Price and Promotions Can Be Updated Chain-Wide Within Minutes Via
Long-Range, Low-Power Proprietary Wireless Network
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- W5 Networks, Inc., a provider of
wireless solutions for the retail industry, today announced its flagship
product, the W5 ESL System at the DEMOfall conference in San Diego,
California. The company's electronic shelf label (ESL) technology is the
first system to break cost and technology barriers that have previously
prevented the wide-spread adoption of ESLs by major supermarket chains.
ESLs simplify the process of updating shelf price labels by transmitting
pricing information wirelessly to small displays that replace paper shelf
labels.
ESLs have long been an appealing, but elusive technology for
supermarkets wanting to improve pricing accuracy while dramatically
lowering the high labor cost associated with price changes. In addition,
stores want to be able to change prices more frequently to either offer
short-term promotions or make use of price optimization data. However,
until today, no vendor had been able to produce an ESL at a reasonable
price point. For most retailers to get an acceptable return on their
investment, the cost has to be lower than $5.00 per label. By developing
its new proprietary wireless networking technology, W5 has managed to
create the market's most full-featured ESL system, while shattering the $5
per ESL mark.
"Currently, a typical supermarket chain manually changes thousands of
paper shelf labels each week, costing more than $100,000 per store per
year," said Richard White, CEO of W5 Networks. "In addition, if their shelf
label prices do not match the point-of-sale system prices, customers can
become dissatisfied. W5 Networks has developed an ESL system that replaces
paper labels, eliminating expensive labor costs and improving retail price
accuracy."
W5 Networks has achieved its major ESL price breakthrough via the
development of a new proprietary radio frequency system that enables
bi-directional communication between access points and ESLs while consuming
very little power. This patent-pending radio network also has a very
long-range -- which lowers the number of access points required per store
to communicate with all the ESLs. In addition, each ESL is designed to
consume minimal power and have approximately a 5-year battery life.
W5's network allows supermarket chains to update prices and promotions
chain-wide in a matter of minutes. Because the W5 ESL System provides
two-way communication between the labels and the access points,
supermarkets can quickly verify that price changes have been made and all
labels are functioning. The labels also sense environmental and location
data, such as food refrigeration temperature, and can issue an alert if
temperatures rise or drop to dangerous levels.
While many supermarkets have looked into purchasing an ESL system,
until now ESL's have been too costly and complicated to implement. In
addition, previous systems did not effectively support promotions such as
"club pricing" and "buy one get one free." W5's many technology
breakthroughs have resulted in a cost-savings and functionality previously
unattained.
W5's technology innovation landed it a coveted spot at the DEMOfall '06
conference where the company is announcing the W5 ESL System today. DEMO is
the premier launch venue for new products, technologies and companies. The
show's executive producer, Chris Shipley, screens hundreds of entries to
uncover the most promising new technologies to introduce at the show.
"My job is to separate the hype from the real innovators," said
Shipley. "While there have been many attempts at ESL technologies in the
past, W5's ESL System shows innovative design and engineering from the
ground up with a focus on solving real-world retail problems. Its
technology and price breakthroughs are why I selected it to be one of the
companies highlighted at the DEMOfall conference this year."
The W5 ESL System is available now starting at $3.50 per label.
About W5 Networks
W5 Networks develops wireless solutions optimized for the retail
industry. Its initial product is an end-to-end Electronic Shelf Label (ESL)
solution based on revolutionary radio architecture. Investors in the
company include venture capital firms Thomas Weisel Venture Partners and US
Venture Partners. The company is headquartered in Fremont, California. For
more information, visit http://www.w5networks.com .
Press Contact:
Jane Gideon
Incendio International, Inc.
Tel: 415-293-8259
jane@incendiopr.com
SOURCE W5 Networks
 back to top
Related links:
http://w5networks.com/
CONTACT:
Jane Gideon of Incendio International, Inc.,
+1-415-293-8259, or jane@incendiopr.com, for W5 Networks
|
