RFID technology is well known for its usefulness in tracking inventory. But what about new ways to use RFID? We looked at how entrepreneurs are innovating with this technology through platforms like Kickstarter - but what about businesses? Many businesses have the infrastructure and resources for innovation so we look to them to see what will come next in technology trends.
So let's take a look at some businesses that are paving the way for new ways of using RFID. The "genius" behind these methods is that they increase customer satisfaction - and what could be more genius than making customers happy?
1. Walt Disney World: new RFID "Magic Band" is your personal key to the Magic Kingdom
The MagicBand contains sensors that let guests swipe onto rides and allow Disney to pinpoint their location. At Be Our Guest, they’re what enable the radios in the table and ceiling to triangulate your location so your server can find you.
2. Burberry Regent St: using RFID to link the digital and physical worlds
At Burberry, customers can pick up a garment that is fitted with an RFID (radio identification) tag and trigger an interactive video that shows how the product was made or what other items complement it. Customer profiles are built based on what garments the customers have tried on (they are tracked using those RFID tags — with the customers’ permission, of course).
3. Rebecca Minkoff: RFID-enabled dressing rooms help you find other items that will look great with the ones you're trying on
All the clothing and accessories in Minkoff’s new stores are outfitted with RFID tags—radio signal-emitting tags frequently used in theme park access wristbands and in credit cards. The dressing rooms at Rebecca Minkoff’s new stores in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Tokyo are equipped with RFID shields that allow them to identify which clothing customers bring in to that specific dressing room.
4. Blue C Sushi - keeping kaiten-style sushi fresh with RFID
As many raw-fish aficionados know, at a kaiten -style spot plates of sushi circle the restaurant on a conveyor belt. Diners pick the dishes they want, and at the end of the meal the plates are counted and the bill is tallied. Blue C first turned to RFID as a way to deal with a common challenge for kaiten restaurants: monitoring how long a particular plate of sushi has been on the conveyor, to ensure that everything diners eat is fresh.
5. Wells Fargo - using RFID to increase security
Wells Fargo & Co. uses RFID to tag all the servers, storage drives, laptops and other equipment in some of its data centers, giving it an easier way to track and secure the gear. With the technology, security guards can quickly tell whether laptops are leaving the building with their rightful owners. That’s particularly helpful at the ends of shifts, when a lot of people are heading home at once; previously, guards had to manually check each laptop’s serial number against a master list.
Read More About RFID:
o How Zara Controls Inventory With RFID
