Retail Computer Tips

Retail Computer Tips

Are you a retailer looking for computerized solutions to maximize the efficiency of your operations whilst minimizing the money and time spent? If you're dealing with the apparel industry, then a recent technological development might be of interest to the successful running of your business.

Radio-frequency identification isn't a new concept, but the application of this technology in the apparel industry is a recently emerging trend. It's a system that allows the transmission of electronic information wirelessly between a tag and a reader.

Dubbed RFID, the technology allows for the collection, storage and utilization of item-level inventory information. The benefits are multi-faceted: from the manufacturing process to the point-of-sale. With RFID-enabled tags (unlike barcodes), items are able to be more easily accounted for in the inventory process as line-of-sight isn't required for the transmission of data. This in turn means that staff hours to complete stocktaking procedures are reduced, granting more time to interact with customers. The time spent restocking is minimized and shelf level accuracy is increased. Back room operations are enhanced, and it's even possible to locate items that may have been stashed out of immediate view. The figures given from RFID retail studies indicate a 98% increase in inventory accuracy and an average 90% decrease in the time taken for the daily inventory count.

RFID once again differs from barcode technologies through the assignment of a unique serial number to each item, whereas barcodes are issued individually to multiple items. There is only so much a retailer can do to implement improved measures under the previous system. The RFID model does admittedly call for an overhaul of existing procedures, but it ensures greater levels of product accountability and security in the long run.

Avery Dennison, a worldwide brand management company that is best known for fabric labels and other labeling products such as heat transfers, is also an international leader in RFID technology in the apparel industry. The company currently supplies more than 90% of all RFID labels used in the textile industry.