Businesses have traditionally put quality at the heart of everything they do, whether they make, sell or provide something. Today, quality is expected, which means some businesses simply don’t shout about it enough. However, does the fact it has become a prerequisite mean that businesses now don’t focus on putting quality at the heart of their product or solutions?
Retail relies on quality solutions
For the retail industry, quality will always be vital. It is essential that the products being sold meet the expectations of shoppers. And the growth of digital retail means that operationally stores need to have high-quality solutions which enable them to provide a top-class experience, online and in-store. Excellent production values, ISO certification and regular inspections have never been more critical for retailers in their pursuit of delivering value to customers.
At Checkpoint, quality has been a habit for over 50 years – passed on to our new engineers and designers from the minute they start working for our business. It is imperative that they share our values and our desire to help our customers – retailers around the world – sell more merchandise.
Quality comes first in RFID
Over the last decade, RFID technology has become increasingly popular, enabling retailers to improve inventory accuracy and analyze a wealth of data across their estate. Deployed effectively it will have a hugely positive impact on the shopping experience by ensuring products are available to buy. However, its rise has led to an influx of manufacturers producing RFID inlays and labels – a natural evolution for the industry but one that causes a problem for retailers.
And the problem is caused by quality, or lack thereof. An RFID inlay is more than a simple sensor, it is a data carrier. Upon being read it can be a catalyst to drive actions within a store. It can generate automated replenishment actions, work throughout the supply chain, expenditure in terms of working capital or automated invoicing – all from this one, ‘simple’ sensor.
Now, if the sensor is of poor quality and is not read in the correct location, at the correct time the knock-on impact can negatively impact sales performance. It can drive physical tasks, such as re-ordering, that do not need to be completed. It will also make the number one objective of deploying RFID impossible to achieve, as some labels will not function correctly – so you will never achieve that holy grail of near-perfect inventory accuracy. And if you do not know where your products are or how many you have, you cannot expect to be in a position to meet the expectations of today’s shoppers. And in turn, their experience of your business will not be a positive one.
So, for Checkpoint you can see why quality is so important, and why it is something we continue to shout loudly about. It drives the right actions, at the right time, that generate value for retailers in this hyper-competitive age.
Manufacturing quality you can trust
At Checkpoint we proudly carry the ARC seal of manufacturing excellence and have achieved ISO 14001 certification in our RFID inlay manufacturing facilities. So, for 2022 make one promise. That the next time you are ordering RFID labels, ask to see your suppliers certifications. If they can provide them, you can rest easy, but if not then you need to consider whether your investment is delivering the value that you need to succeed.
Contact us today for a no-obligation conversation about your RFID strategy in 2022.
