Checkpoint Systems Streamlines Source Tagging With One RFID Label For Four Apparel Categories

Checkpoint Systems, a leading global supplier of merchandise availability solutions for the retail industry, has revealed its new RFID labels that are certified by ARC at the Auburn University RFID Lab for four apparel categories, including footwear, in order to streamline source tagging.

The new RFID labels, revealed at the 2015 NRF Annual Convention & EXPO in New York, have integrated UCODE 7 chips from NXP Semiconductors, and come with optimal read/write sensitivity for accurate counting and quicker encoding. With a wide range of apparel applications, they are ideal for retailers deploying large-scale implementations, the company claims.

Uwe Sydon, Checkpoint’s senior vice president of innovation, said: “Several major apparel retailers have expressed an interest in our new labels, particularly those with broad product lines that include footwear and have large-scale deployment needs. With retailers devoting more inventory space to footwear, inventory management becomes even more critical, and our new labels answer their challenges.”

RFID uniquely identifies each product and attribute, providing retailers with greater inventory control and visibility, enabling them to reduce out-of-stocks, increase shelf availability and drive more sales. Additionally, using RFID tags can help retailers better manage shrink by identifying items that may have been stolen so they can be replenished, further improving inventory accuracy and shelf availability. Source tagging shifts the tag application process from a manual labour-intensive process at the store to an automated process at the point of manufacture, increasing accuracy and allowing store associates to focus on servicing shoppers rather than applying tags.

Zephyr 3, Breeze
The Zephyr 3, offered with a label size of 50x30mm, has been optimised for performance with all of Checkpoint’s RFID solutions, including its RFID EAS Overhead Solution, the EVOLVE Exclusive E10 antenna, and other Merchandise Visibility solutions. It has received certification from the Auburn University RFID Lab’s ARC program for the newly created M category in North America, which includes denim, polybagged apparel, hanging apparel and footwear. This allows retailers to use the same tag across much of their merchandise, streamlining their source tagging operations. Meanwhile, Checkpoint’s Breeze label offers the same capabilities and is offered in an extremely small format of 42x16mm to meet special requirements.

“Checkpoint’s latest RFID labels meet ARC’s newest performance specification. Checkpoint has been very proactive in designing and validating inlays to meet retailers’ and brand owners’ requirements,” said Justin Patton, RFID Lab Director, Auburn University.