It is no exaggeration to say that retail has changed like never before.
For some time, operations have been growing increasingly more complex, and shoppers increasingly more discerning. Now that evolution has been accelerated. Retailers must be flexible in meeting consumer demands in the face of a rapidly changing retail landscape if they hope to succeed.
As the industry recovers, retailers pursuing digital transformation in order to optimize operations, expand omnichannel fulfilment, and enable data-driven decisions are poised to lead the way. One of the foundational technologies providing insight to drive digital transformation? RFID.
Detego has been working with Geis group, the German logistics specialists, for over 7 years. Gies serves a variety of companies and retailers as a dedicated transport and distribution partner, covering the healthcare, automobile, and retail industries, to name a few. Hans Geis takes great pride in delivering specific software and system solutions tailored to the needs of their customers.
One of Geis group’s customers, the fashion retailer Drykorn, has a particularly high volume of products to process and distribute – with over 700,000 items processed in just 3 months.
Because of this high order volume, and because Drykorn already uses RFID tags on their products – it was the perfect opportunity for Geis to leverage the technology within their logistics centres.
Download the case study to find out how Detego delivered a solution that would deliver long term success:
“Working with Detego has enabled us to achieve significant process optimizations in the areas of incoming and outgoing goods over the past few years.”
Marius Kraft, Project Manager, Geis Group
Beauty retail is an industry at a crossroads. A sector resilient to crisis and change compared to other retail categories, cosmetic brands are beginning to feel the effects of the pandemic and ongoing industry changes.
In recent years, apparel and sports retailers have undergone digital transformations to stay competitive, and now beauty brands have an opportunity to follow suit. Read this eBook to discover how and why beauty retailing is set to transform into the industry of the future.
Beauty retail: An industry at a Crossroads
The apparel and sports retail industry have undergone mass change over recent years. Such retailers have undertaken digital transformation journeys in their store and distribution networks to adapt to digital-first customers and eCommerce competition. The beauty sector, however, is still behind the curve.
In most major beauty-industry markets, in-store shopping accounted for up to 85 per cent of beauty product purchases before the COVID-19 crisis – (McKinsey&Co) making the level of eCommerce penetration lower than in other retail sectors. While retailers in other categories have been forced to innovate and adapt in the face of falling brick-and-mortar sales, competition from eCommerce and direct-to-consumer models, brick-and-mortar beauty sales were more resilient.
But this is changing. Not only are eCommerce levels steadily increasing year-on-year, but the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this drastically, driving five years of change in a single year, according to
IBM. This leaves brick-and-mortar beauty retailers on unsteady ground. Beyond this, brands will have to navigate a more digital-centric environment and optimise margins to cope with reduced sales.
The good news is many of the challenges that are now facing beauty have been facing apparel or CPG for years. The digital solutions and strategies that have allowed apparel to adapt are well established and ready to deploy to the sector. The digital transformations that many apparel and sports retailers were forced to undergo will not only fit beauty retailers but will also help them solve older challenges. Beauty retailers may need to go on a similar journey to apparel, but the tracks are there to follow.
What is in the eBook?
- Beauty retailing at a crossroads
- Bringing beauty operations up-to-speed
- Accuracy redefining margins
- Fixing beauty’s shrinkage problem
- Catching up with the omnichannel trend
- Countering the Gray Market
- Becoming digital and analytics leaders
Radiofrequency identification (RFID) is one of the leading technologies in retail, helping brands transform their business while maximizing revenue. With COVID-19 accelerating the digitization of retail and meaning stores need to be as profitable as possible to survive, RFID is a must.
Register now and learn from some of the best in the industry: Detego, and the experts in retail IT integrations, Spencer technologies.
Main Takeaways:
- Why are Retailers implementing RFID?
- Common challenges for Retailers and how to tackle them
- How to select partners (Hardware, Software, Services)
- What do you need to run a pilot?
Meet the Speakers:
Lauren Hines – Lauren is a Senior Business Operations Manager. She’s a former Head of Global Networks at BT.
Umesh Cooduvalli – Umesh is a tech-driven VP of Sales for America. He’s using his extensive network within the Supply chain industry with a hunger for new challenges
Nate Strickler – Formely project and Marketing Manager, Nate is currently working closely with partners and network to develop opportunities with Spencer Technologies.
London, UK, 13th October 2020 — Detego, the leading RFID (Radio-frequency identification) SaaS (software as a service) provider for the retail industry, is working with Microsoft as they continue to develop their cloud-hosted RFID platform. The Detego platform is an end-to-end solution used by several global retailers in over 2,000 stores, warehouses and factories which accurately tracks products and digitises processes from source to store. Joining Microsoft’s FastTrack and co-sponsorship programmes will allow Detego to accelerate the deployment of its advanced ‘smart features’ that sets their solution apart such as automated planograms and in-store ‘Money Mapping’.
