RFID Item-level Tagging (ILT) is being deployed very rapidly in apparel and footwear markets. Item-level passive UHF tags now make up an increasing share of the total world market for RFID tags. ABI Research forecasts that more than three quarters of a billion RFID tags will be used in global apparel markets in 2011. Major retailers such as Macy’s, JCPenney and Wal-Mart are leading the charge to make RFID systems commonplace in the retail environment.

RFID systems allow apparel retailers to get a better handle on inventory, reducing costs and preventing out of stock situations that result in loss of sales. The growth in retail item-level tagging is huge, both in shipments and in total spending. The average growth rate is close to 60 percent for the next three years. In fact, the number of tags that will be used for retail ILT in apparel alone is likely to exceed the total number consumed over the past five years for all RFID markets combined.

  • How does ILT differ from previous retail “mandated” projects?
  • Why is ILT so “hot” right now?
  • What does ILT mean for the overall passive UHF RFID market?

To learn more about the ILT market and how it may affect various business models now and in the future, please visit ABI Research’s new study “The Retail Apparel RFID Item-level Tagging Market,” which provides current analysis and a five-year forecast of UHF adoption at the item-level in the retail apparel market. It discusses market drivers and inhibitors, along with a summary of the key RFID solution providers and product suppliers.