RFID technology cleverly solves the problem of maintaining social distance

People around the world are beginning to resume their daily lives from the COVID-19 epidemic. In order to minimize the continued spread of the disease and ensure people's safety, the usual social distance recommendations are: keep one to two meters between people. This regulation means that only one or two customers can enter a small Store at a time, and dozens of customers can enter a large store. An Austrian solutions provider is working to create a fully automated system to help stores reopen while adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Resource intensive process

Merchants have their own clever ways to control the flow of customers in retail stores. Some companies assign employees to serve as gatekeepers, and open the door to welcome new customers after customers leave the store; some companies set up manual counters at the entrance, assign employees to be on duty, count the number of people entering and exiting, and when the number of people in the store is close to the upper limit, new customers are suspended from entering. Large retail stores may need to staff more staff. They will designate an entrance and an exit, and assign an employee at each entrance to monitor the number of people. When a certain number of people leave the store, employees at the exit signal to employees at the entrance that they can let more customers in.

These methods can effectively control customer flow and limit the number of people in the store, but from an operational perspective, they are slightly less efficient. These methods require the assignment of dedicated staff to be on duty throughout the store's operation period.

Stop on red light, go on green light

It is reported that the system will provide different forms of devices. The simplest form is a plug-and-play system that can be used right out of the box. No technician is required for installation, store staff simply unpack, place the system at the entrance, and plug it into a regular electrical outlet.

The system consists of two units, the automatic taker and the gate. The automatic fetcher is placed a few feet in front of the entrance and displays simple instructions on a display. Customers take out the RFID electronic tag sticker from the automatic taker and stick it on their clothes or bags. The gate is placed at the entrance, and UHF RFID reading and writing equipment is used to read the tags, and the number of people entering and exiting is electronically counted. Traffic lights are installed on top of the gates, which can be used to inform customers when it is safe to enter the store. A green light means entry is allowed, while a red light means the store is full and customers need to wait for an admission signal.

Unlimited number of doors

If the store has only one entrance and exit, it only needs to install a system to count the number of customers, control customer flow, and maintain social distance. For stores with more complex layouts, the system can use built-in WiFi capabilities to connect to online platforms and monitor multiple entrances and exits simultaneously.

The shutdown caused by the epidemic has left many retail stores in financial difficulties and difficult to quickly return to previous revenue levels. This is partly due to declining consumer confidence, which reduces consumption, and another reason is that stores need to add additional expenses to comply with social distancing. new regulations. The new rules require customer counts, which often means paying extra for existing staff or hiring new ones to manage the number of people coming and going. With the help of RFID technology, stores can maintain an appropriate number of people during business hours, allowing employees to focus on their daily work.

RFID technology behind intelligence

The system relies on the high reliability and long read range of UHF RFID technology, meaning it is unlikely that a shopper will pass through the gate and be missed. The RFID tags are specially coded for entrance and exit devices, so they will not interfere with any tag systems already in use in the store.

The RFID system also has anonymous tracking capabilities that allow for detailed analysis. Measuring the time customers spend in the store and determining peak hours can allocate the working time of in-store employees more effectively. Store managers can use RFID handheld terminals or industrial tablets to download in-store dwell time data and understand store dynamics in real time. Through this WiFi interface, the system configuration can also be modified according to customizable devices. For example, the number of people allowed into a store can be increased or decreased as needed to comply with changing social distancing guidelines.