The German retail sector and the changes it has to face as a result of the corona pandemic – that is the focus of a recent survey carried out on behalf of Sensormatic Solutions. More than 1,000 consumers were surveyed in February 2022. Although digitalization does not stop at the retail sector, the survey showed that brick-and-mortar is still the preferred shopping format for most customers.
In general, the retail sector in Germany has generated 2.3 billion Euros and 3.6 million jobs since 2020. Around 13 percent can be attributed to online retailing. DENSO WAVE EUROPE offers innovative solutions that help master challenges in physical shops, online retailing, warehouse management, and related logistics
RFID is ideal for the retail sector because of its speed and precision
Compared to a classic barcode, RFID technology offers decisive advantages, especially for retail. RFID tags can carry more information than barcodes, allowing inventories to be managed better and stock takes to be more precise. Employees can quickly and easily scan individual goods, but also entire containers or pallets with RFID and a mobile computer from DENSO. A direct line of sight to the RFID tags is not necessary. The SP1 RFID scanner from DENSO, for example, manages 1,000 tags per second at a reading distance of up to 13 meters – one of the best reading performances in the industry.
To test the advantages of RFID for retail directly, DENSO offers a three-month starter kit free of charge. The RFID DEMO Kit contains everything retailers need to get started with RFID. It can be ordered here.
Hand in hand: online retail and brick-and-mortar shops
The RFID Inventory Management from DENSO and its partner RFKeeper helps retail companies optimize and digitize their processes, since this digital solution brings the benefits of online retailing to physical stores. The RFID Inventory Management improves inventory and sales efficiency with nearly 100 percent accurate shipping confirmations, inventory counts, search capabilities, and replenishment reports. Thus, the customer experience is significantly improved.
And not only inventory management can be optimized with RFID, but also the payment process at the POS. With the UR21 from DENSO, for example, long queues in brick-and-mortar shops are a thing of the past. The RFID scanner reads all of a customer's goods at once – waiting times are hence significantly reduced.
In order for online retailing and brick-and-mortar to work hand in hand, employees must be able to use mobile data collection devices with the ideal technology quickly and easily. DENSO’s mobile computers, scanners, and handheld terminals are particularly user-friendly and robust. A long period of training is not necessary. The SP1 RFID scanner, for instance, can even be combined with the existing equipment. Therefore, employees can profit from the advantages of RFID without having to get familiar with complicated new technology.
Without a doubt, the corona pandemic has accelerated the development of trends in brick-and-mortar retail, and retailers must continue to adapt in order to survive in the market. This is not only evident in retail in Germany, but also in other countries such as Great Britain or Italy. Omni- or multi-channel concepts must be further developed and adapted to customer requirements. But with all the developments, one thing is clear: With DENSO WAVE EUROPE, Auto-ID solutions, RFID, and mobile computers, smart retailers can also master the challenges of the future.
