Walmart RFID Applications With RAIN RFID Tags And RFID Readers

RFID technology has been used by the large supermarket Wal-Mart to all retail goods inside, so what are the benefits of the application of Wal-Mart RFID technology?

The largest retailer in the United States, Walmart has decided to expand RAIN RFID to other products after successfully using RAIN RFID for apparel. Many are asking, will this be the tipping point for RAIN RFID adoption in the U.S. retail industry?

In early 2022, Walmart announced that it was requiring its suppliers to tag household goods, sporting goods, electronics and toys with RAIN RFID by September 2022, with plans to expand the requirement to additional categories. "We have achieved significant results in ensuring our ability to deliver products to our customers, resulting in improved online order fulfillment and customer satisfaction," Walmart's senior director of sales told RFID Journal. Because of its size and reach, Wal-Mart is often a leader in the U.S. retail industry. With the expansion of RAIN RFID into several new product categories, Wal-Mart RFID technology could trigger a ripple effect that will influence the "near universal" adoption of RAIN RFID technology in the U.S. retail industry.
Walmart's senior director of sales also noted that "RAIN RFID solutions enable retailers to view the real-time location and status of items in the supply chain and stores. Walmart's use of RAIN RFID has "improved inventory accuracy, but more importantly, it has helped us to better serve our customers.

Walmart has made it clear that it will use RAIN RFID for inventory and supply chain management. Meanwhile, retailers around the world are beginning to see that RAIN RFID, in addition to inventory and supply chain management, can be used for more functions, including providing retailers with the real-time inventory visibility needed for omni-channel fulfillment, including "buy online, pick up in-store," "buy online, pick up curbside," and more. RAIN RFID can bypass clunky barcode scanning, improve self-checkout, enhance the customer experience and reduce queues. Walmart RFID technology solutions can enhance loss prevention by showing retailers exactly what's missing, when and where it's missing, and how it fits into store trends.

The following are typical ways RAIN RFID solutions work in retail.
1. Each item is tagged with a Walmart RFID tag, which includes a thin antenna and a micro tag chip containing the item's identifier. The tags can be made very small and can be embedded in labels, tags, packaging or even fabric tags.
2. RAIN RFID readers, either handheld RFID readers or stationary RFID readers fixed at the point of conversion, use radio signals to read the identifiers stored on these tag chips. Unlike bar codes, up to one thousand RAIN RFID tags can be read at a time at a distance of up to 10 meters without line of sight contact. 
3. The reader sends this tag data to software that interfaces with existing enterprise systems. With this data, retailers can immediately know if an item is in stock, or provide online shoppers with accurate product availability, or insight into sales patterns that can inform merchandising and prevent shrinkage.

During an epidemic, the benefits of RAIN RFID become even more apparent. The health and economic crisis drove more consumers to shop online and caused disruptions in the global supply chain. Walmart was an early mover in RAIN RFID in retail, and the potential for using Walmart RFID technology on products other than apparel became apparent.

By September 2, 2022, Walmart suppliers must include RAIN RFID on packaging for all products in at least the following categories.

1. Kitchen and dining room
2. Home décor
3. Bathtubs and showers
4. Bedding
5. Furniture
6. Storage and organization
7. Electronics
8. Toys
9. Apparel

After adopting Wal-Mart RFID technology, verifying the goods on the shelves originally took hours, but now it only takes 30 minutes to complete, and Wal-Mart's supply chain efficiency has been significantly improved. The system automatically generates electronic orders, and the inventory of goods is updated in real time, saving warehouse space and improving Wal-Mart's capital flow rate. Not only that, Wal-Mart RFID technology also effectively reduces the labor costs of supply chain management, so that information flow, logistics, capital flow more compact and effective, increasing the benefits.

We look forward to expanding Walmart RFID technology into additional categories to further improve inventory accuracy across the enterprise, provide customers with a better in-store shopping experience, and drive greater online and pickup and storage efficiencies," Walmart said.