The Swiss company Dietlin Artisans Métalliers, a specialist in the production of display cases, is revolutionising the presentation of luxury products in shop windows. Its new electro-labels are digital screens which operate without any energy supply (no batteries or mains power) and are used to display product descriptions (brand, components, technical information, price etc.). An updating system allows you to change the content indefinitely with just a few clicks.

Labels for product displays pose a challenge for brands and luxury retailers all over the world, raising issues such languages, printing lead-times, price, content and shipping. Retailers also need to consider what logo to display, where and how, not forgetting the high cost of these labels with relatively short lifespans.

In some cases, products are sold before the labels even arrive as a result of long production and shipping lead-times. Limited editions are more problematic in this respect than basic collections.

The electro-label system allows each brand, retailer or store to be independent. They can produce and update their own labels and those of the brands they represent regardless of language or country. A framework can be specified directly by the brands (logo at the top left, font, text size).

The digital screens are protected against UV rays and can be used in extreme conditions.

The application of an electric field causes a change of state in microcapsules containing positive (white) and negative charges (black). Following this change, they remain in this new state indefinitely.

The customer is free to decide on the content of these electro-labels and infinite variations are possible.

This system also offers financial benefits. A digital label will cost around 150 Swiss francs. The management system (additional cost) is suitable for use all over the world via an interface and is available in all languages (Chinese, Japanese, Russian, etc.).

This means that the cost of the labels will be amortised very quickly while shipping costs, often more expensive than the actual labels, will no longer apply.

The lifespan of an electro-label is 5 years of around-the-clock operation.

Scheduled launch date: April 2012, in a limited run of 1,000 units. This entire production run has already been reserved.

A preview video is available on the website www.dietlin.ch.