Retail Archives - MSM Solutions

Three Challenges Plaguing Today’s Retail Industry

The U.S. retail industry has seen unprecedented growth in the last two years, fueled by a pandemic that forced consumers to embrace online shopping and then return to brick-and-mortar stores once a vaccine was available. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, 2020 saw a huge increase in sales versus the previous two years: 2018 - $3.635 trillion in total sales ($520 billion in eCommerce)2019 - $3.780 trillion in total sales ($598 billion in eCommerce)2020 - $4.040 trillion in total sales...

By Brett WilkersonApparel Solutions, Blog Posts, PortalTrack, Retail, RFID

How I-T-C-M Spells ‘Security’ for Inventory Management

Inventory management can be a tricky operation especially since there are two types of security you need to consider. First, there’s the peace-of-mind knowing that your inventory is where it should be and being moved on time and in accurate quantities. Between the factory, warehouse, distribution center and retail/customer premise, its easy to lose track of what you have. Second, there’s the knowledge that your assets are protected from criminals. Without the proper safeguards in place, bad actors can easily take...

By Brett WilkersonAutomotive Solutions, Distribution and Logistics, Healthcare Solutions, Manufacturing, Omnichannel, PortalTrack, Retail, RFID

Get Control of Your Retail Inventory Management with EPC

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past year and a half, it’s that e-commerce has become an integral part of every day life. Despite the introduction of multiple vaccines and the opening of businesses across the country, online sales in the U.S. have continued to surge. In fact, e-commerce sales in Q1 of 2021 topped $199 billion, a 39% increase from the year before. For the average consumer, this means they’ve adopted the convenience of online shopping. However,...

By Brett WilkersonApparel Solutions, Distribution and Logistics, Omnichannel, PortalTrack, Retail, RFID

Using Mobile Devices to Improve Inventory Management

Whether you’re tracking parts as they make their way to the assembly line, managing the flow of products through a retail back room, or monitoring the usage of essential supplies in a hospital, your operation’s efficiency is determined largely by your ability to ensure that everything your workflows need is in the right place at the right time. In fact, effective inventory management is essential for any business that moves materials through a supply chain or distributes and tracks...

By Brett WilkersonApparel Solutions, Barcode, Distribution and Logistics, Healthcare Solutions, Lab Samples, Manufacturing, Mobile Printing, Omnichannel, Retail, Zebra Mobile Computers, Zebra Mobile Printersbarcode, Inventory Management, mobile computers, Zebra

Is Your Barcode Printer Vulnerable?

When you consider enterprise IoT, information security, and the potential for data breaches in warehouse operations, your first concerns are most likely your network, computers, and mobile devices. Those are indeed well-known targets for hackers, but there are other security risks hiding in plain sight throughout virtually every warehouse: Your printers. We tend to think of printers as simple one-way appliances, but we’ve been relying on them as fully networked multi-function technology hubs for decades, and today they are just...

By Justin JohnsonApparel Solutions, Automotive Solutions, Distribution and Logistics, Healthcare Solutions, IoT, Manufacturing, Omnichannel, Print and Apply, Printing Technology, Retail, Service Bureau, Thermal Printing, Zebra Mobile Printers, Zebra Non-RFID Printers, Zebra Print Enginescomputers, cyberthreats, IoT, mobile, network, security, warehouse

Finding the Right RFID Solution – Technology, Software, Service

Did you know that one of the first RFID systems was used in World War II? Known as Identify Friend of Foe (IFF), the system was used to help British radar operators distinguish between friendly and enemy fighter planes and bombers. Today, RFID is used by a variety of industries such as pharma, retail, logistics, travel and agriculture. But to get the best use of the technology for your particular requirements, you need to find the RFID solution that fits your business needs. The first thing you should...

By Brett WilkersonApparel Solutions, Automotive Solutions, Distribution and Logistics, Healthcare Solutions, IoT, Manufacturing, Omnichannel, PortalTrack, Retail, RFID

How RFID Boosts Your Inventory Management

In today’s business world, understanding your customers’ needs greatly impacts your business and affects how you manage your inventory. Keeping an accurate and real-time view of your inventory is one of the best ways to keep your customers satisfied and your operations competitive. In fact, 57% of companies state that their inventory management is one of the key components that gives them an edge over the competition. While most manufacturers, as well as warehouses and distribution centers rely on barcode technology, RFID inventory management has the ability to...

By Brett WilkersonApparel Solutions, Automotive Solutions, Distribution and Logistics, Manufacturing, Retail, RFID

How to Setup RFID Inventory Management Solution for Small and Medium Retailers

As we step into the future of retail, RFID inventory management systems have made it possible for a variety of large scale retailers to easily track all aspects of their inventory. Recently, the well-known firm, McKinsey & Co. created the “retail store of the future” to further explore the many ways in which RFID technology can be useful within the retail sector. The store is called Modern Retail Collective and the goal of the store is to evaluate newer technologies such as fit predictor software,...

By Brett WilkersonApparel Solutions, Retail

Modern Retail Collective | Retail Technology in Mall of America

McKinsey & Company Opens Its First Retail Store in Collaboration With Mall of America

Store Signals Brick-and-Mortar Is Critical to the Future of Retail MSM provides its EPC Printing and Encoding Solution to "Modern Retail Collective - Store of the Future." This RFID solution enables tagged retail items to be detected, located, identified, and counted instantaneously without the need to manually scan each item. McKinsey & Company, in collaboration with Mall of America, today announced the launch of its first-ever retail concept — Modern Retail Collective, a live retail space in Mall of America. The space...

By Brett WilkersonApparel Solutions, Retail, RFID

Do Small Retailers Need Omnichannel | MSM Solutions

Do Small Retailers Need to Implement Omnichannel?

Growing numbers of small retailers and brand owners are leveraging item-level RFID solutions to support omnichannel processes, but is it a fad or something that's becoming necessary for businesses in the industry? The short answer is: yes. Omnichannel models -- and the technology to support them -- are necessary for retailers that want to complete in 2018 and beyond. Retailers that don't embrace the changing consumer models and understand that brick and mortar alone isn't always enough won't be able...

By Brett WilkersonApparel Solutions, Blog Posts, Omnichannel, Retail, RFID