Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2022-05-22_Decathlon_supermarket_in_Sydney,_Australia.jpg
RFID technology makes consumer goods communicative and offers more service. In every respect.
Retailers know in seconds whether an item is in stock and where customers can find it. And finally, the RFID technology ensures that products can also be tracked over greater distances.
Here, radio frequency identification offers far more possibilities than the barcode. Because with the barcode the contact with the Scanner is necessary to capture the goods and know what they cost.
RFID technology, on the other hand, can do this remotely. More precisely, it enables contactless communication. Meaning, that the goods no longer have to be physically pulled over a scanner.
For customers, this not only means that they can find out more quickly about the availability of their products. Also innovative Self-service solutions are possible thanks to smart tags - a boon for customers who are in a hurry.
The wonderful world of RFID technology
Thanks to coupling in the high-frequency range of the electromagnetic spectrum, information transmission works contactlessly. This is ensured by the transponder, i.e. the RFID tag filled with information, and the aluminum antenna for the high-frequency signals.
With radio frequency identification, individual products can thus be scanned without visual contact. Even a very large number of products can be scanned in a few seconds. But RFID can do more than just communicate across distances. The RFID technology also stands for precision. Therefore, retailers also benefit from the fact that there are fewer reading errors.
The speed of RFID tags
But it's not just the retailer who benefits from always having their goods in sight, or rather, always knowing that they are in the digital flow of daily sales. Thanks to the triumphant advance of RFID technology, customers are also enjoying intelligent self-service solutions that save them time and nerves.
Especially working people know this. You want to do some quick shopping after work. Or Saturday. But that's what everyone wants, of course. Whether at IKEA or in the sports store, long queues form at the checkout at peak times.
But the customer does not want to wait. That is understandable. A way out of this dilemma is offered by the incredible speed of the RFID tags and the ability to read the prices of many goods at once.
The customer emancipates himself
RFID technology is ideal for preventing customers from being deterred by long waiting times. Because the intelligent Self-service solution gives customers the choice of either standing in line and waiting because they'd rather have a conversation or to have the labels read and quickly leave the store again.
Consumer shopping behavior is changing rapidly, and retailers want to participate in this evolution and create new, smoother and faster customer experiences. This way, the shopping experience becomes much faster and easier. Most References are found in Asia, where RFID-enabled stores have been well received for their ease of use.
Decathlon introduces mobile self-checkout
Also in Germany self-service with RFID technology ensures maximum customer convenience. This has especially a sporting goods supplier like Decathlon recognized. Because customers are young and dynamic and do not like to stand in line.
Therefore, in the stores Self-Checkout terminals were installed. Here, customers can pay for their sporting goods quickly and conveniently, thanks to RFID tags. This are attached to the products as standard.
At the self-checkout the RFID tag is read without the customer having to manually hold the product in front of the scanner. This "intelligent barcode" ensures that the products are scanned in seconds.
The "smart tags" are also a relief for retailers. Thanks to reliable scanning, he can track which goods are have left the store. In this way, RFID also becomes a guardian that can control both incoming and outgoing goods. The contactless identification makes it possible.
Dusty? No way!
Libraries sometimes have a dusty image. They have been using RFID technology long before Decathlon and Neste. Self-service, for example, is a familiar service for book lovers around the world. Queues are also avoided here and the staff has a quick overview.
All books are equipped with "smart labels" and usually several scanners are available. Here the customer can show his ID card scan, place his stack and all books in the stack will be scanned at the same time. RFID is also used at airports, for example, to locate checked baggage. Lost items can be found quickly this way.
Why RFID is worthwhile
Stores that are open around the clock should take notice. But other retailers can also improve their customers' satisfaction increase. Do you have customers who don't like to stand in line? These and other reasons speak for the use of self-service solutions with RFID, at least as a supplement to the conventional checkout.
These and other reasons speak for intelligent self-service:
- Secure and fast payment at the checkout increases customer satisfaction.
- With RFID-based self-checkout, all products are scanned simultaneously in just a few seconds. So the purchase is done quickly.
- As a retailer, I benefit from more security against shoplifting. Losses due to recounting on return, fraud or theft. of money are also excluded.
- By using RFID technology, more customers can be served. In addition, the space-saving self-service checkouts enable more capacity in the same store space.
- And last but not least: There are always enough cashiers in the store, even at peak times.
Do you also want to make your business intelligent and transform it into a Smart Store? Talk to us, we at Smartstore are not called for nothing so and have with our partner https://www.sydesoft.de/ countless realized projects from small to large and from simple to super complex.
For more processes and workflows for large event organizers, click here: Smart Venue: Digital Venue transformation and Smart Stage: How technology is revolutionizing the fan experience
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