Wipro conquers another area
First RFID enabled store opens in India
Wipro launched the country’s first ``RFID- enabled proof- of- concept`` store last week to showcase intelligent shopping.
When one enters the store in Wipro’s Bangalore campus and pick up a good then that’s the point where the real face of future shopping comes into picture. If the person is a loyalty cardholder then it registers in the computer automatically. If the goods are kept at the wrong shelf then it is registered and if something is picked up and the payment is not been made then it also rings an alarm. It automatically updates the stock and informs the storekeepers and gives a replenishment notification.
What makes all this happen is RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Technology) tag attached to each item in the store. Each tag comprises of a microchip and an antenna. This whole arrangement is very sleek and smart. ``It demonstrates how RFID helps integrate business processes in a real retail work,`` says Mani Subramaniam, Wipro’s principal consultant. World’s RFID market is worth $4.5- billion and this store is a business model to grab it. RFID is getting recognition in the US and Europe with retail giants like Wal-Mart and Germany’s Metro Group introducing and replacing barcode.
RFID is more advanced technology because data can be scanned from a distance, which is not possible in a barcode. Barcodes are also not different for each item lying in a store but all the RFID stickers will have different id numbers, which makes it altogether unique. Some airlines are also experimenting with baggage tracking systems as well with these tags. Wipro also plans to use RFID technology to keep the track of the laptop computers given to its own employees.
Subramaniam says that the Indian market is yet to adopt barcode itself, is not ready for RFID so far but being a thriving market there are more chances of lapping up in the coming years. Cost is another impediment in the growth of RFID. ``Each tag costs about 15 US cents but increased volumes can bring down the costs. When barcodes were introduced in 1970s the cost was five cents and now they virtually cost nothing,`` adds Subramaniam.
Critics call RFID chips as ‘spy chips’ that can keep track of products and people because nobody knows where the chip is. Other view favors the idea that RFID may lead to loss of jobs because it will replace sales people in the shops.
