Page 103 - DMGT553_RETAIL_STORE_MANAGEMENT

Retail Store Management

Notes The system will only be as good as the data put into it. Run a thorough inventory before it goes
“live” to ensure accurate figures. It’s a good idea to run the previous system alongside the new
one for a while, giving you a back-up and enabling you to check the new system and sort out any
problems.

Choose a System

There are many software systems available. Talk to others in your line of business about the
software they use, or contact your trade association for advice.
Make a checklist of your requirements.

Example: Your needs might include:
multiple prices for items
prices in different currencies

automatic updating, selecting groups of items to update, single-item updating
using more than one warehouse
ability to adapt to your changing needs
quality control and batch tracking

integration with other packages
multiple users at the same time
Avoid choosing software that’s too complicated for your needs as it will be a waste of time and
money.
6.3.2 Using RFID for Inventory Control, Stock Security and Quality
Management

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) allows a business to identify individual products and
components, and to track them throughout the supply chain from production to point-of-sale.
An RFID tag is a tiny microchip, plus a small aerial, which can contain a range of digital
information about the particular item. Tags are encapsulated in plastic, paper or similar material,
and fixed to the product or its packaging, to a pallet or container, or even to a van or delivery
truck.
The tag is interrogated by an RFID reader which transmits and receives radio signals to and
from the tag. Readers can range in size from a hand-held device to a “portal” through which
several tagged devices can be passed at once, e.g. on a pallet. The information that the reader
collects is collated and processed using special computer software. Readers can be placed at
different positions within a factory or warehouse to show when goods are moved, providing
continuous inventory control.
Using RFID tagging for stock control offers several advantages over other methods such as
barcodes:
tags can be read remotely, often at a distance of several metres
several tags can be read at once, enabling an entire pallet-load of products to be checked
simultaneously

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