How Retailers Are Effectively Using RFID Technology

No retailer wants to stand still and let its competitors surge ahead of them technologically. It's vital for anyone in the retail industry to constantly seek new ways in which to grow and try to get an edge on the competition. This is why so many retailers are now implementing radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for stock management.

RFID works via a chip on a specific product being activated as soon as a shopper walks through a scanning field which reads the chip and scans the product. With a read time of less than 100 milliseconds, a large number of tags can be read at the same time, which leads to reduced checkout times, increased workplace efficiency and, most importantly, happy customers who will keep coming back to you.

Indeed, some of the best-known companies in the world are already embracing RFID technology, including Google, Mitsubishi, Wal-Mart, Siemens, General Electric, Coca-Cola and Virgin. If RFID is good enough for these multibillion dollar international brands, then it's just the ticket for any business.

For any retailers pledging loyalty to barcodes, which continue to have their benefits, they should perhaps consider the advances that could be made by switching to RFID. Items don’t need to be scanned physically by a store clerk, and there's no risk of the RFID tag becoming ripped or smudged as can happen with a barcode. Also, RFID tags are almost impossible for hackers to replicate, whereas barcodes could easily be recreated by a would-be counterfeiter.

Find out more about RFID technology in this infographic below, which was produced by Colourfast Printing.

Chris Landry is the director of marketing of Colourfast Printing, an international plastic card printer.