Retailers lose over $100 billion annually to inventory shrinkage globally, with shoplifting, administrative errors, and supplier fraud topping the list of culprits. For stores battling tight margins, these losses can mean the difference between survival and closure.
Good news? NFC (Communication en champ proche) technology is rewriting the rules of inventory management. By combining real-time tracking, employee empowerment, and smart anti-theft systems, retailers using NFC report 35% lower stock losses within 12 months. Below are five actionable strategies to replicate these results.
Real-Time Shelf Monitoring: Eliminating “Ghost Inventory”
Problem: Empty shelves disguised as “in stock” in the system resulted in 18% lost sales
NFC fix: Embed Balises NFC into shelf tags.
Employees are just a tap away from their téléphones intelligents:
- Inventory levels are updated as soon as they are replenished
- Trigger a low inventory alert at the 15% threshold
- Hourly review of high-theft products (e.g., cosmetics, electronics)
Example: A chain pharmacy in the UK reduced its out-of-stock rate by 27% using NFC shelf tags linked to its POS.
Mobile counting: Reduce inventory check time from hours to minutes
Problem: For a medium-sized store, manual counts waste more than 200 hours per year.
NFC fix: Replace clipboard with NFC-enabled mobile app.
Employees can:
- Scan more than 500 items per hour (vs. 150 for manual scanning)
- Automatically sync data to cloud systems
- Flag discrepancies for immediate investigation
Pro tip: Use geofencing Balises NFC to prevent accidental scanning of nearby aisles.
Smart Anti-Theft Tags: Make store theft futile
Problem: Traditional EAS tags can only reduce theft rates by 40-60% (NRF).
NFC fix: Pair an NFC tag with a tamper-evident seal
- To send real-time alerts when an item goes outside the designated area
- Require employees to verify label removal
- Digital “proof of ownership” showing high-value goods
Case Study: A clothing store in Barcelona reduces theft-related losses by 68% using NFC-enabled security tags.
Automated supplier compliance checks
Problem: 9% of the losses were due to under-delivery (NRF).
NFC fix: Attach NFC tag to shipping pallet.
The receiving team can:
- Automatically generate variance reports;
- based on purchase order validation quantities within 90 seconds;
- Block payments for unverified shipments.
