MarginMate wasn’t built in a boardroom. It was built in a flooring store by a retailer who couldn’t keep up with price changes fast enough to protect his margins and a data expert who couldn’t accept a solution that only got halfway there.
That frustration is still the engine behind every electronic shelf label system MarginMate delivers today.
Our Story: Why MarginMate Exists
The Problem Was Real
Wayne, one of MarginMate’s co-founders, ran a retail store where prices changed constantly.
Managing those changes manually:
- took time
- hurt accuracy
- led to pricing errors on the floor
He tried different workarounds, but none solved the core issue: getting the right price from his system onto the shelf every time. Eventually, he called Glenn, who had a background in data and automation. After looking at a few options, Glenn came across Pricer and electronic shelf labels. Together, they went to see what the technology could do.
When Good Wasn't Good Enough
The Pricer system could not connect to Wayne’s point of sale. So every price change had to be entered twice:
- once in the POS
- once in Pricer
For a store handling thousands of price changes, that did not work. Glenn built the missing integration, so one price change updated everywhere automatically.
From there, the work grew into:
- price scanning
- cost imports
- bulk price updates
It also opened the door to broader work with Pricer, IBM, and large-scale ESL rollouts.
What We Stand For: Retail Execution and Accuracy
MarginMate grew out of Wayne’s need to run his store more efficiently. When the available solution fell short, the response was not to settle. It was built the way a retailer would actually need it to work.
That same mindset still shapes how MarginMate operates today. Three principles guide the work:
Retailer First
Every decision is made around how the store runs, from infrastructure and integrations to label templates and daily use.
Integration That Holds
Shelf labels only matter if they update reliably. MarginMate connects pricing from the POS to the shelf automatically, without manual workarounds or double entry.
Built to Last
What We Deliver: Retail Electronic Shelf Labels at Scale
Today, MarginMate delivers electronic shelf label systems for retailers managing frequent price changes that are difficult to keep up with manually. The core challenge is still the same: keeping shelf prices accurate, current, and easy to manage at scale.
What MarginMate delivers:
Fully integrated ESL systems that sync directly with your POS or pricing system, with no parallel data entry
- Reliable price updates that do not add strain to your store network
- End-to-end rollout support, from planning and installation to integration and go live
- Ongoing support and proactive monitoring to catch pricing issues before they reach the sales floor
To learn more, explore the benefits of electronic shelf labels.
Leadership: Glenn and Wayne
Wayne
Co-Founder | Retail Operations
Wayne brings direct experience running a high-SKU retail operation. That perspective shapes how MarginMate approaches every deployment – from how labels are mounted to how pricing workflows are configured. He knows what store teams need, because he was one.
Glenn
Co-Founder | Data & Integration
Glenn’s background is in data systems and automation. He built the original POS-to-ESL integration that MarginMate was founded on, spent time supporting Pricer’s product development, and has led the integration architecture behind every MarginMate deployment since.
How We Work: Implementation, Support, and Partners
MarginMate’s role goes beyond supplying hardware. The work is about making sure the full ESL system works as it should in the store. When projects fall short, it is usually not because of the labels. It is because the integration, infrastructure, or rollout plan was not done properly.
Every MarginMate engagement follows the same four-phase approach:
| 1. Assess | Site walkthrough, fixture inventory, and POS/pricing system review, so infrastructure is placed where it needs to be, not where it's convenient. |
|---|---|
| 2. Integrate | Direct connection between your POS, ERP, or pricing system and the ESL platform. Price changes flow automatically from your source of truth to the shelf. |
| 3. Deploy | Physical installation across all fixtures (shelves, peg hooks, freezer doors, and display cases), plus template configuration and system activation. Low-voltage installation handled by your existing contractors. |
| 4. Support | Fixed-fee annual help desk, proactive monitoring, and template updates. Issues are identified before your team knows they exist. |
MarginMate’s long-standing partnership with Pricer brings added platform reliability and supply chain support to every system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was MarginMate founded?
MarginMate started from a retailer’s lived experience. Wayne, one of the co-founders, ran a 20,000 sq ft flooring store where frequent price changes were creating errors and labor headaches at scale. When the available ESL solutions couldn’t connect to his POS, Glenn built the integration himself. That became the foundation of MarginMate.
Who leads MarginMate today?
MarginMate is led by co-founders Wayne and Glenn. Wayne brings retail operations experience; Glenn leads on data systems and integration architecture. Both remain actively involved in how deployments are planned and executed.
What makes MarginMate different from other electronic shelf label companies?
The integration depth and deployment model. MarginMate builds direct connections between your existing POS and the ESL platform, so pricing flows automatically without parallel data entry. Deployments are planned around your store environment and supported long-term, not handed off after go live.