Retail and Apparel 2016 – Do not use

06 Oct, 2016 9:45 am

Retailer Discovers RFID’s Benefits

A casual apparel company has adopted a radio frequency identification solution to track its products across the entire supply chain, from its distribution center to 86 of its stores. The company installed the system in 2014, and is now expanding the deployment to include the tagging of products by manufacturers, thereby enabling the retailer to track its merchandise from the point at which they are made. The technology has enabled the firm to obtain real-time, accurate inventory data, making it possible for consumers to find what they need while shopping at the store. Learn how the firm is using RFID to increase revenue, thanks to the higher availability of goods on the sales floor.

06 Oct, 2016 8:45 am

Opening Remarks

06 Oct, 2016 9:00 am

Fashion Chain Deploys RFID in Stores and DC Within a Week

A fashion and apparel chain with items from multiple top brands is using RFID at all of its stores and its distribution center to increase sales and reduce shrinkage. The fashion retail chain put the technology into production during a single week in June 2015, due to careful planning and execution, as well as the plug-and-play nature of the selected solution. The firm is tagging all of its items at the central DC and, as a result, has gained visibility into stock movements across the entire supply chain. Learn how the chain deployed a variety of in-store and supply chain applications, including weekly store cycle counts, shipment validation, early detection of vendor errors and automated point-of-sale checkout.

06 Oct, 2016 10:30 am

Networking Break in Exhibit Room

RFID: The Omnichannel Enabler

Retail 3.0 is here, driven by the consumer’s demand for an “anywhere, anytime, any product” experience. The response to this new consumer demand is omnichannel retailing. Unfortunately, most retailers are not yet in a position to successfully implement an omnichannel strategy because they do not know with confidence what they have and where they have it. Existing methods of inventory management are inadequate in an omnichannel world. Instead, a new approach to inventory management, enabled by radio frequency identification, is required. In this presentation, Bill Hardgrave will discuss the basic underpinnings of a successful omnichannel strategy—such as ship-from-stores and buy-online-pickup-in-stores—and how these strategies are enabled by RFID.

06 Oct, 2016 11:45 am

Using RFID to Boost Sales, Decrease Costs

A sporting goods store reports that it has boosted sales and decreased inventory-tracking costs via a radio frequency identification solution that tracks approximately 10,000 items storewide, from the back room to the point of sale (POS). With the technology in place, the firm can now conduct a full inventory count weekly, as well as ensure that all goods are stocked on storefront displays, thereby increasing sales. Learn how the use of RFID contributed to increased sales, since goods were more reliably displayed on the sales floor. In addition, hear how the checkout process was made quicker and more accurate, since the tags of all items placed on the RFID-enabled counter are read instantly, and the POS system can immediately provide a customer with transaction details, including the total cost.

06 Oct, 2016 12:30 pm

Lunch in Exhibit Room

06 Oct, 2016 2:00 pm

Increasing Sales via RFID

A company has equipped 13 of its stores with RFID technology to better manage its inventory. This deployment follows a six-month pilot that boosted sales of men’s shirts and suits by double digits. During the pilot (which consisted of tagging men’s shirts and suits, and using a handheld reader to conduct inventory counts on the sales floor), the system not only provided 98 to 99 percent inventory accuracy, but also reduced the amount of labor employees spent performing manual inventory checks, thereby enabling more frequent checks. Learn how the firm expanded the program to include men’s suits, and how it expects to tag all children’s, sports, women’s and men’s clothing, as well as footwear.

06 Oct, 2016 2:45 pm

The Business Case for RFID in Retail Apparel

RFID Journal has conducted extensive research to understand the business case for RFID in apparel retail, and to create metrics that companies in that sector can use to determine the likely return on investment they could achieve by employing the technology. This session will walk attendees through the financial model. Everyone in attendance will receive a copy of the report on which the presentation will be based, as well as an ROI calculator they can utilize to explore the benefits they can expect to receive.

06 Oct, 2016 3:30 pm

Networking Break in Exhibit Room

06 Oct, 2016 4:00 pm

Jewelry Company Uses RFID to Improve Inventory Control

A jewelry business is employing RFID to more efficiently process inventory while reducing data-entry errors. With more than 30,000 items in stock represented by 9,000 SKUs, the firm is using the technology to ensure its ability to distribute products that are unique and highly mobile, as well as very expensive and small. Every piece in stock is labeled with a disposable RFID tag that is fully integrated with its inventory database. Learn how the firm is using RFID to create shipments containing hundreds of items within a few minutes, and to perform stock counts of its entire inventory within a single day.

06 Oct, 2016 4:45 pm

Retailer Deploys Tag-Reading Robot to Track Clothing

A global retailer is trialing an indoor mapping and analytics robotic system using radio frequency identification at five of its stores, tracking its house brand garments to determine whether the technology can improve efficiency and inventory visibility. The deployment involves robotic machines that roam through a store’s clothing department, so that onboard RFID readers can perform inventory counts by reading each garment’s passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen 2 RFID tag. Learn how the robotic RFID reading solution identifies which goods are at what location throughout sales floors and store rooms, and how it is being used to increase visibility.

06 Oct, 2016 5:30 pm

Conference Concludes