Radio frequency allows retail giant Inditex, home of Zara, to track items from warehouse to check-out
Fashion retail giant Inditex Group, home of Zara, Pull & Bear and Massimo Dutti, has deployed an RFID-based inventory tracking solution in over 700 Zara stores, with further expansion currently underway.
The RFID technology, provided by Swiss company Tyco, allows the individual tracking of each garment through radio frequency waves from the logistics platforms until their ultimate sale. The garment's ID is recorded on a chip inside the security alarm.
The RFID system codes each garment in the logistics centres. When shipments reach the stores twice weekly, the system pinpoints which sizes and models need replenishing. The system is also useful for customer service, allowing the immediate identification of size availability either in-store, in nearby stores or online.
Expansion plans
In addition to store deployments, all of Zara's logistics centres have the technology fully operational. The Group expects to have it installed in all Zara stores by 2016, with plans for gradual rollout across the rest of its chains thereafter.
For Pablo Isla, chairman and CEO of Inditex, the implementation of this next-generation technology is "one of the most significant changes in how the Group's stores operate."
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