Asia Pacific
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SATO launches SATO Store Management in Southeast Asia to transform expiration date management in retail stores
SATO Corporation today announced the Southeast Asia launch of SATO Store Management, a cloud-based expiration date management service for retailers, following its introduction in Japan and selected overseas markets in April 2026.
Using AI-powered OCR on smartphones, stores can register product expiration dates directly to the cloud on the spot. The system then notifies staff when items need to be marked down or removed, helping improve operational efficiency. The solution currently supports Android devices, with iOS support planned.
Addressing a persistent challenge in store operations
For retailers that handle food products, thorough expiration date management is essential for ensuring food safety, maintaining customer trust and reducing food loss. In many stores, employees still check products manually by removing items from shelves and reading expiration dates one by one. Depending on the store, a full check can take up to approximately one month, placing a significant burden on staff and increasing the risk of missed checks.
At the same time, retailers are under growing pressure to improve productivity, respond to labor shortages and digitalize store operations. SATO developed SATO Store Management to help address these challenges while supporting more efficient and sustainable retail operations.
Helping retailers focus on products that require action
SATO Store Management helps retailers manage expiration dates more efficiently by focusing only on products that require attention. After stores register the products with the shortest expiration dates at initial deployment, the system monitors the data and alerts staff when specific products require action. Store teams can then check only the relevant items on the sales floor and take appropriate action, such as markdown or removal.
As a cloud-based solution, SATO Store Management gives headquarters visibility into operations across multiple stores, including store-level status, operational activity and action history. This makes it easier to standardize management across chain stores and continuously improve store operations.
Key features
- Significantly reduces workload by eliminating full-shelf checks and identifying only items that require expiration date checks.
- Ensures timely action with system and email alerts for items that need to be marked down or removed.
- Enables centralized chain store management, allowing headquarters to monitor store operations in real time.
- Supports 15 languages, with interactive AI support to help users operate the system easily.
- Requires no dedicated device; the service can be used on smartphones. Android devices are currently supported, with iOS support planned.
- Uses AI-OCR to read text from product images and register the information in the system.
Expected benefits
- Significantly reduces the work hours required for expiration date management.
- Improves management accuracy by reducing reliance on manual checks.
- Helps reduce food loss by enabling timely action for products approaching their expiration dates.
- Supports margin improvement and store sales through timely markdowns.
- Reduces the workload on store staff and supports labor-saving operations.
- In one customer case in Japan, monthly work time for managing confectionery and seasonings at a single store was reduced by approximately 88%, from about 194 hours to about 24 hours.
Target customers
SATO Store Management is designed for a wide range of retail and service businesses, including supermarkets, drugstores, DIY stores, airport and station kiosks, hotels and gift shops.
Availability
SATO Store Management was first introduced in Japan and selected overseas markets in April 2026, and is now available in Southeast Asia.
For more information, please visit www.satoasiapacific.com/solution/sato-store-management
Looking ahead
SATO will continue expanding SATO Store Management globally, helping retailers enhance expiration date management and contribute to more sustainable distribution. Through cloud-based data visualization, SATO will also support further improvements in store efficiency and the digital transformation of retail operations.
- Android™ is a trademark of Google LLC.
- iOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the United States and other countries and is used under license.