RFID vs Barcode for Jewelry: An Honest Comparison

3 minutes · WJewel jewelry software

The video version of our RFID vs barcode comparison: what barcode does well and where line of sight limits it, what RFID changes and what it does not, a head-to-head on count speed, loss prevention, checkout and cost, why most jewelers run both, where the return shows up, and the five steps of an RFID rollout. The last part shows tags, physical inventory and inventory reports in WJewel.

What the video covers

Barcode: cheap, universal and proven, but one piece at a time
RFID: whole-case counts in seconds, with real limits on cost, metal and tag placement
Head to head on count speed, loss prevention, checkout and cost
The hybrid: RFID for high-value goods, barcodes for findings, silver and consumables
Measuring the ROI, and rolling out RFID one case at a time

Chapters

0:00 Why jewelry is different
0:15 Barcode: strengths and limits
0:38 RFID: strengths and limits
0:56 Head to head
1:21 Why most jewelers choose a hybrid
1:46 Where the return shows up
2:04 Rolling out RFID
2:24 RFID and barcodes in WJewel
2:48 Contact us

Transcript

Read the full transcript

Why jewelry is different

Barcode technology built modern retail, but jewelry is different. Pieces are small, fragile and valuable, and they move constantly: between the cases, the safe, the bench and the road.

Barcode: strengths and limits

Barcode is cheap, universal and proven. A label costs a few cents, and it's the right amount of technology for findings, chain, silver and packaging. Its limit is line of sight. A case of 80 rings is 80 separate scans, so a case count takes 15 to 30 minutes, and labels tear and fade.

RFID: strengths and limits

An RFID reader doesn't need to see the tag, and it reads many at once. Counting a case is one pass of a wand. Its limits are real too: tags cost more per piece, metal can detune a tag, and a tag that reads is not proof the piece is still there.

Head to head

Head to head: RFID wins on count speed, minutes instead of two hours a day for six cases, and on loss prevention: a loss is found in a day, not weeks. Checkout is a tie. And barcode is cheaper up front, but RFID usually pays for itself in 12 to 24 months in a store that counts often.

Why most jewelers choose a hybrid

That's why most jewelers choose a hybrid: RFID for the high-value cases, the safe, memo goods, and anything that travels with a salesperson, and barcodes for findings, silver and consumables. It works because each piece has one inventory record, whatever is stuck to it, so RFID can grow one case at a time.

Where the return shows up

Measure the return in four places: the time your counts take, before and after, and shrink, because a discrepancy now shows up within a day, selling one-of-a-kind pieces online without fear, and a dated count for your insurer or auditor.

Rolling out RFID

Rolling out RFID takes five steps: a tag plan for which cases and which tags, the hardware, and tagging your existing stock one case at a time, then zone rules that alert you when a tagged piece moves where it shouldn't, and going live, and measuring.

RFID and barcodes in WJewel

In WJewel, RFID and regular barcode tags are both supported, with the most popular jewelry tag printers, such as Zebra, TSC, Godex, Citizen and Datamax. Scan your pieces for a physical inventory, to see if anything is missing, and the inventory reports show what you have, and where it is.

Contact us

You'll find the full comparison on the WJewel blog. WJewel is fully web-based, and runs on PCs, Macs, tablets and phones. To learn more, visit www.wjewel.com, or call us at (646) 578-8300.