Jan 25, 2017Detego, a U.K.-based developer of software for fashion retailers and their suppliers, and IER, a French systems integrator that specializes in radio frequency identification technology, are working together to improve inventory-related tracking. The two companies say they are well suited to partnering up; Detego's solutions utilize RFID tags to allow retailers and garment suppliers to digitally track their inventory, while IER produces RFID-enabled scanners and checkout machines.
IER's products include the IER 960 Expedited Self Payment Kiosk, in which items with passive EPC Gen 2 (ISO 18000-6C) tags attached to them can be placed in the reading area by shoppers and be identified immediately. The company also offers portable devices, such as the IER 680 Bluetooth-enabled handheld reader.
Knowing whether a particular T-shirt is on a shelf, in a store, in transit or in a warehouse is crucial to effective customer service, explains Uwe Hennig, Detego's CEO, and can make the difference between making a sale or not. By combining Detego's software with IER's hardware, the companies are able to offer a joint solution that helps their customers better determine the locations of their products in real time. As a result, Hennig says, those customers report that lost sales and out-of-stocks are down and stock accuracy is at nearly 100 percent.
"The Detego Suite provides real-time analysis and article transparency for fashion retailers," says Iris Hauk, Detego's head of marketing. "Detego's product portfolio supports fashion retailers to realize omnichannel and digital strategies, by enabling them to actively manage stores while providing customers with a differentiated, exceptional shopping experience over all channels, fueled by 100 percent merchandise availability."
Detego's customers include international fashion brands, retailers and department stores, Hauk adds, noting that the company's software is currently being used at more than 1,500 stores. The marketing of the joint solution is being handled by IER and Detego, the latter of which participated in this week's National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show event as a co-exhibitor in the Intel booth. French retailers can also receive a hands-on demonstration of the solution at IER's Paris showroom, which is designed to be a mock-up of an actual store.
