Arch Retail Systems is a market leader in the South African POS retail industry with their Arch suite of products, which are operational in more than 1,200 stores. Corporate Groups where Arch Retail Systems is the solution of choice include amongst other Masscash (Wholesale Division of Walmart SA) and OK Foods (Franchise Division of Shoprite Checkers).

"It has always been part of our Arch strategy to continuously improve the product offering to our clients, operationally in-store, at POS with integrated Value-adds and also at an Enterprise level with our innovative Arch Enterprise solution", says David Geldenhuys (Marketing Executive at Arch Retail Systems). In line with this, Arch is proud to present Arch Themis Electronic Shelf Labels (ESL), after the successful implementation of the solution at the well known President Hyper store in Fochville, where 20,000 ESL's are operational.

Although there are various reasons for investing in ESL, one of the main benefits is to achieve maximum consumer confidence. This is achieved by eliminating discrepancies between POS and shelf pricing, but the ESL solution also allows for greater operational efficiency. Price changes are done remotely, either in-store or via Enterprise (Head Office) to multiple stores.The bi-directional communication feature of Arch Themis, allows for the development of control measures which will confirm prices have been changed when requested, thus preventing price discrepancies. The wireless communication technology allows for a relative low cost, and easy deployment compared to other products of this nature. The e-paper display technology allows for flexible label designs, thereby allowing merchants to customise the label design according to their own unique requirements.

The labels are also versatile thereby making it suitable for use in both wholesale, and retail type store layouts. The relatively high cost of acquiring often plays a role in decision making – in the case of Arch Themis, the system can be deployed progressively (buy a starter kit), which means no huge capital outlays will be required, and merchants can deploy the solution piece-meal at their own time as funding becomes available. For example, first implement it in selected departments where prices need to be changed frequently. A number of tags options are available, depending on the store's operational requirements – ranging from 1" to 6".

Erik van As, the Arch Executive responsible for new products and innovation stated the following: "We have researched the ESL market for a while and feel comfortable that we can now offer an energy efficient product backed by innovative German engineering. Affordability of the solution is addressed by a phased implementation approach".