Radio Frequency Identification, or otherwise known as RFID is an extremely useful piece of technology that is changing the way we look and interact with businesses. Retail is one area of business that is seeing significant changes in the way they conduct themselves with RFID technology. This article will give an overview of what RFID is and how some companies are currently using the technology to benefit their business.
RFID technology can be similarly compared to a bar code system. A bar code system requires you to read the code with an optical scanner and identify the status of the product that you scanned. RFID technology uses data chips installed into a tag on the product that can be read with radio waves from a scanner at a certain distance. This radio frequency reader eliminates the step of having to scan each bar code of every product. RFID can give you real-time changes on products from when they have entered your store to when they are sold by a customer. An RFID reader can be used as a handheld device or also a door scanner, being able to tell you when a product has left the back end of the store and is now on the sales floor. This kind of technology gives businesses a chance to revolutionize the way products are managed and sold. Here are some innovative examples of how RFID technology has been used in business scenarios.
Amazon Go
One of the more notable instances where RFID technology was used was in the recent opening of the Amazon Go store in Seattle. The Amazon Go store got rid of cashiers and long lines and allowed customers with Amazon accounts to pick up items off of the shelves and walk out with them without ever having to take out their wallets. This initiative was paired with technology using cameras and RFID tracking. The RFID tech tracked the items that the customer picked up and walked out with and was able to appropriately track what the inventory was after the sale of products. Being that long checkout lines are some of retails most famed problem, RFID offers a real solution into increasing sales and overall customer satisfaction.