--- title: "Smart Store Operations with MQTT | Retail IoT | ConnectMQ" description: "Connect refrigeration, HVAC, ESL, digital signage, people counters and self-checkouts in every store to one MQTT broker for live status and alerts. Start for free." url: "https://connectmq.com/use-cases/smart-store-operations/" language: "en" --- Use case # Every store’s equipment on one live feed Refrigerated cases, HVAC, electronic shelf labels, digital signage, people counters and self-checkouts each come with their own portal. ConnectMQ puts them on one MQTT broker, so facilities, store operations and IT see every store in one place and act before shoppers notice. [Try it free](https://app.connectmq.com/signup) [See pricing](https://connectmq.com/pricing/) No card required Used in - [Retail & E-commerce](https://connectmq.com/industries/retail-ecommerce/) Example message PUBLISH retail/store-0412/refrigeration/case-07/temp ``` {"air":-17.8,"setpoint":-20,"defrost":false,"door_open_s":0,"ts":"2026-10-22T06:48:10Z"} ``` QoS 1 · TLS 8883 · PUBACK The problem ## Every system in the store has its own portal A chain of a few hundred stores runs a refrigeration controller, a BMS, an ESL base station, a signage CMS and a fleet of self-checkouts — each from a different vendor with its own cloud. A freezer case that is warming up or a lane that froze is found by staff or shoppers, and head office cannot compare one store with the next. ## How it works 1. 1 ### An in-store gateway collects An edge gateway in each store reads refrigeration controllers and rooftop HVAC over Modbus or BACnet; signage players, people counters and self-checkouts report their own status. 2. 2 ### Publish per store and system Everything is published under retail/{store}/{system}/{device}, with each device’s current status retained and the store gateway’s Last Will set. 3. 3 ### Rules and dashboards watch Threshold rules flag a case above its set point, a door left open or a lane offline; the live dashboard shows every store, aisle and checkout. 4. 4 ### The right team acts Facilities raises a refrigeration ticket in the CMMS, store ops reacts to footfall peaks, IT restarts a signage player or changes an HVAC schedule remotely. ConnectMQ ## What it needs from the broker ### One private broker for the estate A private broker instance for your chain; each store gateway connects with its own credentials and a per-topic ACL for its own store, such as retail/store-0412/#. ### Built for store WAN links Store broadband and 4G backup drop out. Last Will marks a store offline at once, and persistent sessions with QoS 1 deliver queued commands when it reconnects. ### Commands back into the store Config changes and remote actions travel on their own command topics, and ACLs decide which systems are allowed to send them. ### The whole estate at a glance Retained status means a new dashboard, an analytics job or a technician’s app sees the current state of every store the moment it subscribes. ## What you get - Refrigeration and HVAC faults spotted before stock or comfort suffers - Self-checkout, ESL and signage health visible across every store - Footfall and equipment data in one stream for store operations - One integration for every vendor system instead of one per portal Example topics ``` retail/store-0412/refrigeration/case-07/temp retail/store-0412/hvac/rtu-2/state (retained) retail/store-0412/sco/lane-3/status (retained) retail/store-0412/counter/entrance-a/footfall retail/store-0412/gateway/status (retained) ``` ## Industries that run this use case [![](https://connectmq.com/images/industries/hero/retail-ecommerce.webp) Retail & E-commerce](https://connectmq.com/industries/retail-ecommerce/) ## Related solutions [ ### Connected Products & Smart Hardware Smart devices you ship to your own customers Learn more](https://connectmq.com/connected-products/)[ ### Smart Energy Meters, EV chargers, solar and batteries Learn more](https://connectmq.com/energy-utilities/) ## Frequently asked questions How do I connect store refrigeration and HVAC to MQTT? Most refrigeration controllers and rooftop units speak Modbus or BACnet. A small edge gateway or industrial PC in the store reads them and publishes to ConnectMQ over TLS; newer controllers and BMS platforms can often publish MQTT directly. Is MQTT suitable for a retail chain with hundreds of stores? Yes. Each store needs only a gateway connection or a handful of device connections, with topics and ACLs per store. Start a pilot on the Free plan with no card, then move to Basic or Scale as you roll out, without changing your code. Can MQTT be used with electronic shelf labels (ESL)? ESL systems usually run on their vendor’s own base stations and server. MQTT fits around them: the ESL server can publish base station and label health, and your pricing system can publish price change events that the ESL integration subscribes to. ## Build it on ConnectMQ Start on the Free plan — no card required — connect your first devices today and upgrade when you go live. [Get started](https://app.connectmq.com/signup) [See pricing](https://connectmq.com/pricing/) ## More use cases - [Predictive Maintenance](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/predictive-maintenance/) - [Asset Performance Tracking](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/asset-performance-tracking/) - [Industrial Agentic AI Operations](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/industrial-agentic-ai/) - [Energy Management](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/energy-management/) - [Connected Vehicles](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/connected-vehicles/) - [EV Charging Management](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/ev-charging-management/) - [Fleet Management](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/fleet-management/) - [Remote Asset Monitoring](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/remote-asset-monitoring/) - [Tank Level Monitoring](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/tank-level-monitoring/) - [Smart Metering](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/smart-metering/) - [Solar & Wind Farm Monitoring](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/solar-wind-farm-monitoring/) - [Cleanroom & GMP Environmental Monitoring](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/cleanroom-environmental-monitoring/) - [Cold Chain Monitoring](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/cold-chain-monitoring/) - [Remote Patient Monitoring](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/remote-patient-monitoring/) - [Hospital Equipment Monitoring & Tracking](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/medical-equipment-tracking/) - [Real-Time Notifications](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/real-time-notifications/) - [ATM & POS Terminal Monitoring](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/atm-pos-terminal-monitoring/) - [Telecom Network Equipment Monitoring](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/network-equipment-monitoring/) - [IoT Platform for Operators](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/iot-platform-for-operators/) - [Real-Time Market Data](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/real-time-market-data/) - [Agricultural Drones](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/agricultural-drones/) - [Greenhouse IoT Sensors](https://connectmq.com/use-cases/greenhouse-iot-sensors/) - [Data Center Monitoring](https://connectmq.com/data-centers/) - [Smart Irrigation](https://connectmq.com/smart-agriculture/) ## Articles [All articles](https://connectmq.com/blog/) Managed MQTT Cloud ### [How to Choose an IoT MQTT Broker: 12 Criteria and the Questions to Ask Your Vendor](https://connectmq.com/blog/how-to-choose-an-iot-mqtt-broker/) A practical 12-point checklist for choosing an IoT MQTT broker, a table of questions to ask every vendor, and a five-minute hands-on test you can run against broker.connectmq.com. September 21, 20269 min read MQTT Fundamentals ### [MQTT QoS Levels Explained: QoS 0, 1 and 2 with Packet Flows and Examples](https://connectmq.com/blog/mqtt-qos-levels-explained/) A practical guide to MQTT QoS: how QoS 0, 1 and 2 work on the wire, why the delivered QoS can be lower than you asked for, how sessions queue messages and which level to choose for each use case. August 20, 20269 min read MQTT Security ### [MQTT Security Best Practices: A 12-Point Checklist for IoT Teams](https://connectmq.com/blog/mqtt-security-best-practices/) A hands-on MQTT security checklist covering TLS, credentials, client IDs, topic design, payload validation, rate limits and certificate checks, plus how ConnectMQ handles each point. September 28, 202611 min read