Digitalizing prices: the long history of Electronic Shelf Labels

Chapter 7 addresses Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs), which represent one of the latest and most sophisticated price tag technologies, although their presence is still marginal. Since their introduction in the mid-1980s, ESLs have been associated with promises to improve shopper experiences, simplify logistical in-store operations, as well as to enable increased interconnectivity. However, problems surrounding ESLs have particularly concerned the item-pricing regulations, gaps between the promises of the technology and its practical feasibility, but also that alternative solutions proved more compatible with existing store infrastructure. The account highlights how the success of an innovation is a matter of both timing and environmental fit, where technologies such as ESL rarely appear in isolation, but must fit with the wider contexts, systems, and infrastructures. A century after, digital prices are still dependent on previous practices and infrastructures, such as hand operations and paper labels.