Introduction
It is no exaggeration to say that retail has changed like never before. For some time, operations have been growing increasingly more complex, and shoppers increasingly more discerning. Now that evolution has been accelerated. Retailers must be flexible in meeting consumer demands in the face of a rapidly changing retail landscape if they hope to succeed. As the industry recovers, retailers pursuing digital transformation in order to optimize operations, expand omnichannel fulfillment, and enable data-driven decisions are poised to lead the way. One of the foundational technologies providing insight to drive digital transformation? RAIN RFID.
RAIN RFID technology is changing the face of retail for the better. With RAIN RFID technology, you can…
- Check Easily see your merchandise along every step of your supply chain.
- Check Empower your sales associates to elevate the customer experience with having accurate inventory information at their finger tips.
- Check Enable customers to browse and buy across all shopping channels with confidence that inventory availability is consistent, current and accurate.
RAIN RFID technology connects products, services, and operations across retail locations every day. The future of retail is seamless connectivity that improves both customer experiences and business processes from supply-chain to point-of-sale.
“Item-level RFID is driving visibility and efficiency as well as playing a critical role in helping retailers create a seamless omni-channel customer experience. Retailers around the globe are using it to increase inventory accuracy, reduce out-of-stocks and improve loss detection as well as to get more product into their customers’ hands than ever before.”
Targeted Data Accuracy
We all know accuracy is critical when managing retail businesses— for both employees and customers alike. Accuracy is also one of the biggest challenges facing retailers like you. Discrepancies in inventory are costly: 8.7% of total retail sales are lost due to inventory inaccuracies.1 We also know that manual inventory counts take time and can be error-prone and costly. With RAIN RFID, you can cycle count as frequently as you like and stay up-to-date with immediate and accurate inventory data. Accurate inventory data is essential for retail operations.
Inventory Visibility:
What good is accurate inventory if you can’t see it? From online shopping to in-store pick-up, inventory visibility is more important than ever. Real-time inventory is changing the retail game—enabling retailers to access all of their inventory across locations to satisfy shopper demand whether in store or online, and in real time. Overstocking—the old solution to a lack of accurate inventory visibility—hurts your bottom line. Seeing exactly where your items are and aren’t, makes merchandise planning easy. The future of inventory management is RAIN RFID, which doesn’t require overstocked shelves with product that may or may not sell.
Omni-Channel Capabilities
With increased accuracy that you (and your customers) can see, shoppers expect consistent information and services across every channel and brand touchpoint. Leveraging enterprise-wide inventory for omni-channel operations offers shoppers the flexibility to “buy online, pick-up in-store” (BOPIS) or to “ship to store.” Plus, retailers get the ability to “ship from store” for order fulfillment as well. Some retailers are even offering items that can be delivered from the store to a customer’s location within one hour of ordering! The future of the brick-and-mortar stores may evolve into the store becoming a hub for omni-channel retail and fulfillment which will require accurate, by-the-minute inventory data to give customers and employees every option to access products.
Streamlined Store Operations
In the past, streamlining everyday in-store operations and lowering costs meant budget crunching, reallocating costs, and adjusting plans and schedules. Today, it means automation through new technology. With RAIN RFID, store inventory management is more efficient and data accuracy is more precise. Store operational processes require less labor and time, meaning associates can focus on what’s important: the customer. Data-driven retail operations powered by RAIN RFID automate everyday tasks, speed up transactions, reduce errors and lower labor costs. But the ultimate value of RAIN RFID is that these small chips cut down the time it takes for an item to get from a distribution center to the sales floor, and into a shopper’s hands.
Here are just a few examples of how RAIN RFID technology streamlines operations along the item journey:
- Automated shipment receiving
- Location tracking upon putaway and restocking
- Item pick, pack and ship verification
- Sales checkout efficiency and price validation
RAIN RFID grants you overall process efficiency, error and shrink reduction,
real-time inventory updates and improved store performance.
Secure Inventories
It goes without saying that providing customers with the best service is a top priority for you. But making sure retail inventories are protected from theft is an important, and often difficult, part of retail as well. Item-level RAIN RFID tagging increases the visibility of products in the store and provides new insights into the causes and occurrences of theft as they happen. It can be used with traditional security technologies, such as video, to reduce inventory loss and make it easier to detect and prevent retail theft. Existing exit alarms do a good job of alerting store associates when a tagged item leaves the premises, but what items and how many is unknown. When the specific item can be identified in real time, you and your associates can understand specifically what was stolen, when and through which doorway. Armed with this level of insight—which has never before been available to retail loss prevention managers—you can take proactive measures to prevent future loss.
Supply Chain Insight
RAIN RFID lets you follow your merchandise along its retail journey. You can monitor products during inbound and outbound shipments to other stores and warehouses, ensuring accuracy along the supply chain from the vendor to the end customer. RAIN RFID eliminates errors and faulty data that can impact your customer’s experience. Instead of fighting a losing battle with bad inventory data created in the supply chain, RAIN RFID tracks incoming and outgoing merchandise with accuracy, ensuring you get the right data even before the merchandise reaches your store or warehouse.
Accurately seeing your supply chain from beginning to end helps you streamline your operations. RAIN RFID helps you reduce both duplication in process at each checkpoint along the supply chain, and reduce manual scanning errors. By doing so, you also get the benefit of seeing timely data on thousands of products in minutes, rather than hours or days. Make sure you are supplied with every product, right from the beginning with RAIN RFID tracking.
The Customer Experience, Elevated
From inventory accuracy, to omni-channel execution, loss prevention and store
processes, RAIN RFID is changing the efficiency of retail. These changes at every
customer touch point make an impact for the better. In order to provide the customer
with a unified experience across all channels, and enable sales associates to best
assist in-store shoppers, RAIN RFID streamlines transactions and enhances
customer engagement across your brand.
RAIN RFID systems elevate your customer’s experience with real-time product
updates, availability and omni-channel flexibility.
Download full ebook to get more insights on the above points.
