From Alarms to Insights: How RFID Is Redefining the Future of Retail Loss Prevention
Retail loss‑prevention is shifting from a binary alarm system to data‑driven insight by layering RFID onto existing Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS). RFID tags assign a unique identifier to each SKU, enabling stores to know exactly what was taken, whether it was paid for, and where the breach occurred. The technology’s recent cost reductions and smaller form factors make it viable across diverse retail formats, not just pilot stores. As a result, retailers gain real‑time shrink visibility, reduce false alarms, and can move from reactive theft response to proactive loss mitigation.
AccuformNMC RFID Label Production Boosted by GTUS Machine
AccuformNMC, a Justrite Safety Group division, has adopted Graph-Tech USA’s RFID-Runner encode‑and‑print system, boosting UHF RFID label output. The eZ‑Inkjet engine delivers 600 dpi variable‑data printing at speeds up to 20 times faster than conventional thermal printers. Consumable costs have fallen by...
Zebra Showcases New Supply Chain Solutions
At MODEX 2026, Zebra Technologies unveiled a suite of new wearable and mobile computers designed to boost supply‑chain visibility and frontline productivity. The flagship WS501‑R wearable merges barcode scanning and voice‑directed picking into a hands‑free device, while the TC501 and...
IoT as the Silent Hero
Retailers are moving beyond simple equipment monitoring toward IoT platforms that combine real‑time condition data with generative‑AI prescriptive analytics. The new generation of sensors captures product‑level environments and automatically assigns corrective tasks, turning alerts into actionable workflows. This shift enables...
Upgraded Impinj Reader Delivers Enterprise-Grade Edge Intelligence
Impinj has launched an upgraded R700 RFID reader that doubles processor performance and triples embedded memory, delivering enterprise‑grade edge intelligence. The new hardware adds Gen2X features such as Tag Selection and Tag Read Range, which improve tag filtering, increase read...
Avery Dennison Launches RFID Inlays Matching Major Sterilization Methods
Avery Dennison unveiled a new RFID inlay portfolio that endures the three most common medical sterilization methods, including autoclave and ethylene oxide gas. The three products—AD Minidose U9 Steri, AD Accessory U9 Steri, and AD Shelter Steri—have passed durability tests...
Wiliot Partners with Databricks to Power Physical AI at Scale
Wiliot has teamed with Databricks to run its battery‑free Physical AI platform on the Databricks lakehouse, enabling enterprises to ingest and analyze billions of real‑time IoT Pixel data points. The integration gives supply‑chain users instant visibility into inventory, shipments, asset...
Semtech Partners with Digital Barriers to Launch AI-Powered Video Compression
Semtech announced a partnership with Digital Barriers to deliver an AI‑powered video compression solution built into its AirLink XR60 5G router. The EdgeVis encoder reduces cellular bandwidth usage by up to 90% while preserving analytics‑grade video quality. The offering bundles...
How Texas Children’s Saved $14M with Zebra RFID Solutions: RFID Journal Case Study
Texas Children’s Hospital partnered with Zebra Technologies and Tecsys to install an RFID‑powered pharmacy system, replacing manual counts with real‑time tracking. The new workflow slashed medication tagging time from two minutes to seven seconds and lifted cabinet inventory accuracy to...
Protecting Patients From Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals with RAIN RFID
The surge in GLP‑1 medicines such as Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro has attracted a wave of counterfeit products, highlighted by the UK’s 2025 seizure of a factory producing fake injection pens. The World Health Organization estimates the global counterfeit drug...
Checkpoint RFID Innovation Secures Scotch Whisky Traceability
A BBC investigation uncovered widespread fraud in the Scotch whisky cask investment market, prompting calls for tighter regulation and digital oversight. With more than 33 million casks stored in Scotland and limited traceability, Checkpoint Systems and parent CCL Industries introduced SmartCask...
Tönnjes Offers New RFID Security Solutions for Vehicle Identification
Tönnjes, in partnership with Swiss chip maker EM Microelectronic, unveiled a next‑generation hybrid RFID/NFC chip for vehicle identification at Intertraffic in Amsterdam. The dual‑frequency tag combines long‑range RAIN RFID with smartphone‑compatible NFC, featuring AES‑128 encryption and expanded memory for secure,...
