Can RFID really help product visualization?

Consumers increasingly expect product transparency, now accompanied by the rise of shopping ecology, making sustainable sourcing crucial.

In an era where consumers increasingly value transparency about a product’s origins, its entire production process and whether it is in stock at a nearby store, retailers are exploring new and innovative solutions to meet these expectations. One technology that has great potential to achieve this goal is radio frequency identification (RFID). Supply chains have seen a variety of issues in recent years, from severe delays to shortages of production materials, and retailers need a solution that provides them with the transparency to identify and resolve these bottlenecks. By giving employees clearer visibility into inventory, orders and deliveries, they can provide better service to customers and enhance their in-store experience.

As RFID technology continues to evolve and become more widely adopted, retailers across multiple industries have begun to harness its potential to meet consumer expectations and enhance their brand reputation.

Solve problems and improve efficiency with RFID technology

Organizations such as shopping malls often face complex challenges in managing their supply chain, inventory and operational processes, with 57% citing supply chain disruption as one of their biggest obstacles. RFID technology enables real-time tracking, monitoring and data collection, allowing businesses to gain valuable insights into product lifecycles. In 2022, 95% of retail CEOs say they plan to increase investment in digital solutions to support omnichannel retail, make supply chains more efficient, and help improve customer experience.

In addition, RFID improves the efficiency of inventory management, order fulfillment and shipping processes. With RFID tags and readers, tasks that previously took hours can now be completed in minutes. Streamlined operations save time and reduce operating costs, thereby increasing profitability and organizational sustainability.

Why do consumers care about supply chain visibility?

Customer expectations, consumer rights and supply chain legislative demands have combined to create an increasing need for detailed supply chain visibility, as today’s consumers want to know the story of the products they buy, where and how they are made, and a range of information such as whether workers receive fair pay and treatment.

Meeting regulatory requirements should be a priority for supply chain visibility, so we are seeing new laws and regulations being introduced to help improve labor conditions, environmental impact, and product quality. While legal requirements are often seen as a barrier to business, they can also inspire innovation and alternative ways of working.

It can be seen that nowadays, consumer expectations have changed, and people are paying more and more attention to product transparency. With the rise of the shopping ecology, retailers must not only pay attention to the quality and origin of products, but also need to share various information in the supply chain. To consumers, let consumers understand the story behind the product. This can be achieved through secure tracking and tracing, and information visualization. Without traceability, sustainable goods are destined to continue to decline in the future.

RFID radio frequency identification can even help identify leaks and anomalies in packaging, which helps find loopholes in the supply chain and transportation network, and changes the quality assurance of goods from manual completion to constant monitoring. Ensuring a positive shopping experience in a world that relies on supply chain standardization also guarantees inventory visibility for retailers, as RFID enables inventory levels to be accessed at all stages of the supply chain.

Optimize supply chain traceability

All products can receive a (counterfeit-proof) unique product identity, also known as a digital product passport. The cloud platform based on the EPCIS standard (Electronic Product Code Information Service) can track and trace the origin of each product and query whether its identity is authentic.

Data validation within the supply chain is critical to ensuring direct communication between goods and customers. Of course, the data usually remains in a closed storage state. Using standards like EPCIS, supply chain traceability can be structured and optimized, enabling transparent data to provide shareable evidence of product origins. While retailers are working hard to achieve this, making data collection and integration more efficient remains a challenge.

This is the impact of EPCIS as a standard for creating, sharing and visualizing inventory locations within a supply chain or value network. Once integrated, it will provide a common language to capture and share so-called EPCIS information through the supply chain process so that customers understand the nature of the product, where it comes from, who makes it and the processes in its supply chain and production and transportation processes.

Improve brand awareness and customer perception

The positive impact of RFID on operational efficiency, sustainable efforts and data applications will inevitably be reflected in the brand reputation of retail goods. Consumers prefer brands that demonstrate supply chain transparency, efficiency and environmental responsibility, and actively purchase from brands that adopt this approach.

Through the optimization of supply chain processes driven by RFID, organizations such as shopping malls can fulfill orders faster, reduce errors, and provide a better customer service experience. This increases customer satisfaction, creates brand loyalty, and leads to positive word-of-mouth feedback.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has the revolutionary potential to empower businesses and consumers, from supply chain optimization to quality assurance and sustainability, by providing end-to-end visibility, authenticity verification and enhanced consumer interaction. . Realizing the potential of this technology will help revolutionize product transparency and drive deeper interactions between business and consumers.