Affordable Tech Upgrades That Save Grocers Time Every Week

Tired of putting in 60+ hour workweeks and still feeling behind?

This grueling schedule might seem like the reality of being a small business owner — but it doesn’t have to be.

While it’s true that running an independent grocery store requires hard work and strategic moves, you don’t have to carry the burden of day-to-day operations on your own.

Instead, you can work smarter with technology.

In this blog, we’ll explore seven essential tools for grocers, explain how to use them, and share how to get them for less.

Let’s increase your revenue and free time!

The True Cost of Manual Grocery Store Management

As long as your grocery store stays afloat, it might seem like manual methods only affect you. You might spend hours counting inventory by hand and manually updating spreadsheets, but the work still gets done, right?

Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Here are the three major consequences of relying on outdated (or nonexistent) tech to run your grocery store:

Lost time: Without automation tools, you and your team will spend 10+ hours each week counting produce, reconciling reports, and adjusting prices. This means more time spent in the back office and higher labor costs.
Frequent mistakes: Manual methods are also less reliable. Without the right technology, you and your team will make mistakes at checkout, behind the deli counter, or during inventory counts — creating a ripple effect on your store’s overall financial health.
Disappointed customers: When customers visit a local grocery store, they expect the smooth, tech-fueled experience they get at a big-box supermarket. Clunky checkout processes or missing loyalty rewards can impact their view of your brand and drive them toward competitors.

Ready to take back your time, protect your bottom line, and boost customer satisfaction? Let’s look at seven tools to help you accomplish these goals.

1. Cloud-Based POS Software

If you only have the budget to upgrade one piece of technology, it should be your point of sale (POS) system.

Modern POS solutions go beyond simply processing transactions and include a full suite of features designed to help you run your business. Here are just a few examples of what to look for in an upgraded grocery store POS system:

Inventory tracking built for perishable and weight-based products
Marketing tools like a customer loyalty program and auto-apply promotions
E-commerce integration to help you manage online grocery delivery and pickup
Reporting and analytics tools to help you monitor sales, profit margins, and seasonal trends

Cloud-based POS systems are the gold standard for grocery stores. Along with lower hardware and maintenance costs, cloud-based systems can be accessed from any internet-connected device at any time.

This means you don’t have to be physically present at your grocery store to check inventory records, review sales reports, or even create purchase orders.

2. Barcode Scanners

Your cashiers are tired of typing in SKUs manually, and your customers are tired of waiting in line.

That’s why barcode scanners are a must-have tool at the checkout counter. Instead of ringing up every item by hand, your cashiers can use a convenient barcode scanner to achieve faster, more accurate transactions.

Plus, 3D scanners allow for quick, secure age verification if your grocery store sells items like alcohol or tobacco.

The checkout counter isn’t the only place you need barcode scanners — they can also help your sales floor staff count on-hand inventory, receive deliveries, and ensure the freshness of perishables.

3. Electronic Shelf Labels

Razor-thin grocery profit margins mean constant price changes. When there’s a dairy supply chain interruption and your wholesale costs go up, you have to adjust your in-store prices for milk, dairy, and butter to stay profitable.

But manually updating price tags to account for these changes is one of the most time-consuming tasks on your to-do list.

Enter: electronic shelf labels (ESLs).

These small yet powerful tools connect to your POS system wirelessly and update your shelf prices automatically. When you change a price in your system, the ESLs update within minutes.

They also make it easier to launch and manage promotions! Your ESLs will display promotional pricing on the schedule you set — eliminating manual label switching and preventing customer confusion.

4. Integrated Deli Scales

The deli counter is one of the most profitable departments in your grocery store — but it’s also one of the toughest to manage.

That’s because traditional deli operations require your employees to weigh items, calculate prices by hand, and manually enter these numbers into the register at checkout. These old-school processes slow your team down and leave room for error.

Instead, consider investing in a deli scale and label printing system that seamlessly integrates with your POS software. Here’s how these tools work:

A customer places an order for one pound of Boar’s Head smoked turkey.
Your employee slices the meat, places it on the scale, and selects the product type.
Your scale automatically generates and prints a barcode label including the exact weight, price per pound, and total price.

This process eliminates time-consuming calculations and manual entry, boosting speed and accuracy at the deli and checkout counters.

5. Inventory Management Software

In the grocery world, profitability depends on your ability to maintain accurate stock records, monitor freshness to prevent spoilage, and adjust your product selection and ordering strategies with the seasons.

However, many independent grocers don’t have the time or resources to accomplish these tasks, leading to frequent stockouts, excessive food waste, and dented profits.

Fortunately, inventory management software can help. This powerful tool:

Gives you a real-time overview of your stock levels
Alerts you when you’re running low on a bestseller
Tracks sell-by date and batches
Reveals your customers’ seasonal shopping trends
Automatically generates purchase orders to replace low-stock items
Simplifies the receiving process to save time and prevent mistakes

We recommend investing in an all-in-one grocery store POS solution that includes these inventory management features. That way, you can access all of your inventory and sales data in one convenient place.

6. Self-Checkout Technology

Struggling to keep up with the afternoon grocery shopping rush?

Boost customer satisfaction, shorten checkout lines, and reduce your labor costs with self-checkout technology.

Self-checkout might seem like a huge investment, but some systems, like IT Retail, offer dual-purpose hardware. This means you can use the switch between cashier and self-checkout mode in seconds — letting you open more lanes during your busiest hours.

7. Digital Marketing Tools

Marketing your grocery store can feel like a full-time job, but the right tools can make it effortless.

Specifically, you need software with built-in marketing features. Here are the must-haves:

E-commerce integration: Sell groceries online, manage pickup and delivery orders, and compete with big-box supermarkets by choosing a POS system that has a built-in e-commerce platform or integrates seamlessly with a third-party provider like Instacart.

Customer loyalty: Build a thriving community around your grocery store by launching a loyalty program. Your software should make it easy to customize your rewards structure, enroll new members, and apply discounts at checkout.

Email and SMS marketing: Keep your customers in the loop about seasonal arrivals and exciting promotions by sending messages directly to their inboxes.

Auto-apply promotions: Ensure customers always get the best deals by scheduling promotions directly through your POS system. When your cashiers ring up an eligible item, the discount will be applied automatically.

Putting all these methods together can help you attract and retain customers — without spending hours per week on marketing.

Upgrade Your Grocery Store Tech for Less

Ready to try these powerful grocery store tools but worried about the cost? We have good news: The right POS solution includes all of these features for one affordable price.

IT Retail, our all-in-one software, is designed uniquely for grocers and includes:

Secure payment processing
Barcode scanning and unlimited SKUs
ESL and deli scale integration
Robust inventory management tools
Self-checkout flexibility
Built-in marketing features
E-commerce integration

Start building your custom grocery store software and get an instant quote using our Build and Price tool.

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Retail Store

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Affordable Tech Upgrades That Save Grocers Time Every Week

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