Vusion Group is a global leader in IoT and data solutions for physical commerce. The company offers the VUSION Retail IoT technology platform, a key tool for digitalizing physical retail environments. Its system utilizes hardware like Electronic Shelf Labels, an ESL Gateway AP, and the individual ESL Price Tag. The Esl Retail sector is poised for significant expansion, with the broader retail IoT market showing strong growth projections.
| Source | Forecast Period | CAGR |
|---|---|---|
| Fortune Business Insights | 2025 – 2032 | 25.9% |
This growth highlights the increasing demand for advanced solutions. Vusiongroup provides retailers with the technology needed to enhance store performance and adapt to market changes.
What is the Core Technology Behind Vusion Group?
The Vusion Group ecosystem operates on a sophisticated blend of software, hardware, and data analytics. This powerful combination enables retailers to transform their physical stores into highly efficient, digitized environments. The core technology functions as a central nervous system, connecting shelves, products, and people in real time.
The VUSION Software Platform
At the heart of the system lies the VUSION software platform. This suite of tools acts as the command center for all in-store IoT operations. The vusiongroup designed this software to be both powerful and scalable. VusionCloud is the IoT Platform that allows retailers to manage and monitor their network of devices across one or many locations from a central point.
The platform includes several specialized modules. Each module targets a specific area of retail operations to maximize performance.
| Module Name | Function |
|---|---|
| VusionCloud | Manages, monitors, and scales all IoT devices and ESLs across stores via a cloud-based platform. |
| Memory | Uses AI and data analytics to optimize pricing, promotions, and product assortment. |
| Captana | A computer vision solution that monitors shelves in real time to detect out-of-stock items and ensure product availability. |
| Engage | An in-store retail media platform that allows retailers to run digital campaigns and display dynamic content at the shelf. |
| Store Operational Excellence | Streamlines in-store workflows and improves task execution using IoT and computer vision data. |
Note: These software solutions work together to create a unified system. For example, Captana identifies a stock issue, and the platform can automatically alert staff to refill the shelf, ensuring a seamless operation.
Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs)
The most visible component of the technology is the Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs). These are not simple digital price tags; they are smart, battery-efficient devices that display pricing, promotions, and product information. Retailers can update thousands of labels simultaneously with a single click, eliminating manual errors and saving countless hours of labor.
Vusiongroup offers a range of electronic shelf labels with advanced features:
- Display Technology: Most labels use full graphic e-ink displays, which are easy to read and consume very little power. Newer models offer up to seven colors, including black, white, red, yellow, green, and blue, for more dynamic promotions.
- Battery Life: The labels are engineered for longevity. Many models boast a battery life of up to 10 or even 15 years, making them a sustainable and low-maintenance solution.
- Durability: These devices are built to withstand the demanding retail environment.
IoT Sensors and Data Analytics
The system’s intelligence comes from its use of IoT sensors and data analytics. The electronic shelf labels and other devices communicate through a highly secure and efficient protocol. Vusiongroup helped develop VusionOX, a protocol built on the Bluetooth-LE standard.
This communication standard offers several key advantages:
- Scalability: It can support over 120,000 IoT devices in a single store.
- Security: It provides 24/7 secure transmissions for safe price and data exchanges.
- Interoperability: It coexists intelligently with existing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networks.
- Bi-directional Communication: Data flows from the cloud to the labels and also from the labels back to the cloud, enabling real-time monitoring and interaction.
This constant flow of data is where the true power lies. Computer vision systems like Captana act as digital eyes, monitoring shelf availability. Other sensors can track shopper traffic patterns or environmental conditions. The VUSION platform collects this data, analyzes it with AI, and delivers actionable insights that help retailers optimize everything from inventory management to the customer journey.
How Do Vusiongroup Solutions Work in a Store?
The VUSION platform transforms the theoretical power of IoT into practical, real-world applications that redefine the retail environment. Its solutions integrate seamlessly into daily store functions. This integration automates tedious tasks, provides staff with powerful tools, and creates a more engaging and frictionless journey for customers.
Automating Pricing and Promotions
Manual price changes are a significant operational burden for retailers. They consume valuable staff hours and often lead to pricing errors. The vusiongroup system eliminates this challenge entirely. Retailers can update prices and launch promotions across thousands of electronic shelf labels in just a few minutes with a single command. This capability ensures real-time control and perfect synchronization between the shelf price and the checkout system.
