Pharmacies BENU opt for electronic shelf labels

Pharmacies BENU now relies on electronic shelf labels
BENU is one of the first pharmacy chains in Switzerland to introduce electronic shelf labels in all its shops. This digitalisation step has been completed end of May 2024.

Customer focus is a top priority for Pharmacies BENU. This is why the company is constantly looking for ways to streamline its processes and use its resources even more efficiently, among others with digitalisation.

Simpler administration - more time for clients
As part of a project, PHOENIX Group – the umbrella organisation of PHOENIX Pharma Switzerland to which Pharmacies BENU belongs – decided in 2024 to all its pharmacies in Europe to electronic shelf labels. Switzerland is the pilot market. Pharmacies BENU are one of the first pharmacy chains in Switzerland to use this this technology.

"We aim to simplify the handling of price tags and at the same time boost our customer focus," explains Thomas Le Bail, Manager Operational Excellence and the main responsible for the project in Switzerland." So far, our employees had to manually print out and exchange the prices once a month. That was a huge administrative workload."

Efficient and sustainable digital technology
Visually, the electronic shelf labels are very similar to paper labels. They are powered by recyclable batteries and are automatically updated monthly from a database thanks to a Wi-Fi system. This not only reduces the workload for employees, but also guarantees up-to-date prices in all BENU pharmacies in Switzerland.

The technology works with so-called "frozen ink". The price remains on the label even in the event of a power failure. The batteries used last up to seven years with monthly updates. With this digitisation step, Pharmacies BENU in Switzerland alone can save around 500 kilograms of paper every year. "This is very much in line with our sustainability efforts," says Thomas Le Bail.

Pilot project in French-speaking Switzerland
To assess the technology with patients, BENU conducted a pilot project in seven pharmacies in French-speaking Switzerland in spring 2023.

BENU tested the electronic shelf labels over a period of six months and interviewed a total of 100 customers. "94 respondents were satisfied or even very satisfied with the technology," Thomas Le Bail is pleased to report. "88 of the people felt that the legibility of the information on the labels was good or very good." The relevance of the information and visibility of promotional prices were also rated as very good. "The positive feedback is a good start for us to roll out the project in all our pharmacies," says Thomas Le Bail. After a two-month introductory phase, all 100 BENU pharmacies are now equipped with electronic labels.