Detego has been developing and delivering its platform to global retailers for over ten years. During those years, Detego has trail-blazed, being one of the first platforms to move to the cloud and the first to adopt the SaaS model that is now common. In that time, more use cases for RFID have become established, and vendors with reliable solutions and proven track records like Detego have emerged. Now the demand for RFID in the industry is at an all-time high, it is vital for retailers to find the right solution that solves key problems and that can easily integrate and be rolled-out to stores at scale.
As part of Microsoft’s FastTrack programme, Detego will be working alongside Microsoft architects as they continue to build the most sophisticated RFID platform on the market. The aim is to build upon the unique scalable model of the platform as well as develop new smart features that leverage Artificial Intelligence and big data. Detego is a big proponent of the potential of AI and RFID and is continuing to pioneer innovations such as automated store planograms and shop floor ‘Money Mapping’. Alongside Microsoft, Detego’s data science team will continue to develop these smart features and push the limits of what RFID can do for retail.
“We are thrilled to be working with Microsoft, both as part of the Fast-Track programme and the co-sponsorship programme,” said Leonid Sokolovskiy, Director Software Development. “Hosting the platform on Azure has always been vital for us. To be recognised and backed by Microsoft in such a way is fantastic. As software specialists, we have always seen the performance and scope of our platform as our main point of difference, so we are looking forward to working with Microsoft to take the platform even further and build the definitive RFID solution for retail.”
About Detego
Detego, founded in 2011 with offices in the UK, Austria, the USA and Russia, is the only global RFID provider focussing solely on software for retail. Detego has developed the most comprehensive end-to-end SaaS-based RFID platform on the market, delivering operational efficiencies and revenue uplift across the value-chain, including factories, distribution centres and retail store networks. Detego provides its retail customers with fast ROI through improved stock accuracy, product availability and better decision making gained from the powerful item-level data, combined with its comprehensive reporting and Artificial Intelligence capabilities. Detego’s software is complemented by managed services and attractive financing models. Detego‘s customers include international fashion brands, retailers and department stores, with the platform in use in over 2,000 stores and 15 distribution centres. More information can be found at www.detego.com
Press contact:
Detego Ltd
10-11 Park Place
London, SW1A 1LP
United Kingdom
Tiffany M’Bodj – Marketing Manager
Discover how retail RFID is changing the industry for good. This eBook will guide you through the top 10 needs identified by retailers to ensure sustainable success in the modern environment. Explore the common challenges preventing retailers from achieving their goals and learn how applying smart RFID-based solutions delivers consistently good results.
What is in the eBook?
The retail industry is currently ruled by change. The digital age has seen a huge growth in competition from e-commerce and a rapid shift in consumer preferences. This shift has altered the industry greatly with modern ‘omnichannel’ customers demanding to shop where they want, how they want and when they want. Delivering such an experience is a challenge, one that requires brick-and-mortar retailers to change.
In this eBook, we analyse the top 10 needs identified by retailers to ensure sustainable success in the modern environment. Within each of these needs, we identify the challenges often preventing retailers from achieving them, and how applying smart RFID-based solutions can deliver consistently good results.
Improving key metrics in stores
- How retailers use RFID for quick and efficient stocktakes and cycle counts
- Improving stock accuracy in stores
- How smart solutions are being put to use for item-level replenishment, ensuring products and sizes are always available to be sold.
Delivering to customers with retail RFID
- How stores can reduce common customer friction points
- The relationship between RFID and effective omnichannel services
- The advanced retail RFID solutions that improve the in-store customer experience like chatbots and smart fitting rooms.
Optimising supply chains from source to store with automated processes
- How to achieve supply chain visibility with real-time info on the movement of products inside and across individual stores and distribution stages.
- How RFID is used to aid logistics at distribution centres, including automated processes like exception handling and order picking.
- What RFID means for retailers’ data and analytics capabilities, such as advanced supply chain traceability and new KPIs for stores and DC’s.
Protecting brands and products from theft, counterfeits and the grey market.
- How RFID can be used to monitor and reduce shrinkage, including theft, both in stores and across the entire supply chain.
- How brands are combatting counterfeit goods by tagging and tracing their products with RFID.
- What the Grey Market means for retail and how several major brands use RFID traceability to locate and stop the source of grey market products.
