Item Level RFID ‘bar-codes’ + EAS Loss Prevention and Bluetooth
Recommended Retail and Supplier CEO Reading
Some good
retail technology supply chain news to lift retailers’ and suppliers’ bottom
lines during a tough 2009?
During
2009 Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth will start to replace conventional
Australian, New Zealand Zealand bar-codes?
Combined retail, supplier, distribution, Shopping Centre, government major retail efficiency supply chain move forward during 2009…..?
See http://www.retailalert.com.au for more Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth information including a starter guide to the commercial benefits of Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth (Electronic Article Surveillance) and .
Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth is all about leveraging improved efficiency supply chain gains, loss prevention gains and profits out of existing Australian and New Zealand supply chain structures during 2009.
Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth are in simple terms ‘bar-codes on steroids’ which can be tracked by location by the use of readers located on a retail shop floor (or by the use of portable scanners), at a supplier or in a warehouse / DC / 3PF environment.
Music; DVD; Games; Books; Entertainment; Clothing; Footwear; Computer Hardware; Software; TELCO’s; Hardware Stores; Jewellery; Food; Pharmacy; Health; Libraries; Defence; Mining; Asset Tracking ‘starter’ categories for Item Level RFID ‘bar-code’ plus EAS loss prevention.
New innovative middleware makes it EAS loss prevention for retailers and suppliers to embed Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth into existing POS, ERP and back end software packages.
All parts of the Australian and New Zealand retail sectors’ should be the winners from the introduction of Item Level RFID ‘bar-code’ plus EAS loss prevention.
The leading edge concept of Item Level RFID ‘bar-code’ plus EAS loss prevention should be embraced by the Australian and New Zealand retail sectors, including suppliers, 3PF Distribution Houses, the Shopping Centre Industry and government as a major 2009 productivity and efficiency gain.
Combining the benefits of loss prevention EAS loss prevention features of stock identified with Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' can eliminate the need for additional loss prevention cost tagging as an Item Level RFID 'bar-code' can double as a loss prevention 'bar-code' as well as a stock identifier.
Australian and New Zealand retailers and suppliers who commence migrating to Item Level RFID ‘ bar-codes’ plus EAS loss prevention during 2009 will be bottom line winners.
· During 2009 Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth will start to replace conventional bar-codes.
· Are the majority Australian and New Zealand retailers ready; probably not?
· Are Australian and New Zealand retail and supplier CEO’s fully informed; probably not?
Australian and New Zealand retail and supplier CEO’s should demand an Item Level RFID ‘bar-code’ plus EAS loss prevention benefits explanation from their IT Department; Retail Buying Departments and Supplier Logistics Departments should do the same.
Ø Item Level RFID ‘bar-code’ plus EAS loss prevention needs to be driven from the retail and supplier CEO’s down, as successful retailer and supplier CEO’s did when conventional bar-codes and EDI was introduced in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s.
Ø The key difference between conventional bar-codes and an Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth; an Item Level RFID ‘bar-code’ plus EAS loss prevention is serialised to track product by location.
Ø Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth can also in some instances replace the need for separate costly EAS loss prevention (Electronic Article Surveillance) shop stealing tagging.
The combination of almost 100% accuracy in RFID (Radio Frequency Identification ‘bar-codes’) identified stock on floor plus EAS loss prevention (Electronic Article Surveillance), plus reductions in time to get stock to floor plus reductions in stock handling administration costs are compelling EAS loss prevention for specialty retailers to embrace Item Level RFID ‘bar-codes’; the majors will take their normal pedantic pace.
In
tough times retailers’ specialty retailers in particularly have to look for ways
to improve efficiency, cut costs to preserve and improve bottom line profits.
Occupancy costs are rising higher than profits generated; margins due the low $
and cost of goods out of China rising are hurting margins.
Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth is one of those opportunities which smart Australian and New Zealand retailers and suppliers are observing to provide 2009 supply chain and therefore bottom line advantages over their competition.
From an industry perspective Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth loss prevention can counter the negative effect of cost of goods and potentially lower margins created by low consumer demand, lower exchange rate and higher cost of goods out of China; substantial sales increases, loss prevention and cost savings are there for adopting retailers and suppliers.
Thinking back to the tough retailing times of the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth loss prevention can have the same beneficial effect that conventional bar-codes and EDI had then when introduced to the Australian and New Zealand retail marketplace.
OK, so retailers’ have to re-think how to efficiently source mark stock with RFID ‘bar-codes’ ; so what, when conventional bar-codes were introduced plus EDI in the ‘90’s retailers’ then had to turn their supply chain thinking on its head; was it worth it, absolutely YES?
Is Item Level RFID ‘ bar-codes’ plus EAS loss prevention deserving of the Productivity Commission support and retail industry seed funding; YES?
The big retailers have been fiddling with RFID on cartons and failed; so what, they were slow movers on bar-codes plus ‘closed loop’ EDI during the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s; smaller retailers beat them then and will probably beat the bigger retailers this time around; hey, that’s a challenge to Woolworths and Wesfarmers.
It reminds us at how the big retailers failed to ‘get’ bar-codes and ‘closed loop’ EDI in the late ‘80’s and ‘90s and how nimble specialty retailers such as LOWES Menswear and others beat the big retailers to the punch.
This is the way The RETAiL Alert Group sees Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth loss prevention being adopted in the Australian market from 2009 onwards.
The next eighteen months will be tough for Australian and New Zealand retailers; they will need all the help they can get.
Item Level RFID 'bar-codes' plus EAS loss prevention and Bluetooth is one bright spot bottom line supply chain profit improvement opportunity for smart Australian and New Zealand Retailers supported by retail industry associations, the Shopping Centre Industry and government.
It is the intention of The RETAiL Alert Group to become one of the key Item Level RFID ‘bar-code’ and EAS loss prevention loss prevention evangelists during 2009.
In conclusion The RETAiL Alert Group is looking for retailers’, suppliers, relevant government department, 3PF distribution organisations and the Shopping Centre Industry to create an on-line forum to support retailers engaging in Item Level RFID ‘bar-code’ and EAS loss prevention loss prevention initiatives.
We would welcome input from our readers.
For further information on Item Level RFID ‘bar-code’ plus EAS loss prevention loss prevention go to the RETAiL Alert Website http://www.retailalert.com.au .
The RETAiL Alert Group is looking for input and retailer concensus on all key retail sector issues for future reviews by industry and government progress and support on relevant Australian and New Zealand retail(er) market matters.
The RETAiL Alert Group bulletins have been created as a forum for the industry to comment and contribute to issues pertinent to the Australian and New Zealand retail sector.
Should retailers’ or interested parties prefer information provided to be covered by a Non Disclosure Agreement the RETAiL Alert Group will comply?
The RETAiL Alert Group Website details previous bulletins on this and other matters.
The RETAiL Alert Group Website provides continual retail sector advice on sales / margin growth, technology including RFID, supply chain and cost saving options in planning for the trading year commencing January 2009 and the trading period Christmas 2010.
See http://www.retailalert.com.au
Great 2009 Selling and Trading.........
Tony Standley
Principal
The RETAiL
Alert Group (Australia)
Mobile +61 (0)41 924 0497
e-mail
info@adsass.com.au
Fax +61 (0)2 9987 0633
Website
http://www.retailalert.com.au
THE
PEOPLE WHO GET RESULTS.................