The market for RFID has evolved in during the past 10 years, from the unfulfilled early mandate from Walmart to basically tag everything to today, when RFID is making realistic strides in retail, food and entire omni-channel chain. Avery Dennison Retail Branding and Information Solutions (RBIS), one of the leaders in the RFID field, has watched these changes first-hand, and is evolving along with their customers.
 
“RFID has evolved in the past 10 years,” said Francisco Melo, VP global RFID for Avery Dennison RBIS. “The evolution has been tremendous. Brand owners are integrating these tags into their brands. Retail apparel has been the largest market and the fastest growing in the UHF segment, and we see fresh food as the next big market. Adoption has been driven by private labelers like Marks & Spencer, while leading retailers like Macy’s has multiple brands.”
 
With the growing interest in omni-channel sales, RFID is well positioned to help brand owners and retailers ensure that customers will get the products they want when they want them.
 
“Brick and mortar stores have to maximize their opportunities,” said Melo. “Stores are becoming more like local warehouses for the buy online – pick up at store channel. It is a convenience thing. If you know the store has your product, you don’t have to wait 24 hours to get it shipped to you, and RFID is an enabler for that.”
 
Inventory is another important advantage of RFID, as products that aren’t on the store floor simply can’t be sold.
 
“Retailers want ROI, and they see what RFID brings,” he noted. “Retailers need their products to go to the show floor. They can’t sell it if it is in the back room.”
 
During the 2016 National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 105th Annual Convention and EXPO, held in New York City, Melo hosted a panel consisting of retailers, brand owners and industry experts.
 
One of the areas of interest was RFID-enabled smart mirrors and smart fitting rooms, which allow customers to request new products and sizes to try on as well as gather more information on the products. In collaboration with Oak Labs, Avery Dennison profiled the RFID ​Interactive Mirror,​ ​featuring ​the Oak ​Interactive Fitting Room, which gave attendees the opportunity to experience how RFID triggers the mirror in an interactive dressing room and drives item-level experiences. The smart mirror allows customers to request new sizes and accessories, and choose alternative lighting options, among other exciting features.
 
Uri Minkoff, co-founder and CEO for Rebecca Minkoff, discussed the advantages of these interactive fitting rooms during the panel discussion
 
“When the customers goes into the fitting room, the RFID antenna signals what was brought in, and the customer is then given the option to select any of four lighting options for the fitting room,” Minkoff said. “They can press on the mirror to get different sizes or colors brought in. We call it ‘fitting room therapy.’”
 
Melo noted that the 2016 National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 105th Annual Convention and EXPO, held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, was a major success.
 
“This is by far the biggest show for us in terms of the technology side,” Melo said, “It is well attended, and you find a mix of IT people and retail. It is the perfect audience for us.”
 
Melo said he expects to see further expansion in the RFID market in the coming years.
 
“We expect to see continual growth for RFID,” Melo concluded. “Our outlook is very promising.”