How BIG W Boosted Sales with Rapid RFID Tagging: RFID Journal Case Study
After COVID, BIG W tackled size‑level inventory gaps by launching a rapid RFID tagging program across 180 Australian stores. Partnering with Checkpoint, Sensormatic, Zebra and others, the retailer applied tags to every non‑seasonal item, achieving 100% tag saturation in months. Full...
Flexible Chips – the Missing Link for Mass-Market Consumer IoT
Consumer IoT is expanding beyond niche gadgets, demanding billions of low‑cost, connected components. Traditional silicon chips rely on legacy nodes that are expensive, slow to scale, and increasingly unsustainable. Flexible semiconductors—thin‑film transistors printed on polyimide—offer a dramatically simpler, low‑temperature manufacturing...
Avery Dennison Combats Food Waste with RFID Innovation
Avery Dennison’s new report shows that roughly two‑thirds of retailers still rely on manual inventory counts, driving record meat waste. The study estimates meat waste will cost retailers $94 billion this year and rise to $103 billion by 2030. In response, Avery...
Getting Granular: Incorporating RFID Technology to Improve Medication Management
Hospitals face tighter budgets, staffing shortages, and rising drug costs, prompting a search for more efficient medication management. RFID technology, once limited to retail, now offers real‑time, item‑level tracking that reduces manual errors and streamlines documentation. Advances in ultra‑high‑frequency tags...
SUSE Acquires Losant; KORE Acquired in $726 Million Deal
SUSE announced the acquisition of Losant, a leading Industrial IoT platform, to evolve from an edge‑infrastructure provider into a full‑stack IIoT leader. The deal expands SUSE's Edge portfolio with Losant's visual workflow engine, device orchestration and real‑time analytics, promising faster...
Revolutionizing Omnichannel Fulfillment with Always-On RFID: RFID Journal Case Study
International fashion retailers struggling with manual stock counts adopted PervasID's TrackMaster 3X always‑on RFID platform. The system provides continuous, item‑level visibility across store floors and stockrooms, delivering near‑100% read accuracy and one‑meter location precision. After deployment, retailers reported up to 50%...
RFID and PLM: The Missing Link Between Physical Assets and the Digital Thread
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems excel at tracking design, manufacturing and service data, yet they often lack a reliable link to the physical product. Embedding RFID tags on components provides a permanent, unique identifier that can be read without line‑of‑sight....
Two NFC Forum Specifications Adopted as IEC Standards
The NFC Forum announced that its NFC Wireless Charging (WLC) Specification and NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) Technical Specification have been formally adopted as IEC global standards. The IEC’s multi‑stage voting process yielded unanimous consensus, confirming the specs meet rigorous...
Clustag Launches Integrated RFID Reader Tag Inspector
Clustag has unveiled Tag Inspector, the first open‑source application for smartphones equipped with integrated RFID readers, aimed at technical validation, R&D, and test‑lab environments. The tool runs on Zebra’s EM45‑RFID and TC53e‑RFID handsets and can read tags from multiple manufacturers,...
WBA Publishes Industry First Guidance on AI, ML for Intelligent Wi-Fi
The Wireless Broadband Alliance released its first industry guidance on applying AI and machine learning to Wi‑Fi networks, emphasizing a shift from rule‑based to predictive, self‑optimizing management. The report, led by Intel and co‑authored by Airties, Cisco and HPE, details...
How RFID Data Is Transforming Logistics Back-Office Accuracy
RFID adoption in logistics is moving beyond warehouse floor visibility to reshape back‑office operations. By capturing timestamped, location‑specific events, RFID creates an event‑based data layer that replaces manual scans and carrier estimates. This data foundation automates freight audit, inventory reconciliation...
Avery Dennison Launches AD IdentiFresh for Food Retail
Avery Dennison introduced the AD IdentiFresh inlay series, a new RFID solution aimed at fresh‑food categories such as bakery, meat, deli and produce. The inlays feature a proprietary antenna design that improves read performance on densely stacked, high‑moisture items, especially in...
How Chainway Help Solves RFID Linen Management at Marriott: RFID Journal Case Study
Marriott International deployed Chainway’s MC51 UHF handheld as part of an RFID Linen Management System, embedding washable tags in sheets, towels and robes. The solution automates inbound receipt, housekeeping issuance, and outbound handover through bulk scanning at key checkpoints. MC51’s...
