RFID Journal LIVE! 2021
Retail and Apparel Track Presentations

Below you will find links to the recordings and slides from the Retail and Apparel Track sessions held during RFID Journal LIVE! 2021.

Monday, Sept. 27, 2021: 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Why RFID is a ‘Must-Have’ Technology for Today’s Retailer
Research shows that retailers which have not invested in radio frequency identification have been unable to execute ship-from-store or curbside or in-store pickup consistently. Retailers employing RFID tend to have an in-store inventory accuracy of approximately 95 percent, compared to about 65 percent for retailers that do not use. In this session learn how the technology can be tailored to fit each company’s specific needs and how to solve supply chain problems, as well as inventory visibility.
Speaker: Senthilkumar CP PH.D., Director of Research and Technology, RFID Lab, Auburn University
Presentation | Recording

Monday, Sept. 27, 2021: 2:35 PM – 3:05 PM
SML: Case Studies: How item-level RFID is being used by Retailers to transform in New Era Retailing?
Speaker: Jason Plummer, Solutions Consultant, SML Group
Presentation | Recording

Monday, Sept. 27, 2021: 3:10 PM – 3:40 PM
Award Finalist Session: City Furniture Gains Showroom Visibility with RFID
Florida based retailer, City Furniture provides customers with an expanded and evolutionary lineup of home furnishings at an exceptional value. To ensure that customers find exactly what they need, inventory accuracy is key in the retail showrooms and across the supply chain. This project is nominated for RFID Journal award in the category of Best Retail RFID Implementation.
Key takeaways:
* Learn how City Furniture took advantage of last year’s pandemic shutdown to rework an RFID system that didn’t meet its need.
* Hear how the new solution cuts inventory counts from several weeks to two hours, while ensuring inventory visibility to satisfy BOPIS customers and prevent errors.
Speakers: Marko Brutus, Associate Technology Project Manager, City Furniture; Shaun Feraco, Vice President of Operations, City Furniture; Chad Simpson; Senior Vice President, Technology, City Furniture
Presentation | Recording

Monday, Sept. 27, 2021: 3:45 PM – 4:15 PM
RFID Provides Efficiency, Visibility for Food Company
California nut product manufacturer American Nuts, one of the largest nut processors in North America, has deployed an RFID system to boost its inventory visibility and tracking capability, as well as its production and shipping of finished goods at its two manufacturing sites. The firm is using the system to track the receipt of raw nuts, seeds and dried fruit through storage, the production of snack mixes and other products, quality assurance and shipping.
Key takeaways:
* Learn how RFID has improved on-hand inventory visibility.
* Gain an understanding of how the technology is being used to provide better management of production, procurement, quality assurance and recalls.
Speaker: Nate Willits, Chief Financial Officer, American Nuts
Presentation | Recording

Monday, Sept. 27, 2021: 4:20 PM – 5:00 PM
Improving Visibility and Traceability in the Retail Grocery and Foodservice Industries: Encoding Attribute Data in EPC/RFID Tags
RFID technology offers many benefits relating to traceability and operational efficiencies for the retail grocery and foodservice industry. Effectively tracking food products at the carton and case-level helps ensure food safety, recall readiness, and supply chain visibility. Electronic Product Code/Radio Frequency Identification (EPC/RFID) technology does more than just encode the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) and Serial Number. In this session, gain an understanding of the guideline developed by GS1 US for capturing attribute data in the RFID data carrier for the purpose of recall management, freshness management, and operational efficiencies.
Key takeaways:
* Learn how the guideline was produced to address the near-term industry needs relating to encoding attribute data
* Get technical specifications for implementing a means of capturing attribute data
Speaker: Jonathan Gregory, Director of Community Engagement, Apparel and General Merchandise, GS1 US
We do not have permission to publish this session

Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021: 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Award Finalist Session: C&A Enhances Inventory Visibility to Boost Omnichannel Capability
C&A, one of the largest retail chains in the world with 1,800 stores in 24 countries, has 280 stores in 125 cities across Brazil. The firm is employing an RFID system to improve inventory accuracy, boost speed and productivity, and reduce operating costs, while offering better service to its customers. C&A trained more than 500 store associates online because COVID measures were in place and travel was restricted. The firm expects the technology’s future benefits to provide even greater merchandise visibility and support their omnichannel efforts.
Key takeaways:
* Learn how inventory accuracy increased to 97%
* Hear how Omnichannel sales grew by 1 ½-2 times for items with RFID in the stores
Speakers: Vicente Neves, Senior Supply Chain Manager, C&A Modas; Michael Bergel, Supply Chain Strategy Division Manager, C&A Modas
Presentation | Recording

Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021: 9:35 AM – 10:05 AM
Leveraging RFID to Improve Customer Experience
The Auburn University RFID Lab team has developed a toolkit to document the customer shopping experience process in various retail store models, and map it against the store layouts. These models can be used to understand how new technologies will improve or influence the customer experience, and the session includes a case study of contactless checkout systems as compared to traditional models to help highlight the differences.
Speaker: Justin Patton, Director, RFID Center, Auburn University
Presentation | Recording

Tuesday, September 28, 2021: 10:10 AM – 10:40 AM
RFID Strategies and Best Practices in Retail and Apparel
RFID technology can be used for daily cycle counts, replenishment, promotions management, customer engagement and other in-store applications, while delivering value to retailers. 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 explain where the potential ROI is and lay out various strategies retailers can adopt, based on their unique needs and market approach.
Speaker: Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
Presentation | Recording

Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021: 10:45 AM – 11:15 AM
Award Finalist Session: RFID Improves Inventory Management For Rapid COVID Test Kit Manufacturing
Cepheid, a molecular diagnostics company, manufactures numerous rapid diagnostic test kits for respiratory infections (e.g., Flu, RSV, SARS-COVID-19, TB), sexual transmitted diseases (e.g. CT/NG), and women’s health (Group B Streptococcus). The global SARS-COVID-19 pandemic spurred increased demand for the firm’s SARS-COVID-19 test kit, resulting in a need to manufacture more kits, while lowering the number of staff to reduce the risk of virus spread. The firm chose a touch free Kanban inventory management solution, replacing the traditional Kanban card or 2-bin Kanban inventory replenishment process for manufacturing lines. This project is nominated for RFID Journal award in the category of Best Manufacturing RFID Implementation.
Key takeaways:
* Learn how the RFID solution provides improved efficiency and accuracy by allowing Cepheid to produce more product with fewer people, during a demanding time when SARS-COVID-19 tests were needed.
Speaker: Jayaprakash Visagamani, Sr. Solution Architect – SAP WM/LE, Cepheid
We do not have permission to post this presentation.