RFID Application in the Retail Industry

RFID in retail has proven extremely beneficial by streamlining the supply chain, reducing costs, and improving the customer experience, resulting in increased and recurring sales. All of this is good for a thriving business, which is why Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s have recently stepped up their plans to implement RFID.

Recently, it was reported that Macy’s is beginning to roll out RFID widely and will be one of the first retailers to implement RFID broadly. Next year, the company plans to deploy RFID in all U.S. stores to track items that are regularly stocked and automatically replenished as soon as they are sold to customers. These “replenishment items,” which include men’s outfits, underwear, men’s pants, jeans, and women’s shoes, account for about 30 percent of sales. According to Tom Cole, Chief Administrative Officer at Macy’s, the project is intended to help ensure that the right product is available for customers in the right place and at the right time.

From the Supply Chain to the Fitting Room

RFID also improves the shopping experience outside the supply chain. Recently, UHF RFID readers were featured in a musical fitting room video to showcase the powerful combination of music, fashion, and RFID. The idea is to engage the individual shopper by playing music that speaks to them and then sending them an SMS with the name of the song and a link to download it for free on StarHub.com.

To make this work, the garments are tagged with RFID tags which, when brought into the changing room, are read by an RFID reader that triggers a song that matches the “mood” of the garment. The project includes 16 genres and more than 10,000 songs to reach all ages and types of shoppers.

Conclusion

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