RFID Brings Light to one of the Biggest Department Stores---Intime

Intime Retail, one of the biggest retail department stores in China, has established more than 30 shopping malls in china. Having been successfully developing throughout a decade, Intime boasts more than one hundred strategic cooperation brands, attracting millions of shoppers annually. Recently, Intime shopping mall opened its first state-of-the-art “EAS+RFID” smart store in Hangzhou, China.

The Smart Store Solution, provided by Hangzhou Century Link, combines the EAS and RFID technology, making the smart retail management possible. Meanwhile, it provides Interactive Retail System with Magic Mirror and Smart Fitting Room, which greatly upgrades the consumer shopping experience.

When compared to traditional of inventory management methods, the “EAS+RFID” smart store provides faster inventory by using EAS + RFID dual hard tags and handheld readers. Using the RFID technology, store staff can use the handheld reader to identify EAS + RFID dual hard tags on the products and complete a fast inventory count or search. It has reduced a large number of labor hours and subsequently increased the working efficiency of the retailer store. What’s more, the smart store has applied underground EAS Gates to further enhance loss prevention. When products with EAS + RFID dual hard tags pass the EAS Gate and have not been paid for, the system will trigger the alarm. The invisible EAS Gate, entirely different from the traditional EAS Gate, saves retail stores much more space while providing the customer with a more relaxing and entertaining shopping experience.

As the customer today is more demanding and hard to entertain, retailers are trying to figure out other ways to ensure customer retention. The Interactive Retail System, consisting of the Magic Mirror and the Smart Fitting Room, is always an effective choice. The system can automatically obtain information about the garments that customers bring near the mirror by reading the EAS + RFID dual tag on the garments, then Magic Mirror will show the details about the garment including the material, size, color or even what other items can go with the garment. Customers can place an order by the magic mirror and pay for it by Intime software. The Magic Mirror can also take photos which you can share to social media.

Aside from the Magic Mirror, a built-in RFID reader will identify the EAS + RFID dual tag of every garment brought into the Smart Fitting Room. The screen will display the garment has just brought in and shows other information which allows the customer to request another size or color on the screen. It will also recommend complementary products to customers for cross-selling. The retail staff can receive the message from the fitting rooms by phone and deliver the items that customers ask for to the fitting rooms, hence customers can try on the clothing they want without leaving the fitting rooms.

The Smart Pay System with RFID Detacher and Item identification station has significantly decreased the queue at the cash registers. Customers can put the items they decide to buy on the smart pay counter where the screen will show the total prices of the items, and how to pay in the ways most convenient to them. The Smart Pay System also connects to the EAS system, which will automatically unlock the items when the items have been paid.

Retail stores can achieve fast inventory count using the handheld reader and replenish the items quickly after they have been sold. It also can locate the items and optimize shelf display.  The manager of the Smart Store says, “The smart store solution helps retailers to increase delivery accuracy, to reduced processing costs as well as improve inventory accuracy. By adopting the innovative interactive Retail System, retailers can benefit by creating a whole new level of customer experience, satisfaction as well as loyalty, thereby leading to increased sales.”

We believe that for successful retail experiences in the future, it is necessary to support and promote RFID+EAS technology. Century RFID will remain constantly updated on new technological trends in order to provide you with the newest and best technology and services.