London, UK, 1st September 2020 — Detego has become a member of the GS1 US Solution Partner Program, a designation signifying a commitment to delivering services and solutions that enable quick, efficient, and accurate GS1 Standards implementation.
GS1 US® is an information standards organization that brings industry communities together to improve supply-chain business processes through the adoption and implementation of GS1 Standards. The GS1 System of Standards, the most widely used information standards in the world, uniquely identifies products, services, assets, and locations worldwide to support supply chain visibility and efficiency. The GS1 US Solution Partner Program facilitates the implementation of GS1 Standards by connecting users with solution providers that have proven standards of expertise.
Detego is a leading SaaS provider for the retail industry. The Detego RFID software platform allows retailers to accurately track and manage their products from source to store, reducing labor costs and increasing sales. Detego are firm believers in best practise, from development to implementation and believe this is a key factor in their success on the global retail market. As a GS1 US Solution Partner, they aim to continue to deliver sustainable solutions to the industry and reach more retailers and logistics partners looking to unlock the power of RFID.
“Becoming a GS1 US Solution Partner gives us a competitive advantage,” said Kim Berknov, Executive Chairman of Detego. “Our experts are ready to offer guidance and support to customers implementing GS1 Standards by providing in-depth knowledge, expert resources and invaluable tools to help them gain supply chain visibility and efficiencies. We are big believers in RFID’s transformative power within the retail industry, and this partnership will strengthen us with our ongoing journey to help retailers deliver to their customers whilst reducing labor costs across their organization.”
For more information on the GS1 US Solution Partner Program, please visit https://www.gs1us.org/what-we-do/partners. Please www.detego.com to learn more about Detego’s products and service capabilities.
About Detego
Detego, founded in 2011 with offices in the UK, Austria, the USA and Russia, is the only global RFID provider focussing solely on software for retail. Detego has developed the most comprehensive end-to-end SaaS-based RFID platform on the market, delivering operational efficiencies and revenue uplift across the value-chain, including factories, distribution centres and retail store networks. Detego provides its retail customers with fast ROI through improved stock accuracy, product availability and better decision making gained from the powerful item-level data, combined with its comprehensive reporting and Artificial Intelligence capabilities. Detego’s software is complemented by managed services and attractive financing models. Detego‘s customers include international fashion brands, retailers and department stores, with the platform in use in over 2,000 stores and 15 distribution centres. More information can be found at www.detego.com
For more information:
Umesh Cooduvalli – VP of Sales, Americas
u.cooduvalli@detego.com
Press contact:
Detego Ltd
10-11 Park Place
London, SW1A 1LP
United Kingdom
Joel Goodson – Marketing
Tel: +44 (0) 7833 298984
RFID in Fashion Retail: The Story so Far
Whilst it is used by many industries like construction, engineering, and chemicals manufacturing, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) found its perfect match in the fashion retail industry. Apparel retailers have been utilising RFID for years, and as other retail sectors like beauty or the food industry begin to explore the possibilities of item-level tagging, they will look to fashion retail to guide the way.
Let’s take a look at how fashion retail found the perfect match with RFID:
RFID: Real-time data at the item-level
Today’s fashion shoppers, who are always online, expect immediate information on article availability at all times, as well as a consistently positive shopping experience, whether he or she purchases online or enters a brick-and-mortar store. These expectations, combined with managing several collections per year and at least as many marketing campaigns, mean that fashion retailers face numerous challenges. Extremely large quantities of merchandise – in a variety of colours, styles and sizes – have to be moved along the entire supply chain in ever shorter cycles. This involves special requirements for processes, technologies and employees in the retail industry:
- Being able to provide customers with information at all times. This necessitates knowing the exact locations of all articles at the item-level at any time.
- Efficient processes in the store. i.e. fast goods-inbound, permanent inventory and notifications if articles are no longer available on the sales floor, but in the backroom.
- Being 100% customer-oriented. Keeping the promise of providing reliable information on article availability on individual items at any time.
RFID for item visibility and beyond
Many fashion retailers have already realised the benefits of RFID-based inventory management: knowing the exact location of every item at all times is the basis for both efficient store management and omnichannel retailing. Retailers who have taken the first step of implementing simple RFID labelling on merchandise are soon able to see the other benefits such as real-time analysis based on item-level data or reduced labour costs in stores. Given the fact that RFID-based solutions are highly scalable, far easier to implement than ever before, and increasingly seen as a safe investment, the use of RFID in fashion retail is growing year-on-year.
