Israel plans to replace price tags made of paper and ink with digital or electronic labels to indicate the cost of products in supermarket and retailer aisles.
The proposal to digitize price displays, launched by Economy Minister Nir Barkat, has been published for public consultation by the Consumer Protection and Fair Trading Authority.
After reviewing the 600 comments received from the public last month, the Authority is preparing to decide, in the coming weeks, whether or not to advance a bill to amend the current law that requires retailers to mark all products with physical price tags. The removal of the law is necessary to enable the transition to digital price display.
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The Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority says that the way prices are presented in Israel involves considerable labor costs, as it is a time-consuming task that involves manufacture printed labels and place them, often inaccurately.
The Authority says it is examining various digital price labeling options which would require the installation of smart stationary aids in branches, smart carts or mobile scanners to enable price verification.
Digital price tags would be displayed on the shelf below the item, or digital stickers would be attached to the product itself.
However, opponents of the move to digital price tags fear the smart technology could allow retailers to quickly raise the price of a product and make it harder for consumers to compare prices, while limiting competition.
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