Do You Know The Advantages Of RFID Technology Applied To Optical Shops?

A few years after releasing a radio frequency identification (RFID)-based solution to help optometrists manage eyeglass frames in their stores, Frame Source Group (FSG) has released a new version of the system that allows for more efficient ordering of lenses At the same time, ensure that the frames used for display are still kept on the display wall for customers to use.

It is reported that the system is called Advanced Inventory Management System (A.I.M.S.) 2.0, provided by the technology company SimplyRFID. It combines integrated software that changes the paradigm of delivering frames directly to eyewear labs, while incorporating in-store RFID technology to track inventory levels.

Headquartered in Addison, Texas, Frame Source Group supplies eyewear to approximately 1,600 retailers and optometrists. FSG sales manager Greg Smith said the company's customers often sold hundreds of frames in the store, but they had little idea of how many frames were in stock each day. Typically, when a customer purchases a set of eyeglass frames, the frames are removed from the display wall and sent to a lab where the fitting lenses are cut. Meanwhile, the retailer or optometrist has to replenish another set of glasses in the vacant display area.

Smith added that physicians selling FSG products have been looking for solutions to these problems, so FSG developed the original RFID-enabled A.I.M.S. eyewear tracking solution. The store will attach a passive UHF RFID tag to each pair of frames, and they can read the tags through a handheld reader to count the frames hanging on the wall or in the cabinet every day. The generated data can be managed on SimplyRFID's cloud-based Pogi server.

Stores struggle to get value

The store purchased a solution with a Convergence Systems Ltd. (CSL) CS108 handheld reader, which is equipped with a stand and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing users to connect the device to an iOS-based smartphone and run the A.I.M.S. application. (BoingTech RFID tags are sent to the store, where they are applied to eyeglass frames, after which workers perform daily inventory tag readings.)

Smith said that just implemented the effect is very good. Over time, though, the average stock count began to change. When we look at the data, they do it in the morning and in the evening. But FSG and SimplyRFID saw inventory counts dwindle as optometrists did not prioritize them, so they began to rethink the process. Carl Brown, president of SimplyRFID, said that although (the system) provided them with actionable data, the value no longer existed.

Frames were selling fast and in high volumes, but the technology didn't take into account the issues involved. Such as the position of the frames during ordering, shipping and receiving as they need to be returned to their original location after being sent to the lab to configure the lenses. Therefore, SimplyRFID has developed a completely new model for this situation called A.I.M.S. 2.0.

Rethinking RFID-Based Data

In A.I.M.S. 2.0, that display sample remains on the wall when the customer selects and purchases the frame. The store uses the A.I.M.S. system to order frames from participating brands sold through FSG. The frames will be sent directly to the lens manufacturer. The optometrist will also forward the prescription for the glasses to the lens manufacturer. Finally, the user can check the status of the order in the software.

Frames are processed faster, displayed frames never leave the store, and order management is more efficient. In addition, the software reduces steps for salespeople, who no longer need to hand-write order information and ship frames to lens manufacturing labs. Stores can prevent shrinkage by continuously reading RFID tags on display shelves. FSG and frame brands can then see which frames are selling well, which are not selling well, and which may need to be replaced with more popular styles.

Sell more frames that customers love

Frame Source Group has signed up 17 suppliers so far to sell a large number of eyewear frames under the brand Luxottica. These brands have participated in the a.I.M.S.2.0 program and there are currently over 80,000 frames available for purchase from these suppliers' catalogs. SimplyRFID has SKU data built into the software for each frame, including the frame's UPC. Enhanced delivery systems and software, along with existing RFID technology, will drive a more dynamic model that is business-oriented rather than sales-oriented, Brown predicts.

The solution costs $3,000 and includes a Zebra printer, pre-coded RFID tags, and $199 per month for data service. Complete solution includes a handheld CS108 reader with a range of up to 15 meters (49 feet), ruggedized to withstand drops of up to 1.2 meters (4 feet), and works with Android-based smartphones or iPhones use. According to Rod Saunders, CSL's business development manager, the readers were designed with durability, ease of use and reliability in mind. At the same time, the readers are inexpensive and free of the supply chain issues that some reader companies have reported.

In the long run, Smith predicts that frame brands will put RFID tags on every product they make to help them better manage their entire supply chain. At the same time, he also expects that the use of RFID technology to track contact lenses will also be beneficial.