.

About

VISI/ONE is a leading provider of price labelling solutions for the automotive retail market, specializing in innovative digital and analogue products. Embever, a spin-off of the University of Magdeburg founded in 2017, specializes in hardware, embedded systems, and cloud applications, providing advanced IoT solutions to enhance operational efficiency and reliability in various industries.