Kroger is rolling out a fully-integrated IoT solution with Enhanced Display for Grocery Environments – Kroger Edge. By the end of 2018, the solution will be rolled out to about 200 stores.

At Kroger, shelves will be fitted with digital displays that will display pricing and nutritional information, videos about the products and coupons. These displays will replace the paper price tags. These displays will also enable the company to make instant price changes and activate promotions across its stores – saving employee time and enhancing sales.

The display is also intended to communicate with customers’ smartphones and highlight products on their shopping lists as they walk down store aisles. It will also highlight items that match customers’ dietary needs if they have allergies or other dietary restrictions. Another innovation yet to be added is that of lighting up the shelf underneath the product that shoppers are seeking.

Kroger expects Edge to be particularly helpful to customers looking for a specific brand. “If you are looking for a particular bottle of wine, Edge will show it to you by highlighting it on the shelf,” Hjelm said.

Kroger is marketing and selling the technology, which was developed with Microsoft Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing service, to other retailers globally.