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In the past two years, the British clothing company Superdry has deployed an RFID system in a strategic way to ensure that dozens of stores can use RFID to achieve the required effectiveness before the system is used in all stores. Therefore, after solving the problems related to early cross-reading, the company is now entering the next stage: deploying UHF RFID technology in its 200 stores around the world this year.
A few years ago, in order to improve inventory accuracy, Superdry first studied RFID technology and then deployed the system in its 37 stores. Currently, this solution has been deployed to all its stores in the UK. In 2018, it signed a contract with Nedap’s !D Cloud solution, which modifies the use of RFID technology.
Superdry’s fashion brand focuses on modern styles, with retro American and Japanese graphics as the mainstay, and a fusion of British style. It has 515 brand stores in 46 countries and operates on 21 websites. Like other brand retailers, Superdry seeks to improve the accuracy of its inventory-not only to ensure that the products are in stock on the shelves of its stores, but also to ensure that they can be ordered online and shipped to customers from the nearest store inventory. .
However, Superdry discovered that the system was flawed after implementing the first version of the RFID system. For example, when a sales assistant reads an RFID tag from the store site, it will read information that is not needed in the warehouse. In order to solve this problem, the company adopted shielding technology to prevent the acquisition of cross-read data, thereby improving the accuracy of tracking the time when tagged items are transferred from the warehouse to the sales floor.
However, even if the metal coating is used for shielding, the cross-read data still makes the system unreliable. In order to reduce the probability of cross-reading, the staff lowered the power of the handheld RFID reader; however, as the power of the reader is reduced, the staff must be very close to the tag to obtain the data, which causes each store to spend about two Half an hour to carry out inventory counting work, the efficiency is low.
Nick Markwell, head of business at Nedap! D Cloud in the UK, said: “Initially, the shielding problem was a huge challenge for Superdry stores that deployed RFID systems; if this problem is not solved, they will not be able to achieve all the convenience of RFID.” Superdry Executive manager James Eastwood added that although the system has been launched in 37 stores, the company has decided to suspend its full rollout, “in order to reflect on the solutions available in the market.”
Eastwood recalled that Superdry’s RFID team needed to make sure to choose a technical solution suitable for long-term development. Based on the shortcomings of the previously deployed RFID system, Superdry conducted a complete solicitation of proposals and then selected Nedap as its long-term partner. The new solution relies on Nedap’s !D Cloud software and also uses Zebra Technology’s RFD 8500 handheld reader, which is the same as the handheld device used to read tag data in the store. The company also uses Avery Dennison printers at its distribution center to label any unlabeled merchandise it receives from suppliers.
Eastwood said that Nedap’s initial appeal lies in its virtual shielding solution. The aluminum foil lining and metallic paint coating used by the company as a shield between the warehouse and the sales floor are not only expensive, but also ineffective and can cause damage to the store. So with virtual shielding, physical shielding is no longer needed.
Virtual shielding is a feature in the !D Cloud solution, which uses RFID to read data to determine the sub-location in the storage area where the reader receives the tag response. For example, after reading the data, the software can determine the position of the tag when it is read, thereby eliminating the cross-reading of the tag in the back bin when the reader reads the tag in the front store.
Markwell said frankly: “The industry has always denied the feasibility of accurately determining the location of a single tag without physical shielding.” However, Nedap has cracked this code. This significantly improves the return on investment of RFID projects, making RFID economically acceptable to more retailers. Eastwood said that with Nedap’s virtual shielding, Superdry’s stores can complete inventory counts in about 25 minutes, which previously took several hours to complete. Nedap’s! D Cloud software can track all the work processes of the store staff in the store, such as inventory counting and confirming which goods need to be replenished from the warehouse.
Workers can use the !D Cloud application on the handheld device to access data, such as viewing the list of products that need to be moved from the warehouse to the sales floor. They can then view the location and availability of specific inventory units and related products (such as products of the same size but different colors) in the store on the app. In addition, Markwell explained that if the store is missing a customer-specified product, !D Cloud can help identify where nearby products are available in inventory.
In order to facilitate management, !D Cloud software provides real-time inventory and sales status of the entire company or region, so as to better make decisions related to the inventory of each store. This software uses GS1 Standard Electronic Product Code Information Service (EPCIS) to store all read operations.
Eastwood explained, “RFID provides the accuracy of store inventory, which allows us to maintain effective replenishment efficiency,” as well as the need for accurate inventory feedback in the future (such as getting’click and collect’ from the store or completing sales in the store) The services provide basic support. Eastwood also stated that another biggest benefit of RFID is to ensure the availability of products in the sales area to maximize sales. “In the future, we hope to use RFID to track the circulation of products throughout the supply chain. This will enable the company to better Make early decisions about inventory management. The collected data will provide critical decision data for managing products in the most effective way.”
Markwell mentioned that when Superdry contacted Nedap, the company already had a good understanding of RFID technology and its use in its business. “Therefore, our team needs to keep up with the pace of business development very quickly, to ensure that we stand on the same level and work towards the same goal, which is very important.” He emphasized that Superdry is a fast-growing company , Has a clear strategic roadmap for how to use RFID technology now and in the future. Therefore, Nedap has always focused on achieving successful and rapid RFID deployment and maximizing its return on investment.
Markwell said: “Strategic partnerships with customers, such as Superdry, etc., help us realize the direct benefits of RFID, and at the same time promote our development of future! D Cloud solutions.” He said that formulating an RFID strategic roadmap means They have a clear direction in their efforts to achieve their goals.
Superdry is expected to complete the first demonstration of RFID in all stores around the world in October this year, and make initial deployments in the UK, Europe and the United States. Eastwood mentioned in the report, “We are still committed to the original plan to deploy RFID to all our stores in 2019.”
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