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Byblos, a book retailer in Portugal, has deployed RFID technology in its new 4,500 square-metre 'Byblos Amoreiras' store in Lisbon to help keep track of over 350,000 books, games and videos.
The bookstore set up 40 RFID-enabled kiosks where customers can learn about books and print out their sales-floor location, along with 14 RFID point-of-sale reading stations.
RFID anti-theft
The store also has RFID security gates that sound an alarm if a tagged product is taken out of the store without being purchased first. All items are marked with Avery Dennison RFID tags that can also provide the consumer with information about each product.
The tags also enable staff to inventory the stock more quickly and easily.
Customer service
When a customer selects a book, they can take it to a kiosk equipped with an RFID reader. The kiosk's reader captures the book's number and a computer screen displays details about the book (such as cost, title, and author, as well as other titles that might be of interest).
At the point of sale the customer places a stack of items on the counter, and an RFID reader captures all of their tag ID numbers, displaying the products' details on a screen for the customer as well as the store clerk, who then rings up the sale.
The technology
The system allows Byblos to tag over 350,000 articles using Avery Dennison EPC UHF Gen2 passive RFID labels in the storeroom and at the point of sale. The smart label was developed for Byblos by Avery Dennison, according to CreativeSystems' specifications. Measuring 2.5 x 7.6 centimetres, the label was custom-made to fit properly on all the items found in the Portuguese bookstore.
"The first challenge we faced in this project was the development of a small RFID label so that it could be used with any article in Byblos, and that it would stick with an ultra-removable adhesive that would not damage the article when peeled off," said Paulo Castro, branch manager for Avery Dennison in Portugal. "Our team of engineers not only developed an optimum solution size-wise, but also obtained an exceptional read-reliability ratio of 98%."
Stock management
CreativeSystems' developed the system, which uses TrueVUE technology to track articles, and compares the products sold with the articles the clients are taking when they leave the store (using Alien's RFID portal).
When books or other items arrive at Byblos, employees use five CreativeSystems check-in stations equipped with bar-code scanners and five Avery Dennison Monarch 9855 RFID UHF printer-encoders. They first scan the International Standard Book Number (ISBN), printed in bar-code form on each book's back cover. The ISBN is linked to the item's title, author, and description in the store's ERP system.
The item is then assigned an Electronic Product Code (EPC) number, using TrueVUE EPC commissioning software, and the employee prints and encodes an RFID label containing an Alien Technology Squiggle EPC Gen 2 passive UHF inlay. As a result, Byblos employees can carry out twice-daily inventory checks by simply passing a mobile RFID reader in front of the shelves (which themselves have been labelled with RFID tags that include unitary EPC codes).
Bottom line benefits
As a direct result of the RFID system's implementation, Byblos reports that it has been able to reduce its stock by 30% and decrease waiting times at the cash desk by 65%.
The company says that it now plans to open four more stores during 2008, both in Portugal and in Spain, and another five in 2009, all equipped with RFID technology.
For additional information:
· Visit Avery Dennison at http://www.ris.averydennison.com
· Visit CreativeSystems at http://www.creativesystems.pt
· Visit Byblos at http://www.byblos.pt
Sources: Avery Dennison; CreativeSystems; Byblos
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