The Portuguese book retailer Byblos hopes the RFID-enabled system in its new Lisbon superstore will improve customer service, inventory control and security. The 4500 square-meter Byblos Amoreiras store offers 350,000 books, games and videos for sale, each tagged with an RFID device.
The system, developed by CreativeSystems and using RFID labels designed for the retailer by Avery Dennison, is a virtual catalogue of the ways a retailer can exploit RFID technology.
Customers can use one of 40 RFID-enabled kiosks to scan an item, bringing up information about their selection including cost and other items which may be of interest. After they have made their selections, 14 point-of-sale stations use RFID readers to speed the checkout process.
Once incoming inventory is tagged by staff, twice-daily inventories are conducted quickly by passing a mobile RFID reader along the shelves which are also labeled with RFID tags to aid stocking. RFID-enabled security gates sound alarms if items are removed without checking out.
Byblos reports the RFID system has decreased waiting times at checkout by 65%, and enabled the retailer to reduce its inventory by 30%. The company plans to open nine more stores in Portugal and Spain by the end of 2009, all with RFID systems. ![[end]](/resources/bullet/rfidnews-4.gif)
