I bet one of the most annoying things that has ever happened to me while shopping was when the alarm goes off when I leave the store. It’s irritating since it’s always a false alarm. The technology involved in this is something called EAS or Electronic Article Surveillance. EAS is a technology used for theft and pilferage deterring from retail stores through the threat of detection at the store’s gates. These tags are made of amorphous metal which have a low magnetic saturation value, the detection of theft is thus attained by sensing frequencies of waves of the material under a mixture of low-frequency (in the 10 Hz to 1000 Hz range) magnetic fields. However, RFID technology emerged in a remarkable manner and is used in all sorts of industries especially in food and apparel retails as it has proved its benefits within the last decade.
For those who are thinking of the lost investment they have done with the EAS system, it doesn’t have to go to waste. With RFID technology, you don’t have to take off the security gates as the RFID reader can be simply attached into the existing pedestal. In this manner, you can quickly switch to RFID while protecting your investment in the EAS security systems.
Nowadays, with the increased utilization of RFID technology to improve financial accuracy and transparency, more companies are beginning to notice the significant advantages it’s adding in terms of speed and accuracy and cost.
I truly believe that RFID will replace EAS for loss prevention in retail stores. EAS only detects when something is going through the gates with a tag that has not been deactivated. It can’t tell you WHAT and HOW many items have been stolen. It doesn’t not only extends EAS’s single functionality, it also has the capability to address inventory accuracy, out-of-stocks and many other use cases.
The RFID hand held readers allow you to conduct the inventory instantly just with a mere click of a button. It is the ideal solution to reduce losses to a great extent. Tragging, has developed an RFID-based system for tracking fixed assets and/or items in a warehouse to easily and smoothly conduct the inventory. Tragging’s Fixed assets software can be integrated in all sorts of industries to positively impact the bottom line of the organization in terms of efficiency, productivity and cost.
Just like any technology that gets replaced/ fades away with time or by another new emerging technologies, RFID is definitely replacing EAS due to its wide range of use and ease. The idea is basically all about preventing the theft before the item reaching the store’s exit.
However, it’s benefits are not bound to theft only. It has been utilized for things related to inventory accuracy and productivity and not just increase visibility of theft. And in the lieu of the circumstances, and due to the increased loss prevention, RFID is actually the best substitute for EAS and its potentials are actually so promising.