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RFID Tags For The Rich

Posted by michael on from the tag-them-all dept.

Greedo writes "While reading this piece about designing 'experiences' in the Globe and Mail, I came across this interesting tidbit: If you're a frequent Prada shopper (and who on /. isn't?), the loyalty card in your wallet or purse contains a RFID tag that announces your arrival in the store. When you encounter a saleswoman, her handheld computer brings up your tastes, buying history, vital statistics and personalized suggestions from in-stock and coming inventory; the handhelds also place orders and book change rooms. Every item for sale bears an RFID tag. The RFID tags are courtesy of IDEO, and their website has a nice write-up of all the RFID-powered stuff at Prada, including the changeroom! I'm guessing this isn't coming to Wal*Mart's changerooms when they implement RFID. (Another write-up can be found here.)"

7 of 399 comments (clear)

  1. Hmm.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yet another attempt to add the personal touch to the cold world of business.

    I'm not trying to flamebait, just make an observation. The days of going to your friendly local are over, and now the store assistants don't even need to think or recognise, they simply wrap digital information in comforting words and give you a nice smile.

    1. Re:Hmm.... by alfredw · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Actually, if Prada is letting people know about this when they accept the cards, I'd say this is a good technology. Lets them better serve YOU, the customer.

      And if you don't like the idea of carrying around RFID tags, you're welcome to not carry the ENTIRELY OPTIONAL card. And the clothes? Well, Club Monaco (a Canadian clothing chain) already puts RFID tags in all of their higher-end merchandise. Clearly labelled "Please remove after purchase," I might add, which is good advice to anyone.

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    2. Re:Hmm.... by son_of_asdf · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If their skills are replaced by a simple chip that tells the associate everything about you, then the stores can get by with hiring minimum wage McDonalds rejects instead, thereby decreasing their total labor costs. It will also cheapen the whole experience.

      On the contrary, to even be able to function in a retail environment such as this, you have to have a certain gentility. Even if you had a client's life history in front of you to refer to, the sort of people that shop at places like Prada expect the salespeople to have a degree of breeding, taste, and poise. If you look at the makeup of the staffs of such places, or of very fine resturants, they tend to be the children of privileged families that, for one reason or another, are obliged to work for a living or are simply bored and want something to do. I spent many years as I went through college working in this area as a sommelier, and I can assure you that unless you can speak clear English, are well educated, and capable of speaking the peculiar high-context language of the upper class, the clients that frequent this sort of place and the people that run this sort of establishment would want nothing to do with you. Your average McDonalds worker would be hopeless in this case, regardless of the technological assistance give them.

      It would indeed cheapen the whole experience: It would put them out of business.

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  2. RFIDs don't kill... people kill by Total_Wimp · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Some people seem to think anything RFID has to be bad. This proves that doesn't have to be the case. These folks are open about the use of the RFIDs and they use it to provide real value to the customer. There's nothing wrong with that at all.

    Compare/contrast to Wal-Mart which isn't open about the use of RFIDs and doesn't give the customer anything of value when they're installed. Since the customer knows nothing about the RFIDs, they don't have real choice in whether they want "to participate" in potentially privacy invading information gathering. Prada, by being open about the tags, alows the customer to simply shop somewhere else if they don't like them.

    TW

  3. I've got to say... by shidoshi · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...part of me says, who cares?

    Yes yes, I see the privacy concerns. But on the other hand, people in stores currently aren't exactly trying to remember who you are and what you like. If they have a palm whatever to give them a better understanding of your tastes, they can be far more helpful in less time.

    Getting past the personal buying history, however, those dressing rooms are certainly okay in my book. I like the idea of tags in the clothing displaying information on a screen, and come on... that "magic mirror" would make trying on clothing so much more enjoyable an experience. (At least, for those of us who actually care enough to put some effort in the way we dress.)

  4. Friendly local vs friendly global by lysium · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The days of going to your friendly local are over

    The frequent Prada shopper does not just shop in one city. They will expect the same level of 'courteous' service in New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and perhaps Milan; these RFID tags will give it to them.

    It's not all that bad of an idea. I suspect that these shoppers will not be plagued with advertisements or other spam; they are rich, after all, and not the average dime-a-dozen consumer. The advertisers will be desperate not to offend them.

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  5. doesn't have to be isolated or small... by SuperBanana · · Score: 5, Insightful
    If you lived in a small, isolated, town, the shopkeepers there would know far more about you than these corporations will ever be able to milk from audit trails.

    Small, isolated? Try 1 block from downtown financial center. Not a high-end clothes shop, either. No sir- a deli.

    I started stopping there for a egg/bacon/cheese bagel, and on the second day- the woman looked at me and said "egg bacon cheese bagel, and an OJ, right?" Third day, i got a warm greeting and I knew she still remembered. This isn't a small place- it's directly across from South Station, and opposite One Financial Center. A lot of construction-guy types from the Big Dig and area renovation go there, as do limo drivers and local/state cops. The place is almost always bustling, and I've seen other customers get the same recognition.

    All of this just goes to show that if you want to be successful, it's all about establishing a relationship with the customer, and that's the job of the sales person. It can't be automated, because if the customer sniffs that- they suddenly realize they're just a sheep of hundreds and they're not impressed in the slightest beyond the gee-gaw gadgetry of it all.

    Who do you think will establish more long-term relationships at a high-end clothier- the salesperson with this palm thingy who does the in-person version of "let me pull up your records", or the salesperson who turns around, recognizes an important customer, and says, "Ah, Mr. Jones! Good to see you again. How did the alterations work on your dinner jacket?"

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