Stories about the demise of radio frequency identification (RFID) initiatives appear to have been greatly exaggerated, according to a report on the RIS News website.
While the publication holds that Wal-Mart's first RFID initiative "stumbled," it points to reports that the retailer plans to take a new approach to achieve compliance by charging suppliers a $2 per pallet fee for pallets shipped without tags.
For further evidence of RFID's health, RIS News points to an ABI Research study that projected the market for the technology would grow an annually compounded rate of 15 percent over the next five years to achieve $9.7 billion in sales by 2013.
The publication also points to it and Gartner's 2008 Retail Tech Trends Study, which showed 10 percent of retailers are engaged in RFID projects currently and that 20 percent plan to test the technology within the next two years. Among the retailers leading the RFID march are American Apparel, Metro Group, Tesco and Wal-Mart (including Sam's Club).
Discussion Questions: Do you believe RFID is alive and well at retail? Of those retailers using the RFID, which do you think is on the right track for achieving the full potential of the technology?