It could be 15 years before radio frequency
identification (RFID) tags become universal in retail, according to
German supermarket giant Metro Group, which is running a pioneering
pilot of the technology.
The prediction was made by Metro Group chief executive
Hans-Joachim K”rber at the CeBit trade show in Hanover last
week.
Metro, together with Wal-Mart in the US and Tesco in the UK, is
a world leader in RFID technology. As part of its Future Store
Initiative, at CeBit the company demonstrated how every pallet
coming into a store could be automatically identified and
registered via RFID to save time and reduce costs.
Based on technology provided by SAP, Intel, IBM and T-Mobile,
the Future Store Initiative is investigating how retailers will be
able to offer their customers tailor-made services and an enhanced
shopping experience using emerging technologies. The aim is to look
at how various types of technology can be linked together to
improve store efficiency and customer satisfaction.
The Future Store Initiative is developing a framework linking
innovative technologies in a complex way.
Metro Group is also trialling the first commercially available
EPC-compliant RFID reader able to operate in Europe, developed by
Symbol Technologies.