Expiry Management and Markdowns Solution

Waste is one of the last major controllable cost centres in grocery and convenience retail. Even small improvements in how you manage expiry dates can translate into meaningful margin protection. By increasing the speed and coverage of expiry‑date checks, you can reduce write‑offs, avoid compliance issues, and protect customer trust without adding headcount - making waste reduction a high‑ROI

Most existing processes rely on associates visually scanning shelves, reading tiny printed dates, and manually entering information. That typically results in low coverage and missed markdown windows. Automating this enables associates to capture the barcode and expiry date in seconds using their smart device, with high‑accuracy OCR handling diverse label formats. That data can then be used to systematically surface near‑date items and trigger markdowns, turning a slow, inconsistent task into a fast, repeatable, and measurable process.

By making expiry checks significantly faster (around 60% reduction in capture time per item), stores can dramatically increase the proportion of items that are checked - moving from partial, ad‑hoc coverage to near‑complete coverage. This improved visibility enables earlier markdowns and better sell‑through of short‑dated items, leading to up to 40% less waste for products that expire at scale. The result is less product thrown away, lower shrink, and stronger margins.

Yes. While the impact is highly visible in slower moving product categories with expiry dates - such as packaged meat, cheese, pharmacy items, and even certain beauty or organic cosmetic products. These items are checked less frequently and can quietly expire. By scanning at key moments (for example, during replenishment) and letting the system track upcoming expiries, you can avoid time‑consuming full‑shelf checks while still preventing expired stock in multiple departments.

The solution is designed around real store conditions: high pace, limited training time, and varied label formats. Associates use existing devices to scan items, and the app guides them through expiry checks with minimal cognitive load. Category‑manager markdown rules are applied automatically, so staff don’t need to memorise or look up guidelines. That means less friction for associates, faster adoption, and more consistent execution across stores, areas, and regions.

Reducing waste directly supports sustainability commitments by cutting the volume of surplus food and products discarded. At the same time, it protects customers: expired items are less likely to remain on shelves or be picked for online orders, reducing complaints and negative experiences. By turning expiry‑date data into an asset, you can show progress against ESG targets while delivering cleaner shelves, fresher products, and a more trustworthy shopping experience.