The retail industry is constantly evolving, with a fast-paced environment that requires retailers to quickly respond to changes in the market, while delivering a consistent service that inspires customer loyalty – all in a bid to maintain healthy margins and revenue in what is an increasingly competitive landscape.
Helping retailers to drive efficiency and capitalise on new labelling innovations, Checkpoint Systems’ source tagging programme, which celebrates more than 25 years since its inception in 1994 for the American drug store chains, Eckerd Drug Stores and Rite Aid, puts a framework for collaboration at its heart.
Most popular products in-store
Working with more than 45 per cent of the top-50 global retailers, Checkpoint’s programme has successfully enabled more than 75,000 items to arrive in store, shelf-ready. The mutual benefits for both the retailer and manufacturer are widely known – from open merchandising and reduced out-of-stocks to the improved appearance of products on shop shelves.
Both manufacturers and retailers need to anticipate the most popular products in-store and high-risk SKUs
However, by introducing an on-going partnership both retailers and manufacturers can weld even more advantages across the supply chain. Moreover, as product introductions become more frequent, treating source tagging as an on-going programme and not a one-off service is critical. For example, in the dynamic consumer goods market, both manufacturers and retailers need to anticipate the most popular products in-store and high-risk SKUs.
Latest technological innovations
A source tagging programme that focuses on collaboration delivers a continuous, consistent process that helps to identify high-loss SKUs, evaluate tagging placement options in response to packaging and branding changes, and aids frequent compliance audits while delivering the most valuable brand protection possible.
By partnering with a respected source tagging partner, like Checkpoint Systems, retailers can also leverage the latest technological innovations and create a clear path to RFID giving both retailers and manufacturers the competitive advantage. For example:
- Protecting merchandise against counterfeit items
- