Inventory Visibility
Part of Electronic shelf labels
Connecting shelf prices to approved product data
Map product identity, approved selling prices, promotions and unit prices before publishing information to electronic shelf labels.
Connect every electronic shelf label to the retailer's approved selling-price record and the correct saleable product. A supplier catalogue or label template may supply product details, but should not silently determine what a shopper pays. Name the source and owner of each field before publishing it to the shelf.
Separate identity, description and price
Join records with a stable product identifier, then check the attributes that distinguish saleable variants. Use the identifier appropriate to the saleable item and packaging level, and control its mapping to the approved product record.
A store may also use an internal SKU if its mapping to the saleable item is controlled.
Shelf field / Control to define
- Product name and variant
- Which approved record identifies the item beside the label?
- Pack size or measure
- Who checks it after a product or packaging change?
- Selling price
- Which retailer record governs this store and effective time?
- Promotion
- Who approves eligibility, dates and displayed conditions?
- Unit price, where required
- Which measure and calculation are approved and checked?
GS1 Australia lists an NPC in Retail – Food, Grocery & Liquor. Verify its scope and fields before using it in the data map. It does not establish the retailer's current checkout price. Keep those roles distinct.
Controlled vs. Uncontrolled Data Sources for Shelf Pricing
- Product IdentityGS1 GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) from NPC – verified and stable
- Selling PriceRetailer-approved price record – controlled by pricing authority
- PromotionApproved eligibility, dates and conditions – governed by retailer policy
- Unit PriceCalculated using approved measure and formula – checked per ACCC Unit Pricing Code
Build the record sent to the label
For each update, retain the product identifier, intended store or price zone, approved amount, effective period and approval version or time. Record the label identifier and physical position when staff attach the label. These details help distinguish an error in the source price from a mapping, release or placement error.
Define what happens when a required field is missing or inconsistent. A changed pack size can make a unit price wrong while the selling price remains correct, and similar product names can hide a variant mismatch.
Hold the affected update for correction, or use a fallback display only if the retailer has approved how it works and staff can recognise it.
For a promotion, record when the ordinary price resumes. If label content can be scheduled, establish which system governs the selling price and ensure checkout is ready before the offer appears on the shelf.
Check the data beside the product
Inspect similar variants, multiple sizes, promotions and recently changed products. Compare the product in hand with its identifier, approved attributes, shelf label and checkout record, including promotion start and end times.
Log mismatches by product and location, correct the customer-facing display under store procedure, and trace the cause to its source.
The ACCC enforces the Unit Pricing Code as a mandatory industry code under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. Consult current ACCC guidance and the code to confirm coverage, exemptions and display obligations before applying a template across a range. A correct database calculation is insufficient if the installed label cannot be read.
Assign owners for product identity, selling-price approval, label templates and in-store placement. Staff can then correct the source of an error instead of repeatedly overwriting the label.
