High street retailer Marks & Spencer last week revealed
it is planning to extend its use of RFID technology this spring
after a four-week trial at its High Wycombe store proved largely
successful.
The company, which has 320 stores in the UK, trialled RFID in
October and November of last year to test the technology and gauge
levels of customer acceptability.
The test highlighted hardware and software modifications that Marks
& Spencer would need to make before implementing the
technology.
A portal, which was installed at the distribution centre and the
loading bay of the store to allow rails of hanging garments and
trolleys to be pushed through and read at speed, was found to
provide a less accurate reading than a mobile scanner that was
trialled. The portal was also less versatile.
The mobile scanner could potentially represent better value, but a
number of design modifications would be required, Marks &
Spencer said.
The PC integrated into the scanner would need to be "ruggedised" -
contained within a more robust casing with a smaller screen - and
the role of the scanner would be changed to that of a transmitter
rather than a processor of information, Marks & Spencer
said.
James Stafford, head of RFID at the retailer, said, "We are pleased
with the trial's outcome - it proved that this technology can work
within a retail store.
"We need to establish a robust business case for the technology, so
we will be trialling it in more stores and for a longer period of
time to get meaningful figures."