L’Oreal and Burberry take advantage of RFID technology

The applications for RFID package trackers in the personal care industry are vast. And more advanced technology means more options for beauty brands thinking digitally.

The latest​
eAgile makes auto-identification products, from labels and tag to hardware and software. And the company’s UHF EPC compliant MicroWing inlay promises better performance, greater versatility, and superior durability in contrast to similar solutions.  

Radio Frequency Identification is not new, but it’s getting increasingly smarter and smaller. The inlay just out from eAgile boasts a 2-meter read range and is the tiniest available inlay with that reach, according to the company’s press statement.

Tags like this one, in essence, communicate with a reader device. The tag shares whatever data it’s encoded with when both objects are in a preset proximity. It’s only the imagination of designers and engineers that limits the information that can be transmitted and the tasks these tags can be used to carry out.

“Although the MicroWing was designed for Pharmaceutical and Healthcare products its features and performance characteristics make it ideal for jewelry, cosmetics, apparel, footwear and many other intelligent packaging applications,” ​according to the release.

On the move​
L'Oréal Italia uses an active RFID system from Deles Matic in its warehouse to manage pedestrian and forklift traffic. The “solution ensures forklift operators are alerted when they near another vehicle or pedestrian, as well as providing data analytics about any near-misses,”​ wrote Claire Swedberg​ in an article for the RFID Journal this past summer.

Logistical solutions like this could prove to greatly reduce the cost of accidents along the supply chains of beauty brands. “For L'Oréal, which was unavailable for comment, the next step will be installation of the system in its other warehouse facilities, although a timeline for such installations hasn't been established,”​ noted Swedberg.

Big data​
Tracking RFID tags can help companies monitor and gather all sorts of information, during shipping, in stores, and beyond. The more data in hand, the more informed that company’s strategy can be.

Swedberg points out that L’Oreal “management can also use the software to view the location and movement of staff and vehicles in real time.”​ (And, you thought social media was a clever way to digitally keep tabs on staff.)

Try before you buy​
RFID facilitates in-store, virtual try-on technology, a big draw for today’s digital consumers.

“By placing a Burberry nail polish or lip shade onto and RFID-enabled platform, customers can choose their skin-tone and virtually experience the selected shade,” a​ company spokes person told Korea Times reporter Rachel Lee for her article​ about the Burberry Beauty Box store in Coex Mall.

Embedded computing ​
In today’s tech environment, the Internet of Things as well as Machine-to-Machine networks mean that, “any object can be a data source [and the necessary] sensors can easily be integrated into homes, workplaces, and public places,” ​according to Research and Market’s latest forecast on the subject.