Rebecca Minkoff Brings Self-Service to Its SoHo Store With RFID

Luxury handbag and accessories retailer Rebecca Minkoff is piloting a radio frequency identification-based self-checkout system that allows customers at its New York store to select an accessory they want, make a purchase on an Apple iPad and unlock that item's security tag so that they can leave the store without having to wait in line. The solution is provided by technology startup QueueHop in a display unit modified by Rebecca Minkoff to match the store's aesthetics. The solution consists of the self-checkout unit, which features an RFID interrogator to read a product's hard tag, an iPad mounted on the wall to accept credit-card purchases, and a slot in which the hard tag can be read via another RFID reader. The tag can then be removed after the purchase.