For retailers, meeting the needs of their customers is the most important job they have. Customers want what they want, when they want it, and where they want it. If the customer gets the products, all is good. When they don’t, that’s a problem, as they will go somewhere else, perhaps never to return the retailer or website.
 
Such is the concept behind omnichannel sales. If the person can order the product online and have it shipped to the local store, that is a win for everyone. If the customer orders the product, gets a notice that it has been shipped but the store misplaces it, that is a huge loss.
 
RFID is just one of the many tools that benefit retailers, consumers and brand owners alike: the ability to have clear, real-time insight into inventory is a plus for all three of the major stakeholders, as are the insights into what sells for the brand owners and retailers and what the product offers for the consumer.
 
Many of the leading RFID manufacturers brought their latest technologies to NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show, which was held at the Javits Center in New York City from Jan. 13-15. More than 37,000 attendees, including major international brand owners and global retailers, traveled to NRF 2019, where they saw cutting-edge technologies, from RFID and robots to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), cashier-less checkouts, frictionless shopping and much more. In short, attendees saw the future of retail.
 
Many of the leading RFID companies showed their latest products and services at NRF 2019; here are some of the technologies that were introduced:
 
• Avery Dennison:
Avery Dennison highlighted intelligent labels and RFID during NRF 2019, showing how the beauty, food and apparel industries can use their technology to benefit consumers. For example, there was the ADTP2 EcoCut Solution, a printer that allows retailers to customize the size of their labels. The WaveSafe RFID inlay is microwavable for up to 5 minutes in a microwave and is ideal for grocery store owners. The company also showed its first RFID handheld solution, designed for returns, self-checkout and more
 
“Product availability is very important,” said Francisco Melo, VP/GM global RFID for Avery Dennison Retail Branding and Information Solutions (RBIS). “Consumers first and foremost find what they want when they want it. If I am trying to find something and I can’t find it, that makes me unhappy. We believe that RFID will play a very important backbone role in supply chain optimization.”
 
• Checkpoint Systems:
Checkpoint Systems introduced its new HALO IOT platform, which can track and protect all types of consumer goods, and expedites shipping and receiving processes throughout the supply chain, control inventory as well as reduce loss.
 
“The highlight of this show for us is Halo, which we continue to improve upon,” said Carl Rysdon, VP of RFID solutions for Checkpoint Systems. “Halo is a true IoT platform. It really connects retailers to a lot of different things, from RFID to store operations. Halo is an intelligent application, so it is driving tasks such as what to put on the sales floor. We have more and more customers coming on board with us.”
 
• Impinj:
Impinj showed how RAIN RFID solutions can benefit retailers, brand owners and consumers alike. One example was a sewn-in label from Impinj, TexTrace and r-pac that featured a thread that serves as an RFID antenna.
 
“This is a sewn-in label from our partners at TexTrace and r-pac,” said Gaylene Meyer, Impinj’s VP, global marketing & communications. “The thread is the antenna, and the IC is under the little sticker. It is an RFID label that can be attached permanently to an apparel item, and can be used not only to track the item when it is originally purchased but also through the life cycle of the product.”

• Smartrac:
Smartrac showcased its Multi-Layer Brand Protection solutions and retail-optimized inlays and tags. Smartrac also showed its new RAIN RFID Eagle inlays. Smartrac reported that the Eagle tags are the world’s smallest retail-oriented inlays that have passed ARC categories A, B, C, D, F, G, I, K, M, and Q.
          
“We are able to provide a multitude of technologies, from traceless solutions to RFID-enabled products. We just released the Eagle tag, which is a brand-new RAIN RFID product,” said Karin Fabri, SVP, head of corporate marketing, Smartrac N.V. “It is the smallest tag on the market and it provides excellent speed when it comes to reading.”

• Zebra Technologies:
Zebra Technologies highlighted its SmartLens inventory and warehouse management system, as well as its new MC3300R series of RFID readers, which is Zebra’s first UHF RFID handheld solution with Android.
 
“For brand owners, what they want to be able to understand is who it is that is buying from them, and what the mix is of what is selling,” Keith LeFebvre, VP product & solution development and management, Zebra Technologies, said. “What actually sells is much clearer with an RFID tag. The idea of our Smart Lens not only allows retailers to have permanent inventory tracking by constantly pinging what’s in stock, but it also allows you to add other analytics, for example, to track when something is picked up off of the shelf and placed into a cart and moved someplace, allowing the retailer to see that the buyer moved to another location in the store.”