There's no single sticker price for an ESL rollout, because the cost is a stack: labels, gateways, software and installation. Once you separate those four lines, budgeting per store becomes straightforward. Here's how the math works.

1. The labels themselves

Per-label cost is driven mostly by size and colour. A small 2.13" black/white/red tag for peg hooks is the cheapest unit; a large 13.3" four-colour promotional display costs more. Your blended per-label price depends on the mix of sizes across your store — most shelves use the 2.9" standard, with larger labels only on promo zones and pallet fronts. AiESL carries the full range from 2.13" to 13.3" with zero minimum order quantity, so you can match each zone instead of over-buying one size.

2. Gateways and infrastructure

Labels talk to the system through gateways/access points installed in the ceiling. The count depends on store size and label density, not SKU count alone. This is a one-time per-store hardware line that's easy to underestimate — always get it itemised in a quote.

3. Software and platform

The middleware and pricing engine are typically a per-store or per-device subscription. This is where open vs closed matters: a closed vendor's software only runs its own labels, while AiESL's open HDaaS platform manages 23+ brands from one console — so you can reuse existing labels and avoid a rip-and-replace bill.

4. Installation and integration

One-time costs to mount gateways, commission labels and connect the system to your ERP/POS. Native SAP and Oracle connectors plus an open SDK keep integration from becoming a custom-development project.

Budgeting shortcut

Think in two buckets: a one-time cost (labels + gateways + install) and a recurring cost (software subscription). The one-time bucket is what your labor savings pay back — usually the fastest route to break-even.

What actually determines your payback period

Four inputs move payback more than the label price does:

  • Number of SKUs per store — more tags, more manual labor replaced.
  • Price-change frequency — the more often you reprice, the faster ESL pays.
  • Staff hourly cost — sets the value of the labor you eliminate.
  • Store count — savings scale linearly across the estate.

Our ROI calculator takes exactly these four inputs and returns a break-even in months. For the full side-by-side against paper, see ESL vs paper labels.

How to get an accurate number

A real quote needs your store count, SKU count per store, size mix and change frequency. Send us your store profile and we'll return tailored pricing and a free ROI assessment within one business day — itemised across all four cost lines so there are no surprises.