To determine the innovation leader, ABI Research examined the vendors’ history of delivering innovative products on an ongoing basis, their RF protocol support, the diversity of reader form factors, and the vendors’ track record of using their experience, depth of knowledge, and leadership to drive the industry.

For implementation, the criteria included estimated market share, market persistence (a vendor’s longevity, and therefore positive name recognition and customer trust level, in the passive UHF market), global sales and support reach/distribution channels, and market coverage – the breadth and depth of the application and vertical markets served.

To rank companies, ABI Research uses a Vendor Matrix that ranks a number of factors to create a clear understanding of vendors’ positions in specific markets. The matrix includes only vendors that directly design and deliver products with passive UHF reader capabilities, excluding vendors that provide RFID capabilities only through the optional inclusion of a third-party embeddable reader module. The matrix analyzed a total of fifteen vendors.