Fashion retailer uses virtual shielding to overcome RFID cross-reading

Over the past two years, British clothing company Superdry has strategically deployed its RFID system to ensure that dozens of Stores can achieve the required effectiveness with RFID before the system is rolled out across all stores. So, having solved early problems with cross-reading, the company is now moving into the next phase: deploying UHF RFID technology in 200 of its stores around the world this year.

A few years ago, Superdry first researched RFID technology in order to improve inventory accuracy and then deployed the system in its 37 stores. Currently, this solution has been deployed in all its stores in the UK. In 2018, it signed up for Nedap's !D Cloud solution, which modified the use of RFID technology.

Superdry's fashion brand focuses on modern style, focusing on retro American and Japanese graphics, blended with British style. It has 515 brand stores in 46 countries and operates on 21 websites. Like other branded retailers, Superdry is looking for ways to improve the accuracy of its stock - not only ensuring items are stocked on its store shelves, but also ensuring they can be ordered online and shipped to customers from the nearest store stock. .

However, Superdry discovered flaws in the first version of the RFID system after implementing it. For example, when a sales assistant reads an RFID tag from a store floor, it reads information that is not needed in the warehouse. To address this issue, the company implemented masking technology to prevent the acquisition of cross-read data, thereby improving the accuracy of tracking when tagged items moved from the warehouse to the sales floor.

However, even with metallic paint shielding, 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 decreased, the staff had to get very close to the tag to obtain data, which resulted in each store spending about two Taking half an hour to do inventory counting is inefficient.

Nick Markwell, UK business director for Nedap !D Cloud, said: "Initially, the blocking issue was a huge challenge for Superdry stores where RFID systems had been deployed; if this issue was not resolved, they would not be able to realize the full convenience of RFID." Superdry Executive manager James Eastwood added that while the system had already been rolled out in 37 stores, the company had decided to pause the full rollout "to reflect on the solutions available in the market".

Eastwood recalls that Superdry's RFID team needed to ensure that the technology options were chosen for long-term development. Based on the shortcomings of the previously deployed RFID system, Superdry conducted a complete request for proposals and then selected Nedap as its long-term partner. The new solution relies on Nedap's !D Cloud software and uses Zebra Technologies' RFD 8500 handheld readers, the same handheld devices the store previously used to read tag data. The company also uses Avery Dennison printers in its distribution centers to label any unlabeled merchandise it receives from suppliers.

Eastwood said Nedap's initial appeal was its virtual shielding solution. The company's previous aluminum foil linings and metallic paint coatings that shielded warehouses from the sales floor were expensive, ineffective, and caused damage to stores. So with virtual shielding, physical shielding is no longer needed.

Virtual Shielding is a feature in the !D Cloud solution that uses RFID readings 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 location of the tag at the time of reading, thereby eliminating cross-reading of tags in the back warehouse when the reader reads the tag in the front store.

Markwell admits: “The industry has always denied the feasibility of accurately determining the location of individual tags without physical shielding.” However, Nedap has cracked this code. This significantly improves the return on investment of RFID projects and makes RFID economically acceptable to more retailers. Eastwood said that with Nedap's virtual shielding, Superdry stores can complete inventory counts in about 25 minutes, which previously took several hours to complete. Nedap's !D Cloud software can track all work processes of 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 app on handheld devices to access data, such as viewing a list of products that need to be moved from the warehouse to the sales floor. They can then view the location of specific SKUs and related products (such as the same size but different colors) within the store and their availability on the app. In addition, Markwell explained that if a store is missing a product specified by a customer, !D Cloud can help identify nearby locations that have available inventory of the product.

For ease of management, !D Cloud software provides real-time inventory and sales status across the entire company or region, enabling better decisions related to each store's inventory. The software uses the GS1 standard Electronic Product Code Information Service (EPCIS) to store all read transactions.

Eastwood explains, "RFID provides accuracy in store inventory, which allows us to maintain efficient replenishment efficiency," while also providing feedback on future needs for accurate inventory (such as obtaining 'click and collect' from the store or completing sales in the store). services provide basic support. Eastwood also said 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 be more Make decisions about inventory management early. The data collected will provide critical decision-making data on how to manage product in the most efficient way."

Markwell mentioned that when Superdry approached Nedap, the company already had a good understanding of RFID technology and its use in its business. "Therefore, it is important that our team keep up with the pace of business development very quickly and ensure that we are on the same level and working together towards the same goal." He emphasized that Superdry is a rapidly growing enterprise. , has a clear strategic roadmap for how to use RFID technology now and in the future. Therefore, Nedap remains focused on achieving successful and rapid RFID deployments, as well as maximizing their return on investment.

Markwell said: "Strategic partnerships with customers, such as Superdry, help us realize the immediate benefits of RFID, while also driving our development of future !D Cloud solutions." He said that developing an RFID strategic roadmap means that They have a clear direction in their efforts to achieve their goals.

Superdry expects to complete the first demonstration of RFID in all stores around the world in October this year, with initial deployment in the UK, Europe and the United States. Eastwood mentioned in the report, "We remain committed to our original plan to deploy RFID to all of our stores in 2019."