UCODE at EuroShop 2023: Inventory Tracking and Self-Checkout Solutions

NXP’s RAIN RFID-based UCODE ICs are already used throughout the supply chain and in retail stores to identify and track items of all kinds, but at this year’s tech-heavy EuroShop trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany – one of the biggest and most comprehensive retail events in the world – we demonstrated how UCODE ICs are taking on new roles and helping to shape the future of retail.

The demo in the NXP booth highlighted our collaboration with payfree, a company specializing in smart self-checkout solutions, based in Germany. The demo showcased a seamless shopping experience in a convenience-store setting, with RFID labels, equipped with UCODE ICs, attached to the sales items on store shelves.

Here is how it works: you take the items you want off the shelves and put them into your shopping bag. When you’re done shopping, you go to the payfree checkout solution. You pass your bag through the checkout solution’s scanning unit, and within seconds everything in your bag is scanned and listed on the checkout solution’s display. You then complete your transaction using a contactless payment method, such as your bank card or smartphone.

No Registers, No Waiting

A growing number of brick-and-mortar stores are working to automate checkout stations, as a way to increase customer convenience. The payfree approach is different. Instead of using barcode readers, a series of cameras, or other solutions that need line of sight to work, the payfree setup lets consumers simply pass their bag of RFID-tagged items through the scanner, and then make a contactless payment at the interactive terminal. Checking out with multiple items takes only seconds. There’s no need to unpack your bag or basket, so the checkout flow is fast, even at peak times.

Broad Appeal

The payfree approach is designed for use in different sectors and retail segments. In high-frequency retail environments, where speed is a priority, people can quickly buy things like food, convenience items and event-related merchandise. On the other hand, in luxury retail environments, the simplicity of grab-and-go payment can enhance the highly personalized experiences customers have come to expect when buying things like designer clothes, accessories, beauty items and other high-end products.

Using UCODE as part of a seamless self-checkout system lets retailers extend their investment in RAIN RFID, adding fast, convenient payments to a retail environment that already uses UCODE ICs to increase shelf accuracy, reduce waste and prevent shrinkage.

In the UCODE 9xe variant, the 128-bit EPC memory is large enough to store expiration or sell-by dates or other pieces of information that help ensure efficiencies and traceability. Real-time, point-to-point tracking on any food item within the supply chain also makes it easier to ensure perishables are handled properly and don’t spoil before they’re sold.

The Future of Retail

Every year, NXP supplies billions of UCODE ICs to help retailers track sales items, increase shelf accuracy, reduce manual workloads, and reduce waste and shrinkage. And, as shown in our demo at EuroShop, UCODE ICs let retailers build on the foundation of fast, accurate tag reads to create new use cases.

Learn more about how UCODE can make retail smarter.