Solution:  Improved profitability through faster and more accurate inventory management
Products Tracient Technologies    - Handheld HF RFID Reader
                  SeeNow                   - "Smart Shop"  Retail Data Management Software
Industry:  Apparel
Country:  Singapor

Tracient handheld RFID reader ideal for Apparel Tracient Technologies' handheld RFID readers are being used in an apparel stocktaking application in Singapore. SeeNow Pte Ltd, an RFID solutions provider, has collaborated with Tracient to deliver a comprehensive RFID solution for the apparel industry. Their "Smart Shop" system gives businesses real-time visibility of stock and improved on-shelf availability for in-demand items.

Business Challenge

Manual stocktaking of apparel is prevalent in Asia. It is a mundane and time consuming process that can only realistically be performed several times a year. RFID's accuracy and speed of data capture provides retailers with the ability to do stocktaking on a regular (weekly, if not daily) basis - something most retailers would like but can't afford. This prompted SeeNow to develop a solution combining their proprietary software Smart Shop with Tracient's Padl-R HF RFID reader.

Solution

A pilot was launched in two small fashion retail outlets, 77thStreet (ITE college East) and Bella East Fashion Studio (Kovan Heartland Mall). Set-up included replacing the existing POS system with SeeNow's Smart Shop software and attaching an RFID HF (13.56 MHz) tag to each garment. The tagging was done by the retailer however Keton Lee, a director of SeeNow, expects that once RFID adoption becomes more prevalent tagging will be performed by the manufacturer at the source of the supply chain. The garments were then scanned using Tracient's Padl-R HF reader, both in the stockroom and the shop floor. The tag information included a unique serial code that identified each individual item found in the client's inventory database. The tag information was sent to the Smart Shop inventory management system via Bluetooth, enabling real-time stock visibility. When garments were sold, these tags were removed for reuse.

Results

Moving from manual stocktaking to the Smart Shop system reduced stocktaking time from around 12 hours to 25 minutes, while achieving an accuracy of 99.9%. SeeNow say this massive reduction in labour time will allow stocktaking to occur daily, reduce shrinkage and improve the staff and customer experience. Most importantly, the initial trial indicates a payback period of less than one year.

77thStreet has now fully deployed RFID and Bella East is in the final stages of deployment. With its ease of deployment and ability to provide efficient stocktaking at affordable prices, SeeNow are confident the Smart Shop solution will be attractive to many other apparel retailers.