Revolutionizing Retail with RFID Technology

Student: Tyron Pretorius, 2017-2018

Sponsor: Pretorius Innovation, South Bend, IN

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a powerful alternative to the barcode as a means of product tracking and has seen widespread application in industry. However, the greater unit cost of RFID tags has prevented its adoption in grocery retail due to the low margins involved. This thesis aims to conduct an in depth analysis of the potential for RFID technology to supersede barcode technology and in particular to assess the operational advantages and consumer demand which could offset and possibly outweigh the higher unit cost. If the aforementioned hypothesis is validated then the design of Smart Shopping and Smart Home concepts will be consolidated and intellectual property evaluated such that these concepts are ready to launch when item-level RFID tagging becomes a reality.