RFID Helps Squeeze More Time Out of the Day

RFID in retail saves time

More commonly than ever before, RFID technology takes a part in everyday life.

Most people, whether or not they like it, live by the clock: every minute is precious. If something can be done to add extra time value to the day, most are going to take advantage of the opportunity.

RFID Time Management While Shopping

One of the reasons some people don't enjoy shopping is the time lost in trying to find the item they want to purchase.

Often, customers have a general idea where to find an item, but when they go to the store, the item isn’t on display or has been relocated.

Customers are frequently discouraged from a purchase because they don’t find the desired merchandise.

Sadly, the merchandise might be available at the store a customer visits, but, because of downsizing associates, seasonal shopping habits or rearrangement of goods, merchandise was not available to the customer even though it was in back room warehousing or at a different spot on the floor.

Knowledge of inventory placement is very important to vendors and to the people they serve.

Lack of such knowledge causes customer frustration, loss of time and determination on the customer’s part to find other providers who keep their shelves current and accessible.

Knowledge, however, gained through RFID rapid inventory replacement, leads to customer satisfaction, enables sales personnel to maximize their time (since they are not roaming the store to find new staging or manually inventorying), and, ultimately, puts the store in better financial straits.

RFID routinely solves stocking problems to keep inventory location and accuracy current, accessible and gratifying to customer experience.

With this in mind, RFID readers at checkout counters scan RFID hang tags, etc., and immediately identify like items and their location to alert store personnel of replacement needs.

RFID smart shelving does the same thing even as stock on the shelf shrinks. Stores using passive RFID tags and compatible readers ensure customers that their time will be well spent.

Customers can access the location of specific goods at kiosks or at service desks without associate or personal, time consuming “hunts.”

In their fitting rooms (or, with creativity, anywhere a customer might find a need to “try out” merchandise), shoppers have even found a newer way to maximize their time.

Within the intimate fitting room, RFID technology identifies the tags taken into the room by the shopper.

With this information and the use of an in-room touch screen, the shopper can ask an associate carrying a cell phone for other available sizes, colors, and brands without going out onto the sale floor. (Often, this means the shopper will not have to dress to make selections. What a timesaver!)

RFID Time Management While At The Dentist

The same time-saving advantage is true in healthcare fields. How many patients have sat longer than they had planned when preliminary data was being evaluated at a secondary location?

Turning to RFID technology to provide the ultimate in timely patient care while keeping costs down, dentists are increasingly tricking out their offices with digital and electronic tools.

Consequently, in seconds, using Wi-Fi, RFID and sensors, they and their assistants can securely link newly taken X-rays and digital tooth photos to the patient’s exam room for review, diagnosis and treatment in seconds. In addition, the system is void of human contamination.

Computers using high-frequency (HF) RFID tags and readers are responsible for the quick response.

Additionally, any image captured digitally as a photo, captured on reusable phosphor plates or captured on traditional X-ray film-bearing an RFID tag according to coded protocol will give evidence of time of treatment, administrating dentist and other pertinent information.

Such precise data keeping will undoubtedly save time when patients (and dentists) have to retrace their activities when scrutinized at points where documentation is valuable - tax time, for example.

Likewise, with creative management, it is obvious that these imaging techniques coupled with RFID technology will be used to save wait time in other medical settings.

RFID Time Management While Tending Pets

Finally, according to Forbes magazine, trends suggest that approximately 70% of households in the United States have or will have pets, often more than one.

In households with multiple animals, the time spent on routine care can be considerably more since each animal’s needs are to be considered: some pets need special diets, some need private places away from their bullying peers.  

Care duties can take a toll on a pet owner's time resources. RFID systems help to alleviate the time spent in routine pet feeding and allow for more quality pet companionship.

The intricate parts of a pet RFID system are a lightweight plastic collar RFID tag and a feeding station equipped with a tag reader, often in a door so fitted.

When the pet comes within the proximity of the tag, food is dispensed in an enclosure according to time, amount and the nutritional needs of the particular animal(s) using the feeder.

Each collar tag bears a code that identifies a particular pet and that pet’s needs and permissions; multiple pets, however, can use one feeder if so programmed.

Implanted microchips also can be programmed to accommodate readers and access to food. Some pet collars also can contain GPS tracking capabilities so time needn’t be spent looking for a shy or escaped pet. RFID can help an owner quickly find the pet.

These are just three of the ways RFID helps busy people squeeze more time out of their days.

Certainly, even more use is made of the technology for time management than can be imagined, but we’ll keep looking for examples. Cleverness abounds. For more information about RFID or to talk to an ID Specialist about your application needs, call 800-437-5283 or 641-641-423-9460.

Marianne Alvarado   

About the Author: Marianne Alvarado

Marianne Alvarado is our Vice President of Sales. Alvarado joined Metalcraft in March of 2000 as a Territory Specialist, became Sales Manager in January 2022 and was named Vice President of Sales during August of 2023. She leads both the Outside and Inside Sales teams. Marianne lives in Davenport with her husband, Dave Beeman. 

Mobile Phone: 641-529-9492

Email: [email protected]

Office: 3360 9th St. SW, Mason City, IA 50401

Office Phone: 641-423-9460

Innovation and insight delivered to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter ►

Recent Posts

Posts By Topic

Recent Posts

  • Cheap RFID Tags (and why they may not be as cheap as you think)

  • What is an RFID Tag and how do they work?

  • What is RFID (radio frequency identification) and how can it help my school’s asset tracking program?