Study Finds Value for RFID in Visual Merchandising

With radio frequency identification deployments tracking retailer inventory and out-of-stocks on display shelves, some in the RFID industry are wondering where the next level of benefit for the technology may come from in retail. The RFID Lab at the University of Parma has released the results of a 12-month study that investigated the impact RFID technology could have on store sales by providing visibility into how well merchandise performs at specific store display locations. With the technology, university researchers and an Italian men's clothing retailer tracked what was displayed in each area of a store, and then compared the net profit of the sale of each piece of merchandise against the cost of displaying that item. The retailer has asked to remain unnamed.