The hidden potential of RFID
RFID stands out with a distinct advantage over other labelling technologies: items tagged with RFID can be read in bulk and even through closed boxes. Whilst this makes fast and accurate stocktakes one of the primary uses cases for the technology, (driving inventory accuracy to up to 99%) there are a host of more nuanced use cases for fashion retailers:
Fixed readers on the sales floor, in the back-office, in the fitting room or in certain areas provide data on the product availability ratios and item movements in the store. If these are evaluated, valuable insights are gained about customer preferences e.g. what are popular combinations of products; or how attractive are individual item placements in comparison to others.
Mobile RFID reading devices can be used for store-processes such as store-to-store transfers, goods receipts or returns to the warehouse. Furthermore, mobile devices support the sales personnel extremely well, especially when it comes to customer consultations, or for initiating a direct order or reservation.
All data generated in the store can be analysed in real-time. And back-end systems, such as ERP or CRM and Loyalty programs, are enriched with information that was previously unavailable, allowing a far better understanding of the customer.
If retailers use the power of real-time data and, for instance, relocate products more quickly (or present certain articles as outfit combinations), turnover will be increased immediately. With the information coming from data on item ageing structures for each and every item, retailers can take precautions earlier so that they sell more products at full price and increase their margins. These timely actions give a competitive advantage, especially if competitors are still using historical data and making decisions that do not meet customers’ wants and needs.
RFID provides real-time insights into the link between customers and merchandise.
Advantages of RFID in fashion retail:
- Increased product availability
- Item transparency through Single-Point-of-Truth stock view
- Targeted store(s) management using real-time analytics
- Fewer safety stocks and improved supply chain processes
- Automated article recommendations for the promotion of active cross-selling
- Sales according to planned margins through fast replenishment processes
- Basis for efficient omnichannel services (click & collect, online article availability check, ship-from-store, return-to-store)
- Sales personnel have more time for the customer
eBook
Solving Retail's Top 10 Needs with RFID
Discover how retail RFID is changing the industry for good. This eBook will guide you through the top 10 needs identified by retailers to ensure sustainable success in the modern environment. Explore the common challenges preventing retailers from achieving their goals and learn how applying smart RFID-based solutions delivers consistently good results.
Overview
Detego has installed its cloud-hosted RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) SaaS platform in Marc Cain’s new state-of-the-art Distribution Centre (DC). Detego delivered the solution alongside KNAPP, who led the overall development of the new centralised operation. The highly-automated Distribution Centre, based in Germany, uses RFID tunnels to verify inbound and outbound shipments without needing to open any boxes. The implementation of RFID in the Distribution Centre allows for over 35,000 articles to be processed on a daily basis, with 100% accuracy and significant improvement to efficiency and visibility of the supply chain.
The Challenge
Due to high demand online and in-store, Marc Cain decided to centralise their 6 regional warehouses into a single cutting-edge distribution centre, reinforced with the right technology to handle the high frequency of orders.
The solution
KNAPP AG led the design of the highly automated DC and they brought in Detego to implement an RFID solution – they needed to be able to efficiently validate shipments in and out of the DC with the efficiency and complete accuracy only possible with RFID
The Result
Utilising the Detego platform, Marc Cain’s DC verifies all inbound and outbound orders on an item-level without needing to open boxes. Staff simply place orders on the conveyor, and they pass through an RFID tunnel, which validates every item in the carton in seconds. Alongside highly sophisticated storage and packing processes implemented by KNAPP, the solution allows for 35,000 articles to be processed in a single day, with 100% accuracy.
Building a DC fit for the future
Marc Cain is a worldwide premium brand for women’s fashion, operating predominantly out of Germany. After continued growth, the brand opted to move away from their regional warehouses to develop and construct a highly-sophisticated singular DC which boasts over 24,500m2 of usable area. Marc Cain’s logistics and solutions partner, KNAPP, brought in RFID specialists, Detego, to integrate the necessary RFID systems with their leading KiSoft WMS & WCS software. Doing so allows for automated item-level tracking of products both entering and leaving the Distribution Centre. These advancements have enabled Marc Cain to cope with their increased demand whilst ensuring complete accuracy and timely shipping of all orders.
“As we had already experienced good cooperation in another project with Detego, we have reached out to them when we started discussing the RFID request Marc Cain was looking for. Within a short time, we were able to integrate the state-of-the art platform from Detego in the solution we were providing to Marc Cain. With that extension, we can support Marc Cain to increase the efficiency and reliability inside the warehouse and have 100% content checks for every delivery leaving the warehouse”
Stefan Leichtenmueller – Customer Care Manager.
