In the fiercely competitive retail landscape, businesses are continually striving to deliver a seamless and efficient shopping experience. Among the critical aspects of this pursuit is the clear display of prices and product information, which, according to a recent report by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), some retail outlets have been found lacking.

Clear and accurate pricing is a cornerstone of consumer trust and an integral part of the shopping experience, so why are some retailers failing to display price (and product) information as clearly as they should? 

The Pricing Transparency Issue in Retail

A lack of clarity has caught the CMA’s attention, prompting them to warn retailers who do not adhere to pricing clarity standards after the CMA identified a growing problem with “unhelpful inconsistencies” in retailers’ pricing practices. The pricing rules themselves came in for criticism from the regulator, where current laws have left too much scope for interpretation, leading to ambiguity in pricing, and this could be preventing shoppers from being able to compare prices.

The CMA said that different measurements are being used for similar types of products, making it hard for customers to compare like-for-like deals, with Tea bags being used as an example by the regulator, sometimes priced per 100g, while other brands are unit-priced per tea bag. The watchdog also added that customers occasionally had difficulty reading small text on shelve edge labels.

Speaking on Sky News, Lisa Webb, Consumer Law Expert from Which? said, “Consumers need to be able to look at a shelf of products and easily and quickly see the best value product available to them – that is not happening at the moment.” 

Tom Holder from the British Retail Consortium went on to comment, “What is important here is that these issues are arising through poorly written rules by the government, and they are looking to update these rules, and supermarkets are standing ready to implement whatever is put in place, so they are keen to ensure consumers can get the best deals and are able to be informed on the way they make their choices.

Metro Print Controller: A Comprehensive Solution

What is essential for retailers is that they have the right tools and processes not only to implement current legislation and requirements but more effectively implement whatever is put in place soon. Print Controller is designed to combat these issues by ensuring that all pricing information is accurate, up-to-date, and clearly displayed, and is equipped with several key features that make it the leading shelf-edge ticketing solution for retail pricing:

• Transparency: Print Controller ensures that all prices are displayed clearly & consistently, enabling customers to compare prices and make informed purchasing decisions easily.
• Up-to-date: Print Controller updates pricing information in real-time, ensuring that all displayed prices are accurate and up-to-date.
• Compliance: Print Controller helps retailers comply with pricing legislation by ensuring all pricing information is displayed per legal requirements.
• Confidence: By providing clear & accurate pricing information, Print Controller enhances the customer experience, instilling confidence in shoppers that they are getting the best value.

Ensuring clear, accurate, and consistent pricing can create a more transparent shopping experience for all customers. While the CMA’s findings highlight a significant problem in the retail industry, solutions like Print Controller are designed to address issues like these. 

Metro Print Controller: A Closer Look

Print Controller delivers on-demand, best-in-class Point of Sale material and Shelf Edge Labelling when and where needed most – at the shelf edge. An intuitive, easy-to-use print portal provides instant access to all styles of print material, from shelf-edge labels to shelf-talkers to allergy stickers to A4 posters.

Print Controller handles everything retailers need to ensure legal and operational compliance. This includes accurate product descriptions, prices, barcodes, detailed ingredient and allergy content, country of origin, QR codes, emotive imagery, and marketing messages. The system also confirms that POS material has been printed, updated, or removed as necessary.

The Metro Advantage

Metro Print Controller brings significant advancements over legacy ticketing solutions. It enables retailers to display more detailed ticketing data, allowing them to present customers with all the information they require to make a buying decision. This includes additional visual content like product imagery, brand logos, or product scenes that help promote an emotional connection with a product. It also cuts down on the time taken to deploy tickets and ticketing wastage as  Print Controller only prints tickets for products stocked within each store, reducing wastage by as much as twenty-five percent.

Conclusion

With the retail industry facing a significant issue of pricing transparency, solutions like Print Controller are much needed. By ensuring clear, accurate, and consistent pricing, Metro Print Controller is re-energising the shelf edge and revolutionising the shopping experience for customers.

Contact us today to learn more about how Print Controller can revolutionise your retail pricing.