“Invisible” anti-theft Tags for clothing and footwear
A new electronic article surveillance (EAS) invisibly embedded into clothing, shoes and other products is destined to enhance shopper experience and brand loyalty, lower shrinkage, and to drive operational and cost efficiencies within the fashion and retail industry has been launched in America
On November 13, Nedap Retail, according to in-house information a leading developer and supplier of innovative solutions for the retail market and Kovio Inc., a worldwide leader in breakthrough printed silicon electronics technology (platform technology), unveiled a new category of EAS tags under the name of !faST. The tags are completely invisible and undetected by consumers. Unlike traditional EAS labels, after having been deactivated, the new product will not reactivate due to the wearing or cleaning of garments or wearing of shoes. As a result, consumers will no longer face the embarrassment of triggering the ant-theft alarm systems of retail stores long after a product has been purchased, because it is embedded into the lining of the clothing or the shoe upon manufacturing. It eliminates the need for bulky plastic “hard tags” that limit a consumer’s ability to properly try on clothing or shoes, and that damage the product when it is removed from the retail item. The new product reserves the aesthetic visual impression of branded products that traditional hard tags impact negatively. Further advantages are the moving back of EAS tagging into the supply chain, to the garment or shoe manufacturer and retailers are able to eliminate the labour intensive applications of hard tags in-store. The new technology is compatible with existing legacy 8.2MHz EAS detection and deactivation systems used worldwide by a majority of retailers and therefore there is no need for many retailers to change EAS technology, but substantially improving the return of investment for retailers and brands.
Nedap (a Dutch manufacturer of intelligent technological solutions and was established in 1929 and is active around the globe) has been a pioneer in retail for over 30 years, first reinventing ant-theft systems for various retail segments and today the company is leading the innovation wave in retail with its anti-theft systems, store automation systems RFID stock control systems and customer experience ideas.
American Kovio, Inc. is a privately held Silicon Valley (USA) company with origins in the world renowned MIT Media Lab and it designs, develops and manufactures printed silicon products for Near Field Communication (NFC) and Electronic Surveillance (EAS) markets, including RFID tags and RF Barcodes. It combines the power and functionality of high-performance silicon inks and low cost graphic printing technology and is providing solutions in the areas of mobile marketing and advertising, brand authentication, retail operations and ticketing. Kovio is a member of the NFC Forum.