RFID-enabled smartphones and tablets are moving inventory tracking beyond dedicated scanning rounds, allowing workers to update stock continuously while improving accuracy, productivity and cost efficiency across retail, logistics and other industries.
We’ve all seen folks in stores walking the aisles, scanning items on shelves to update inventory. Today, inventory checking is mostly a manual process done by a dedicated workforce. The ongoing ramp in RFID adoption across industries and the strong trend of integrating RFID into mobile form-factor devices are enabling automation and significantly improving operational efficiency and productivity.
This has been a concerted ecosystem effort, with Impinj advancing Gen2X technology and providing RFID chips; leading mobile chipset providers like Qualcomm and MediaTek enabling new mobile platforms; and device manufacturers including Zebra, AMobile, Bluebird, Chainway, Unitech and UROVO bringing RFID-enabled mobile devices to market.
RAIN RFID transforming supply chain management
The UHF RFID ecosystem promoted by the industry forum RAIN Alliance has witnessed massive growth recently. Fortune Business Insights predicts that the global RFID market will grow from $19.01 billion in 2026 to $46.2 billion by 2034.
RAIN RFID’s touchless, high-accuracy, and efficient scanning has made it almost ubiquitous in the apparel market. Thanks to plummeting costs, advances like Gen2X technology, which has been adopted by many players, including market leader Zebra, and the strong push by retail giants like Walmart and shipping majors like UPS, RAIN RFID is set to transform supply chain logistics. That means most items, no matter how small or big they are, no matter where they are, in warehouses, stores, or in transit, can be easily scanned and inventoried.
Most RFID scanning today happens with handheld readers. These readers are bulky and not easy to carry around. That means only employees tasked with inventorying carry them, and only when they are doing the inventory work. But that changes with RFID-integrated mobile platforms and devices. Because of the latest mobile technologies, the readers built with them are sleek, small, and light, just like modern smartphones and tablets.
Mobiles with RFID improve operational efficiency
Better inventory management is essential for any organization. Consider retail stores, for example. Better inventory management means higher customer satisfaction, better operational efficiency, lower costs, and even higher margin opportunities. Keeping in-demand products well stocked on shelves improves the shopping experience. Identifying and placing products like perishables at the front of shelves, and discounting them at the right time to sell, reduces waste and increases margin. Accurate inventory information reduces over- and understocking and related costs. As evident, all of these significantly improve overall efficiency.
But better inventory management requires frequent inventory checks and recording, which means more employees making checks around the clock, which is expensive. So, store managers constantly struggle to balance accurate inventory with higher costs. Mobile form-factor RFID readers solve that challenge.
Unlike traditional bulky readers, these thinner, smaller, lighter readers can always be carried in employees’ pockets or attached to other equipment. That means employees can automatically and continuously update inventory as they move around the store, instead of making dedicated inventory-checking rounds.
This not only significantly increases operational efficiency but also increases inventory accuracy. So, store managers don’t have to choose between the two. Additionally, real-time inventory information lets employees quickly answer customer questions about product location, availability etc.
Many of these benefits also apply to warehouses, shipping companies, and other scenarios. For example, in warehouses, RFID-enabled mobile devices can automate the picking process and guide employees on what to pick and where to find items. For online merchants and shippers, real-time inventory helps them better manage availability and shipping times. Another Gen2X capability, Impinj Endpoint IC Verification, enables compatible readers to verify whether a tag contains an authentic Impinj endpoint IC, adding a layer of protection against tag and item counterfeiting.
A plethora of such use cases exist across many industries, including healthcare, transportation, Food and beverage, agriculture, industrial, and more.
More importantly, a growing collection of mobile form-factor RFID readers is already available on the market today. Semiconductor giant Qualcomm has integrated Gen2X capable RFID reader functionality directly into its DragonWing Q-6690 enterprise mobile processor, which significantly simplifies the design and manufacturing of mobile RFID devices.
Looking ahead, readers built on mobile platforms with high-performance processors can run Edge AI models that take supply chain management to a whole new level. It will be interesting to see how this ecosystem grows, and what new use cases and applications emerge.
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