Major retailers leverage this technology for massive efficiency gains. Walmart, for instance, manages weekly price updates for over 120,000 items. By implementing ESLs, the company reduced the time required for price changes from two days to a matter of minutes. This success prompted plans to expand the technology across its entire U.S. store fleet. The system guarantees price accuracy, a critical factor for customer trust.
“One problem we used to have was in which we would have one price listed on the product in a sign, but then when they went up to the register, the price might be different. We no longer have that problem at all because the signs update automatically with our database.”
Jason Kang
Project Manager, Westside Market NYC
Optimizing In-Store Operations
Beyond pricing, vusiongroup solutions streamline numerous in-store workflows, boosting overall productivity. The platform turns the store into a connected, intelligent space where staff can work more efficiently. This optimization is achieved through a combination of computer vision, AI, and interactive shelf labels.
Key operational improvements include:
- Faster Order Picking: The ‘Pick to Light‘ feature uses a blinking LED on the ESL to guide associates directly to the correct product for online orders. This simple visual cue significantly increases picking speed and accuracy, boosting productivity by up to 40%.
- Automated Stock Monitoring: The Captana computer vision system constantly scans shelves to detect out-of-stock situations or misplaced items. It automatically alerts staff to restock specific products, eliminating the need for manual shelf audits and ensuring products are always available for shoppers.
- Efficient Task Management: The platform’s AI-powered tools help automate and manage in-store tasks. This reduces planning time by up to 50% and ensures that employees focus on high-value activities like customer service instead of routine checks.
Improving the Shopper Experience
A positive customer experience is the ultimate goal of modern retail. The vusion group platform provides shoppers with the convenience and information they expect from online shopping, but inside the physical store. It creates a more interactive, personalized, and satisfying journey from the moment a customer walks in.
The technology helps shoppers in several ways:
- Easy Product Discovery: ESLs with blinking LED indicators can highlight promotional items, guiding shoppers to special offers. Customers can also use a retailer’s mobile app to geolocate products, with the system providing a map or directions within the store.
- Enhanced Product Information: Shoppers can scan a QR code or tap an NFC-enabled label with their smartphone. This action instantly delivers rich content, such as detailed nutritional facts, allergen information, customer reviews, or video demonstrations.
- Personalized Promotions: The vusiongroup system enables retailers to create an in-store retail media network. By analyzing shopper traffic and connecting with loyalty apps, it can push personalized offers to a customer’s phone when they are near a specific product, boosting engagement and conversion rates.
What Key Solutions Does Vusion Group Offer?
The vusiongroup platform delivers a suite of targeted solutions. Each solution addresses specific challenges in modern retail. These tools empower retailers to manage pricing dynamically, maintain optimal stock levels, and create compelling shopper experiences. The system integrates directly into a retailer’s existing software infrastructure, including its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, for seamless control.
Dynamic Price Management
Dynamic price management allows retailers to automate pricing strategies with precision and speed. This solution eliminates manual price changes and the errors that come with them. Retailers gain the agility to respond instantly to competitor actions, demand shifts, and inventory levels.
Key benefits of this approach include:
- A reduction in operational costs by up to 30%.
- The ability to increase discount frequency by 15% without major price hikes.
- Omnichannel synchronization that guarantees price consistency online and in-store.
This technology is especially powerful for managing perishable goods. A store can automatically discount items nearing their expiration date, which reduces waste and protects profit margins.
Shelf and Stock Monitoring
Maintaining product availability is critical for sales and customer satisfaction. The vusion group offers Captana, a computer-vision solution, to tackle this challenge. Captana uses wireless mini-cameras to provide a real-time view of the shelves, just as a customer would see them.
How Captana Works: The system constantly scans for out-of-stock items, misplaced products, and incorrect price displays. When it detects an issue, it sends an automatic alert to store associates, enabling them to fix the problem quickly.
This automated monitoring maximizes on-shelf availability and optimizes inventory management. It provides valuable shelf-edge analytics that help retailers make smarter replenishment decisions. The vusiongroup solution ensures that store inventory data remains harmonized and up-to-date.
