RFID and iPods Tailor the Shopping Experience

Made Essential Reading on 12 February 2010 Felix Hemsley

Often referred to as ‘the most talked about but least deployed’ technology, RFID looked set to turn the retail supply chain on its head a few years ago when Walmart looked as though it was going to deploy it. However, for a number of reasons, including the high price of the tags, mass adoption has not occurred.

Whilst the application of this technology into the ‘front-end’ consumer world of retail has been trickling into our stores in a variety of different ways, a recent pilot project that I’ve been reading about really seems to be taking it to the next level by putting it directly into the hands of the shopper.

At the very core of this project is RFID providing location identification. Coupled with this is a front end device, in this case, an iPod touch. Clothing for a Better Earth has taken these two technologies and integrated them to provide an altogether fuller, more targeted shopping experience. As the customer enters the shop, they are presented with a device which is quickly programmed with their age and sex. This is then associated via the backend system with the RFID tag on the device, allowing the customer to be identified in a particular location in the shop. Thanks to this location technology, relevant information is streamed to nearby monitors, providing recommendations on nearby products, and also displaying a ‘You are here!’ identifier on the device, a function much more commonly associated with tourist attractions.

With the additional functionality of logging onto the website and including specific tags such as denim, jacket, hoodie or any multitude of options, the user can receive even more relevant and targeted information next time they are in the shop.

Now how’s that for an app?!