Partnership to bring benefits of RFID to wider retail market

UK retail software vendor, Detego, is partnering with French RFID systems integrator IER to help fashion retailers improve inventory accuracy for more effective omni channel strategies. According to the two companies, the combination of Detego’s in-store analytics and merchandising software and IER’s IOT tracking solutions will offer the best of both worlds: item-level stock management and visibility which means knowing exactly where an article is in real-time.

“Knowing whether a particular t-shirt is hidden on a shelf, in a store, in transit, or in the warehouse, is something that’s crucial to effective customer service and can make the difference between making a sale or not,” says Uwe Hennig, CEO at Detego. “So without reliable information on stocks and sales, retailers can’t possibly expect to deliver on their omni-channel promises for ‘click and collect’ or same-day deliveries.”

Detego has already helped a number of retailers – including the UK’s largest clothing retailer – make the most out of digitally connecting every item of clothing and using its software to analyse stock movements thanks to tiny, imbedded radio-frequency identity (RFID) tags. This has typically led to near 100% stock accuracy and a considerable reduction in out-of-stocks and lost sales.

IER provides RFID-enabled self-service checkout machines and handheld scanners for automatically counting and processing bulked goods and 24/7 services and support.

“By partnering with IER, we look forward to bringing our software and improved visibility to French retailers across Europe,” says Hennig. “It will bring fashion retailers a step closer towards more connectivity and ensure a digital transformation that’s essential in today’s connected world.”

The Detego solution can be viewed in IER’s Lab in Paris, showing a mock ‘store of the future’.

“In combination with Detego´s real-time in-store analytical software and merchandising applications, IER can assure the integration of end-to-end solutions for omni-channel retailing, from warehouse to store,” says Christophe Agaësse, Director of Business Unit Track & Trace at IER. “Our shared resources and know-how will multiply the opportunities and benefits they bring to our joint customers. Retailers expect the best overall offer and the best services and, through our partnership, we expect to become a key player in a very competitive market.”