Radio system may improve shopping

Following the lead of increasing numbers of British retailers, Dunnes Stores has introduced a pilot scheme employing radio frequency (RF) technology at its Crumlin store. RF technology will allow Dunnes to transfer centrally located data normally transmitted via cables along a number of radio frequency transceivers located at key points in the store.

The technology may eventually enable customers to check the price of goods using barcode scanners and could lead to a self-scanning system whereby shoppers can add up their own bill.

Already in widespread use in the US, the key advantage of the new technology is the flexibility it allows users who require mobility in their work. Initially the RF technology will be used to connect the store's tills to the point of sale processors where sales and product data are stored.

According to Mr Paul Duffy, project manager with Dunnes Stores: "We can alter the layout of our stores more easily, as it necessitates amongst other things, the relocation of checkout points.

"This can be an expensive process since it is necessary to decommission existing data and electrical services and provide them in new locations. RF allows us the flexibility to change these locations more quickly and at less expense."

Dunnes Stores opted for RF technology because it offered considerable cost savings over fibre optic cabling and was less complex to install.

Mr Duffy says as standards in radio frequency technology are improving, many of the new retailing technologies will be interoperable on existing RF systems once they come to market.

With large British retailers like Boots and Marks & Spencer already using RF, Dunnes has identified the technology as a growing trend within the retail industry. The RF system is quite resilient as it operates through frequency hopping.

If there is interference on one frequency it will automatically switch to another, protecting the technology from changes in weather conditions.

Dunnes is now looking at a number of ways in which RF can be used to connect the various components of its system to provide better customer service.

The technology can also be applied to hand-held terminals which can be used by staff on the shop floor for product checking and ordering, or goods inwards checking.

Eventually Mr Duffy says Dunnes may introduce customer self scanning using RF, similar to the pilot scheme currently being run by Superquinn. Dunnes is also considering using RF for touchscreen scales where the customer simply selects an item by pressing its picture on a computer screen.

Though this is not a huge deviation from what is commonly available in supermarkets today, an extension of the technology could see the screens being used to display in-store marketing promotions when the scales are idle. These scales can also be operated over the radio frequency network within the store.

The RF technology has been developed by Symbol Technologies, one of the world's leading suppliers of retail computer systems, and operates in conjunction with Dunnes' IBM tills.