Checkpoint Teams With JD Sports for RFID Inventory Accuracy and Shelf Availability Solution
Checkpoint Systems has signed a multi‑year global software agreement with JD Sports Fashion Plc to deploy its ItemOptix RFID inventory management platform across the retailer’s European stores. After a successful pilot in the UK, France and Spain, the rollout will...
Sunrise 2027 and the Next Generation of Barcoding Solutions
GS1 US’s Sunrise 2027 initiative aims to have every point‑of‑sale system read 2D barcodes, such as QR codes and DataMatrix symbols, by the end of 2027. The voluntary program pushes the retail sector beyond traditional 1D codes, unlocking richer data...
RFiD Discovery Launches Automated Contact Tracing Solution for Hospitals
RFiD Discovery has introduced an automated contact‑tracing solution for hospitals that leverages Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wristbands for patients and BLE‑enabled ID badges for staff. The system captures proximity, duration, distance and location data in real time, feeding it into...
Kyubi System Powers Party Fiesta’s Leap Into Retail 4.0: RFID Journal Case Study
Party Fiesta, Europe’s leading party‑supplies chain, partnered with Kyubi System to deploy a 360‑degree RFID ecosystem using Impinj M700 tags and Zebra ATR700 ceiling readers. The solution delivers real‑time, item‑level inventory visibility, eliminates manual cycle counts, and introduces an AIR! EASY...
Reelables Launches BLE-Based Smart Label Indoor Tracking Solution
Reelables unveiled a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Smart Label indoor tracking solution that delivers location accuracy up to 10 centimeters, matching ultra‑wideband performance at a fraction of the cost. The system combines Reelables’ flexible smart labels with IOSEA’s SEAgnal AoA RTLS...
Avery Dennison First to Integrate Pragmatic Chips at Scale
Avery Dennison has become the first company to mass‑produce NFC inlays that embed Pragmatic Semiconductor’s NFC Connect FlexIC chips. The partnership delivers low‑cost, edge‑level intelligence for consumer packaged goods, supporting digital brand experiences and compliance tools such as Digital Product...
RRD Details Smart Packaging Implementation
RRD’s 2026 Integrated Packaging Report surveyed 400 packaging, label and supply‑chain leaders, revealing a stark gap between strong awareness of smart packaging and its limited real‑world adoption. While most respondents intend to adopt connected packaging—using RFID, QR codes and IoT...
Blecon Launches Agent to Transform Zebra Devices
Blecon has introduced the Blecon Agent, software that activates the built‑in Bluetooth radios on Zebra Technologies frontline devices, turning them into an autonomous tracking network. The solution delivers continuous asset visibility without deploying new infrastructure or paying for cellular connectivity,...
Paragon ID, Dracula Technologies to Scale Light-Powered BLE Tags
Paragon ID and Dracula Technologies announced a large‑scale rollout of XgenTag‑L, the first fully light‑powered, battery‑free Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) smart tag. A multi‑year contract for several hundred thousand organic photovoltaic (OPV) modules will enable industrial deployment across logistics, healthcare,...
Hanshow, University of Cambridge Team Up to Advance Next-Generation Augmented RFID
Hanshow and the University of Cambridge have announced a multi‑year research partnership to create next‑generation Augmented RFID systems built on ultra‑low‑power sensing and distributed hardware architectures. The collaboration blends Cambridge’s expertise in energy‑harvesting communication with Hanshow’s large‑scale edge‑computing and retail...
RFID Beyond Middleware: The Next Stage of Software and Data for Retailers
RFID adoption has moved beyond apparel into full supply‑chain visibility, covering manufacturing, distribution, sales and returns. The industry is shifting from hardware‑centric middleware to software platforms that embed analytics, automation and API integration. Always‑on readers, sensor‑fusion with video and IoT,...
NFC Forum Publishes Its Latest Technology Roadmap
The NFC Forum released its 2026 technology roadmap, outlining six priority initiatives to evolve NFC standards. Key focus areas include boosting data rates up to eight times, launching a comprehensive security profile, and enhancing wireless power specifications. The roadmap also...