RaceTrac Adds In-House Shelf Tagging
ATLANTA — RaceTrac Inc. is teaming with ColorWorks to bring the retailer's shelf tagging and product labeling operations in-house using on-demand color label printers.
The convenience chain has shifted away from its one-size-fits-all printing operation, reducing production time from weeks to less than two days. With RaceTrac's large database of products, varied store types, layouts and planograms, flexibility with label printing operations is critical, the companies stated.
RaceTrac's in-house, printed-on-demand shelf strips feature vibrant colors, RaceTrac branding and detailed product information for an eye-catching, informative display.
"At RaceTrac, our business goals include identifying and optimizing merchandise planning and execution strategies to increase profit, and ColorWorks label printer technology satisfies our needs as a retailer while also enhancing the customer experience," said Jonah Whigham, space management manager at RaceTrac. "Instead of costly individual product strips, we can utilize strips across an entire shelf that includes a barcode and UPC, ordering identifiers, a large price tag, and something that sets us apart from other retailers — a high-resolution color image of the product.
"Not only does the color product image make shopping and identifying product details easy for shoppers, but it also makes the process of stocking and ordering easy for merchandising and store teams," Whigam continued.
[Read more: RaceTrac Adds Cardless Payment Option for Professional Drivers]
Kent Bailey, director of space and demand planning at RaceTrac, tapped Epson and Integrated Productivity Systems (IPSi) to collaborate on the creation of an advanced, seamless solution that integrates three ColorWorks CW-C6000A on-demand color label printers with Loftware Cloud software and IPSi's custom label software, which bridges the infrastructure and hardware components.
"When the RaceTrac team came to us, they lacked flexibility and control in their shelf tag printing, which caused real business problems," said Rick Schilling, president of IPSi. "They now have the tools and agility to print shelf tags internally when they need to and use a commercial printer when it calls for it, which is beneficial when you get into target marketing and A/B testing."
The convenience store chain reported saving approximately 50% of total costs over the past year with the new solution.
"Our new system lets us view and adjust strip files before printing," Whigham said. "This is a game changer. We eliminate waste and ensure accuracy, saving time and money. Even though our shelf tags are durable, they sometimes get damaged. Now, if a store needs a replacement, we can print and ship it the next day. What used to take weeks now happens in real time."
Based in Atlanta, family-owned RaceTrac has more than 800 retail locations representing the RaceTrac and RaceWay brands. The company employs more than 10,000 team members across RaceTrac, RaceWay and affiliated companies Metroplex Energy, Energy Dispatch and Gulf Oil.