Shopper Engagement Tools
The platform also includes powerful shopper engagement tools. The Engage solution transforms the shelf edge into an interactive point of contact. It allows retailers to move beyond simple price displays and create digital campaigns that capture customer attention. Shoppers can use their smartphones to interact with products in new ways. For example, they can:
- Scan a QR code or tap an NFC tag to see detailed product information, reviews, or recipes.
- Use the retailer’s app to locate a product, guided by a blinking light on the ESL.
- Find products that match specific criteria, such as vegan, organic, or on promotion.
These tools bridge the gap between the digital and physical shopping experience, making the in-store journey more informative and engaging.
Why Do Retailers Choose Vusion Group?
Retailers choose Vusion Group to gain a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving market. The platform delivers tangible benefits by transforming store operations, ensuring data accuracy, and elevating the customer journey. These advantages directly address the core challenges of modern physical retail.
Increased Operational Efficiency
The vusiongroup platform automates time-consuming manual tasks, freeing employees to focus on higher-value activities. This shift dramatically improves store productivity. Instead of changing paper price tags, associates can dedicate more time to assisting customers on the sales floor.
- Dave Fleming from Lee’s Discount Liquor notes that the solutions allow staff to prioritize customer service over manual tag placement.
- Bala Prasanna at Walmart U.S. confirms that digital price changes empower associates to help shoppers more effectively.
- Caleb Ropp of Homes Alive Pets reported a 3% improvement in shelf availability just two months after implementing Captana cameras, showcasing a significant operational impact.
Enhanced Pricing Accuracy
Manual price changes are prone to human error, leading to inconsistencies that erode customer trust. The VUSION system automates this process, achieving near-perfect accuracy. This precision is a key reason retailers adopt the technology. The VUSION digital price tag even received a prestigious Red Dot Award, which recognized its “Pricing Automation, Accuracy & Intelligence” as a key technical quality.
- Manual data entry typically has an error rate of 1-4%.
- Automated systems improve accuracy from a human level of 96-99% to an exceptional 99.95-99.99%.
Improved Customer Satisfaction
Accurate pricing and real-time information directly translate to a better shopping experience. The system guarantees that the price a customer sees on the shelf is the price they pay at checkout. This consistency eliminates frustration and builds confidence. The transparency of digital labels makes the entire journey smoother and more enjoyable, encouraging repeat visits.
With real-time updates, you no longer need to worry about missing out on flash sales or limited-time offers.
This reliability fosters a trustworthy environment. When shoppers see that digital prices align with product attributes and promotions, their confidence in the retailer grows, creating a positive and seamless experience.
The vusion group provides a comprehensive Retail IoT platform. It connects digital labels with powerful data analytics software. The technology works by automating manual tasks, enabling dynamic pricing, and delivering real-time insights to optimize store operations. Ultimately, vusiongroup transforms physical retail spaces into efficient, data-driven digital assets. This approach accelerates ‘phygital’ retail and promotes sustainability.
Break-even on site rollouts is typically targeted within 12-24 months through combined media and service revenue.
Leading retailers have successfully implemented this platform, including:
- Morrisons
- OBI
- DM
- The Fresh Market®
This adoption highlights the industry’s shift toward smarter, more connected store environments.
FAQ
How long do the ESL batteries last?
Vusion Group engineers its Electronic Shelf Labels for longevity. Many models feature a battery life of up to 10 or even 15 years. This extended lifespan makes the labels a sustainable and low-maintenance solution for retailers, reducing operational burdens and replacement frequency.
What is VusionOX?
VusionOX is a secure communication protocol that Vusiongroup helped develop. It is built on the Bluetooth-LE standard. The protocol supports over 120,000 IoT devices in a single store and enables secure, bi-directional data exchange between the cloud and the labels.
Can the system integrate with existing retail software?
Yes, the VUSION platform integrates directly with a retailer’s existing software infrastructure. This includes key systems like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). This seamless connection ensures smooth data flow between Vusion Group’s solutions and the retailer’s core operational tools for unified control.
How does the system help with online order picking?
The platform offers a ‘Pick to Light’ feature to optimize order picking. A blinking LED on the Electronic Shelf Label guides associates directly to the correct product for an online order. This simple visual cue significantly increases picking speed and accuracy for store staff.
