Digital Price Labeling for Automotive Retail

Summary

Founded in 1998, VISI/ONE has emerged as a market leader in price labeling for brick-and-mortar automotive retail. With the shift to digital solutions, VISI/ONE partnered with Embever to develop an IoT-enabled price labeling system for car dealerships. This system enables cloud-based price updates, significantly enhancing both operational efficiency and scalability.

Challenge

VISI/ONE faced significant challenges in scaling its digital price labeling system for car dealerships. The key issues were:

Complex Installation Process
The original digital price labeling system (electronic shelf labels) required intricate signal strength tests, optimal router placement, and extensive cabling, which hindered international scalability.

Inefficient Maintenance
The installation process was time-consuming and labor-intensive, involving trench digging and cable laying, thereby limiting the product’s scalability in the market.

Need for Simplified Deployment
To better meet customer needs, the new IoT product had to rely on cellular communication—eliminating the need for routers—to simplify the deployment process.

Solution

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

ePaper Display with Cellular Technology
Leveraging Cloud-as-a-Module, Embever created a battery-powered ePaper display equipped with NB-IoT, eliminating the need for routers and extensive cabling.

Cloud Integration
VISI/ONE’s dedicated CSI Cloud manages the NB-IoT-enabled ePaper displays via Embever’s IoT Cloud, ensuring efficient data transfer and seamless integration.

Energy Efficiency
The IoT devices predominantly operate in deep-sleep mode and consume minimal energy. They are activated at predetermined intervals to check for updates, ensuring long battery life.

Outcome

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

About

VISI/ONE is a leading provider of price labeling solutions for automotive retail, specializing in innovative digital and analog products. Embever, a spin-off from the University of Magdeburg founded in 2017, focuses on hardware, embedded systems, and cloud applications, delivering advanced IoT solutions that enhance operational efficiency and reliability across various industries.