Automated RFID validation for complete accuracy
RFID is frequently being adopted in Apparel retailers’ Distribution Centres, as the speed at which it can process shipments at item-level is unmatched. Detego has a strong pedigree of deploying RFID solutions in the supply chain, being the first to develop an end-to-end software platform for retail. This experience, alongside their focus on the apparel retail sector, makes their advanced RFID platform a perfect match for KNAPPs leading warehouse automation systems and software for e-commerce, retail, and fashion. The decision to use RFID was made even more attractive by the fact Marc Cain have already adopted RFID-driven processes in stores, allowing them to gain additional value out of their digital garments within the supply chain.
“With this solution, Marc Cain can perform automated inbound and outbound RFID validation, ensuring complete accuracy going in and out of the Distribution Centre,”
Urs Konstantin Rouette, Managing Director, Technical Development, Production, Purchase & Logistics.
Staff simply place cartons on a conveyor and the boxes are taken through an RFID tunnel which counts and validates every individual garment inside the box, without needing a line of sight. All information is stored in the cloud-hosted Detego platform providing complete visibility over items entering and leaving the DC. Any cartons with discrepancies are automatically diverted to exception handling lanes where they are double-checked with High-Density Read Chambers (HDRCs) and subsequently corrected.
KNAPP also share additional customers with Detego and is one of many 3rd party logistics providers that Detego has recently partnered with to integrate their RFID platform. As the demand for visibility and operational efficiencies in the supply chain increase, more retailers are seeking RFID systems to complement their existing technology stacks from factory, to distribution centre and throughout store networks.
Take a look around the DC with project leaders, KNAPP:
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London, UK, 23rd July 2020 — Retail RFID software specialists Detego and IT installation experts Spencer Technologies have announced a new partnership to deliver Detego’s leading retail RFID platform to the US market. Spencer Technologies will provide their expertise and services in both implementation and ongoing support for US retailers looking to utilise the RFID-based SaaS platform which is already live in approximately 800 stores and 5 distribution centres across the US.
‘‘We are really excited about the partnership with Detego. As a global solution provider, Spencer is always looking to advance its portfolio of strategic partnerships that are unique and can bring value to its clients. We believe RFID is a brilliant solution and having the right software supporting these programs is vital. With our full range of service offering, we are able to support Detego from concept to implementation to help desk support. We look forward to this partnership and supporting Detego throughout North America”, says David Strickler, President of Spencer Technologies.
A highly respected player in the American retail technology space, Spencer has over 45 years’ experience delivering and supporting projects at scale, offering services covering the entire solution life cycle. Alongside Detego, who have spent over ten years developing one of the most advanced RFID platforms on the market, they will offer top-of-the-range solutions and services to meet the growing demand for RFID technology in the USA.
‘We’re delighted to be working with Spencer, who has a strong pedigree in the US and a history of delivering end-to-end technology projects in retail. Our partnership makes it easy and worry-free for our customers to roll out RFID solutions with the presence of Spencer across the US, coupled with Detego’s world-leading capabilities in delivering RFID solutions. With approximately 800 sites live in the US alone, we hope to deliver our platform to more and more retailers looking to digitise their supply chains and inventory to meet the demand for effective omnichannel retailing”, says Umesh Cooduvalli VP of Sales Americas, Detego.
This is the second sign of Detego’s recent focus on the US market, following the recent announcement of Umesh Cooduvalli as VP of sales for the USA. Detego has already implemented their software in around 800 sites in the US, working with two major international brands on global RFID roll-outs. Alongside Spencer, they aim to service the American retail industry with experienced personnel and a proven cloud-hosted platform delivering superior stock management, supply chain optimisation and AI-powered insights.
About Detego
Detego, founded in 2011 with offices in the UK, Austria, the USA and Russia, is the only global RFID provider focussing solely on software for retail. Detego has developed the most comprehensive end-to-end SaaS-based RFID platform on the market, delivering operational efficiencies and revenue uplift across the value-chain, including factories, distribution centres and retail store networks. Detego provides its retail customers with fast ROI through improved stock accuracy, product availability and better decision making gained from the powerful item-level data, combined with its comprehensive reporting and Artificial Intelligence capabilities. Detego’s software is complemented by managed services and attractive financing models. Detego‘s customers include international fashion brands, retailers and department stores. Detego is already being used in over 2,000 stores and 15 distribution centres. More information can be found at www.detego.com
For more information:
Umesh Cooduvalli – VP of Sales, Americas
u.cooduvalli@detego.com
Press contact:
Detego Ltd
10-11 Park Place
London, SW1A 1LP
United Kingdom
Luke Sinclair – Marketing
Tel: +44 (0) 7464 207099
l.sinclair@detego.com