Mobile RFID Device for Shoppers Boosts Store Sales

By Claire Swedberg

Sept 25, 2009—Shoppers at a supermarket in Park City, Utah, have begun carrying an RFID-enabled device that tracks their location and displays coupons, recipes and promotional videos based on their position within the store. The system, known as The Giving Cart, was developed by Time Domain and Klever Marketing, and is being deployed for the first time by The Market, an independent grocery store.

The store's owner, Mike Holm, hopes the system will improve customer allegiance, as well as provide him with information regarding shoppers' behavior, including where they spend more time, and how long they wait at the point of sale.

The Giving Cart mobile unit has a built-in RFID tag to identify a shopper's location within a store.

"The challenge to me was to have better communication with our customers and increase sales," Holm says. To that end, he met with Klever Marketing earlier this year, and was intrigued with The Giving Cart system.

The system consists of Time Domain's Precision Location Ultra Wideband System (PLUS) tracking system, using RFID chips, readers, antennas and Wi-Fi access points, as well as Klever Marketing's software for promotional materials and coupons. Klever also designed the Giving Cart mobile device, which has Time Domain's RFID chip built inside.

Since the day after Labor Day, greeters stationed at The Market's entranceway have been offering the mobile device to shoppers, explaining its benefits and how it can be used. Those who agree to try the device can either carry it by hand or attach it to a shopping cart. When not in use, the device is plugged in at a kiosk that recharges its battery.

The store, which measures 40,000 square feet, has approximately 44 RFID interrogators installed in the ceiling, along with their antennas, and is initially employing 50 mobile devices, according to Greg Clawson, Time Domain's senior VP of worldwide sales and marketing.