To make clothing’s RFID tags easier to read, Kmart Australia is switching its in-store shelving to wood and using foam underlays at the back-of-house.
The shop is currently tagging every article of clothing in its stores so that TORY, a robot, can read them and provide a more accurate picture of the inventory in-store.
Adam Gradon, the RFID rollout manager, announced late last week that the retailer would have all clothing tagged at vendor level, or at the overseas manufacturer, and autonomous robots taking data from the tags in all Australian stores by Christmas. The meeting was organised by GS1 Australia.
He did, however, disclose that Kmart is changing some of its in-store fittings and fixtures to make sure that the robot can read the tags.
Metal and RFID tags don’t get along because the metal can obstruct the tag’s antenna or reflect attempts to read it.
With those who have visited a Kmart location, you may have noticed that a lot of our clothing is displayed on metal shelving. To address this, Gradon stated, “we’ve swapped out the metal shelving for wooden shelving.”
We also have metal in our back-of-house. It’s funny how much metal you find there when you start using RFID and wish it was something else.
The fact that all of Kmart’s suppliers, who are headquartered in nations like China, India, and Bangladesh, affix the RFID tags at the time of manufacture is one of the keys to success.
Checkpoint Systems, whose garment label solutions division has been involved in the project since its inception at anko, has made advantage of its global footprint to collaborate closely with local vendors on straightforward procedures for fastening the tags to merchandise.
Since the objects themselves as well as the shop fixtures they were placed on could create interference, some items, including cutlery sets, required special instruction on tag attachment.
Gradon went on to say that the introduction of RFID technology at Kmart Australia “laid a platform for a multi-year transformation of the instore consumer experience.
