Uniqlo RFID tags

Japanese fast fashion giant and parent company of Uniqlo (Uniqlo), the Swift Sales Group (Fast Retailing) (2017), announced that it will introduce RFID (radio frequency identification) electronic tags in 3,000 stores worldwide, including 2,000 outlet Uniqlo stores, within a year.

UNIQLO is the first Japanese retailer to use electronic tags globally, but its rival H&M has introduced RFID technology in 2014; Zara deployed RFID systems in 2017 and has completed the installation of RFID systems in 2,200 retail stores and logistics centers around the world. Together with sister brand GU's RFID attempts to win the market's favor, these series of cases have strongly accelerated the adoption of RFID tags in Uniqlo's stores worldwide.

At present, Uniqlo's RFID reform is in full swing, featuring applications or reference Fast Retailing opened in Yokohama, Japan, the various brands of stores, including RFID tags, RFID fitting mirrors, RFID shopping carts, RFID self-checkout and other intelligent equipment.

Uniqlo RFID tags
Compared to bar codes that require manual operation, electronic tags can automatically read information wirelessly, further saving more labor and inventory costs. Electronic tags can also collect specific information such as volume, model and color in a timely and accurate manner.

UNIQLO RFID hangtags are embedded with UHF RFID tags. Based on the size difference, Uniqlo uses a variety of UHF tags, and only three antenna as below:

.................RFID Min Web                                     RFID WEB                                         RFID Belt

To draw customers' attention to RFID, Uniqlo has also thoughtfully put a small reminder on the RFID tags. Needless to say, this did greatly arouse customers' curiosity and even sparked a great discussion among Uniqlo fans.

Some curious babies also specialize in dismantling the Uniqlo hangtags to find out.



RFID Uniqlo's smart stores
When you come to the front of the store, see a wide range of clothes but no way to start, piece by piece trying on clothes let you exhausted and indecisive, then the magic mirror placed in the store will play a role in helping you try on.

1、RFID intelligent shopping guide
Just stand in front of the screen a little slide can help you choose clothes, try on clothes, recommend a variety of collocation. If the store size is small, can not display all the goods, at this time, the cloud shelves can synchronously present a large number of goods not placed for you to choose, select the goods and a key to scan the code to place an order, the fastest day of delivery can be to your hands. RFID electronic tags play a role that should not be underestimated.

At the same time, customers can put their hands on their heads to view the buyer's comments, thus helping themselves to judge the cost effectiveness of the clothes.

Uniqlo sister brand GU also innovated RFID shopping cart, which is also a pretty cool presence.

After customers select the clothes they are interested in, they can put the RFID tag of the clothes on the RFID device of the shopping cart, and then the device will immediately display the color, stock status, and other sizes of the product.

For GU and UNIQLO, this also greatly reduces the cost burden of the shopper.

2、RFID self-checkout
In addition, UNIQLO has also introduced RFID self-checkout counter. Customers in the completion of shopping, the clothes on the shopping cart placed on the RFID self-checkout machine, self-checkout machine will be a one-time scan and give the bill, then consumers swipe the code to pay, the whole self-help no artificial. The use of RFID self-checkout system, not only can save the time of payment and inventory management, to ensure that the company can quickly improve the production of hot products. It also reduces checkout time, ensures that items are in stock and provides other benefits.

(Displaying the price of clothes)

(self-service payment providing a receipt)

Many fans of UNIQLO (uniqlo) support and agree with the self-service checkout counter, saying that this checkout method has greatly reduced their shopping time and improved shopping efficiency. For UNIQLO, this application then reduces cashier labor costs and improves the accuracy of sales data, which is really a double benefit.

In addition to reducing the guide, cashier settlement and other levels of labor burden, RFID also reduces the burden of UNIQLO storage, data level.

UNIQLO RFID warehousing
In the fast fashion trend, fashion can not really "fast" up, logistics and warehousing operational efficiency is very critical. Especially for chain companies, once the efficiency of the logistics system declines, the entire company's operations will suffer from the risk of impact. Inventory backlog is a common problem in the retail industry, ordinary stores are to discount promotions to solve this problem, and the use of RFID information technology (predictive demand), you can use data analysis to provide consumers really need the product, from the source to solve this problem.

RFID tags can automatically and infinitely transmit information, saving labor costs in inventory management, and more accurately obtain specific information about the volume of transactions, models, colors, sizes and other goods to do real-time updates of the inventory system.
For example, if an item is snapped up, it is possible to quickly make a decision to restock or re-produce. The time required to inspect products with electronic tags is only 10% of the time required for inventory management systems commonly used in the industry today.

UNIQLO initially introduced RFID tags with this in mind. Currently, Uniqlo has applied RFID to its warehousing.

According to related reports, UNIQLO will RFID tags on all products, combined with automated material handling equipment, after the establishment of an automated warehouse, the number of warehouse personnel from about 100 people reduced to 10 people, saving 90% of labor costs. At the same time, UNIQLO has increased productivity by 80 times, increased shipping productivity by 19 times, increased storage efficiency by 3 times, reduced personnel training costs by 80%, and achieved 100% accuracy in automatic RFID inspection.

In the 2018 Double 11 shopping spree, UNIQLO achieved $1 billion in sales in one minute. And relying on its superior automated inventory system, Uniqlo enabled customers to pick up goods in offline stores within 24 hours.

RFID technology future development trend
For China's RFID industry, 2020 is an important development node. this particular crisis, which has continued for several months since the beginning of 2020, has led to a continued rise in demand for RFID in some scenarios, such as unmanned convenience stores, self-checkout, medical products, and wearable devices.
In the special situation, in order to avoid unnecessary contact between people, "contactless shopping", "contactless delivery" and other modes of prevalence. These "contactless" mode, but can not do without the support of RFID technology, for example: unmanned convenience stores need the function of RFID electronic roll label, in order to achieve its characteristics, to bring shopping convenience for customers. Therefore, RFID and "no contact" mode of combination more and more closely.

At the same time, with UNIQLO in 3000 stores around the world to widely deploy FRID electronic tags, smart shopping, smart stores and other high-tech technology continues to evolve and develop, I believe that in the near future, RFID technology will be more and more people are familiar with and more comprehensive popularization.