Potential benefits of using RFID technology in the supply chain of grocery retail

Although RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) has been around for more than half a century, in the last couple of years, it seemed to have appeared from nowhere into the spotlight as one of the hottest technologies around especially in the field of retail logistics and supply chain management. Over the last decade retailers have focused on increasing the efficiency and reducing the cost of the Supply Chain by turning to technology and innovations such as EDI, ECR etc. That retail now tops the lists as the fastest growing RFID economic sector is therefore not a big surprise. This work was launched in an attempt to (1) explain what is it about RFID that is so compelling that giant retailers like Wal-Mart, METRO, the DoD and others will risk potential disruption within their Supply chain (2) examine in detail the several potential benefits RFID offers the supply chain of (grocery) retail (3) point out the challenges and hurdles that still face widespread adoption. This book also covers barcodes, mandates and standards, making it an ideal reference for students, practitioners and instructors.