How RFID changed the retail industry

8

October

2020

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Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is an application of IoT which is mostly used in retail. By making use of RFID tags, the retailers can identify where a product is through the tracking system (Lam and Chan, 2018).

RFID has several benefits for the retailer and customer. Firstly, there is an accuracy up to 98% of inventory levels. Typically, an inventory count is done manually, which is very time-consuming. Moreover, as there is a high accuracy, the replenishment orders can be set accordingly with higher precision. Not only can workers in the store know how many items they have at the location, they can also be notified when certain sizes are missing on the floor, therefore not missing out on these sales (Wood and Roller, 2019). Additionally, RFID can be used for analytical purposes. By plotting how people and products navigate through the store, relevant conclusions about product categories and peak times can be made. Next to on the floor, RFID is also used in the fitting rooms, as the mirror can track which item the customer is trying on by geo-locating RFID tags. The mirror can show other available colours, product information or even available complementary products (Bianchi, 2017).

As a last step, RFID can also be used for self-scan checkouts. An even more advanced example of technology use in retail is the Amazon go store with their so-called ‘just walk out’ experience.  Customers enter the store by using the Amazon Go app and leave the store without a checkout. It uses the same technology in driverless cars, namely sensor fusion, computer vision and deep learning algorithms. These technologies track which products are taken and when leaving, the customer is charged through their Amazon account (Tillman, 2020).

Do you think this type of store is the future?

 

References

Bianchi, J. (2017). 5 Examples of Innovative Uses for RFID Technology in Retail. Retrieved 8 October 2020, from https://www.shopify.com/retail/5-examples-of-innovative-uses-for-rfid-technology-in-retail

Lam, T., & Chan, R. (2018). Ten digital trends shaping the future of retail [Ebook]. The Fung Business Intelligence. Retrieved from https://www.fungscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ten_digital_trends_shaping_the_future_of_retail.pdf

Tillman, M. (2020). What is Amazon Go, where is it, and how does it work?. Retrieved 8 October 2020, from https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/amazon/139650-what-is-amazon-go-where-is-it-and-how-does-it-work

Wood, J., & Roller, B. (2019). 7 Powerful Examples of how RFID Technology can be Used in Retail. Retrieved 8 October 2020, from https://medium.com/qash/7-powerful-examples-of-how-rfid-technology-can-be-used-in-retail-e3f5a711eb85

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Social Media: Why is it so addictive?

6

October

2020

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Have you ever checked how much time you spend on your phone? And how much of this time did you spend on social media? In 2019, the average time spent on social media per user is 145 minutes per day, which is an increase of 60% compared to the usage in 2012 of 90 minutes per day. Users in the Philippines have the highest social media usage of 233 minutes per day (Statista, 2020).

After watching The Social Dilemma on Netflix, I started wondering what is the reason people are so addicted to social media while there are numerous reasons why you should decrease your social media usage, for example privacy concerns and the negative effects of social comparison (Dailey et al., 2020)

Social media uses several psychological tricks to keep you hooked. Firstly, in order to refresh the posts, you need to drag down the screen, which is the same as pulling the lever on a slot machine. People always wait for an unpredictable random post, also called rewards, to show up after dragging down the screen. This is in psychology referred to as intermittent reinforcements. As it is so unpredictable, the user will repeatedly check their screen to look for new posts (P., 2020). Moreover, social media affects the brains as when a person is rewarded, dopamine is released. This happens when a person receives a ‘like’ or another positive notification coming from social media. In real life people only talk about themselves about 30-40% of the time, whereas social media is all about showing your life. Additionally, the specific sound of social media notifications is a stimulus to look at the screen and distract the user from the offline world, called persuasive technology (Kolitz, 2020).

Should people be more aware of how they can decrease their social media usage? Or are the negative effects of using social media not substantial enough to promote this? Also, companies and schools could put regulations in place to reduce the usage of phones while working in order to increase effectiveness.

 

References

Dailey, S., Howard, K., Roming, S., Ceballos, N., & Grimes, T. (2020). A biopsychosocial approach to understanding social media addiction. Human Behavior And Emerging Technologies, 2(2), 158-167. doi: 10.1002/hbe2.182

Daily social media usage worldwide. (2020). Retrieved 6 October 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/#:~:text=As%20of%202019%2C%20the%20average,minutes%20in%20the%20previous%20year.&text=In%20comparison%2C%20the%20daily%20time,two%20hours%20and%20three%20minutes

Kolitz, D. (2020). Why Is Social Media So Addictive?. Retrieved 6 October 2020, from https://gizmodo.com/why-is-social-media-so-addictive-1841261494

P., E. (2020). Reward Systems: Why Social Media Is So Addicting. Retrieved 6 October 2020, from https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/27290/20200914/social-media-addiction-ways-counter.htm

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