It is reported that Wal Mart has completed a pilot project of a new self-service checkout technology. Since November 2023, Wal Mart, headquartered in Arkansas, has been experimenting with RFID UHF technology in one store to verify customers’ purchase behavior, so that customers can leave without showing shopping vouchers to the staff of Bentonville store.
A person in charge of Wal Mart said that during the test, customers can use the self-service counter to scan the goods in the shopping cart. A blue mark will appear on the floor next to the machine, guiding customers to place their shopping cart on the grid. The machine includes a bagging area with signage encouraging customers to “try our new and faster checkout service.”
Results after the completion of the pilot project test
The results of this test indicate that RFID technology can help retailers ensure appropriate inventory levels in each store and thus ensure timely restocking. Wal Mart’s testers pointed out that they had seen “remarkable results” in confirming whether goods were in the store and improving online order fulfillment.
A spokesman confirmed that Wal Mart would use the data collected from the test results to analyze the actual situation of RFID insensitive shopping, and said that more innovative tests might be carried out in the future.
Although the testing of pilot stores has ended, frictionless shopping is still one of the new trends that retailers are exploring, and this demand can be achieved using RFID UHF technology. Retailers hope to guide customers through the store faster, such as using the EXO checkout system at TD Garden in Boston, USA.
Large chain supermarkets are actively seeking ways to use RFID UHF paper sticker tag/ RFID UHF on-metal tag products, in the hope of scanning the entire bag, basket, or shopping cart at once, rather than scanning each item individually. At the same time, the products of smart shopping carts are also considered as one of the new products that may be used in future retail scenarios, which can make the customer experience smoother and assist supermarkets in value-added sales.
