Digital Price Tags vs Paper Labels Calculator
Electronic Shelf Labels cost $5-25 per tag. Paper labels cost pennies. But when you're changing hundreds of prices weekly, the math flips.
Calculate your Break-Even Point. Factor in labor, compliance fines, and printing costs.
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Fact: The average retailer spends 2-3 hours daily on price tag changes. That's over 700 hours a year in labor.
The Real Cost of Paper
This calculator compares the 5-year Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for both systems:
- 🏷️ Paper Labels: Low recurring material cost, but massive labor drain and high risk of pricing errors (FTC fines).
- ⚡ Electronic Shelf Labels (ESL): High upfront hardware investment, but instant updates and near-zero labor cost.
Methodology
We analyze 5-year TCO including:
- Hard Costs: ESL Hardware ($5-25/tag), Gateways, Installation.
- Recurring Costs: Batteries (Year 5+), Software licenses, Label stock.
- Hidden Costs: Labor (1.5 min/tag change), Error rate (3% avg), Compliance risk.
Sources: RetailWire, NRF studies, ESL vendor data.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many price changes does a typical retailer make?
Grocery: 50-200/day. General retail: 20-100/week. High-frequency promotions can double these numbers.
What's the real cost of a paper price tag change?
Not the $0.10 label — it's the 1-2 minutes of labor per tag. At $15/hour, 100 daily changes = $25-50/day in labor alone.
Do ESL systems require ongoing subscriptions?
Most ESL systems have minimal or no monthly fees. Primary costs are hardware and installation. Some cloud features may have fees.
What about pricing errors with paper tags?
Industry average: 2-5% error rate. Beyond customer complaints, FTC requires shelf price to match register. Violations can result in fines up to $10,000.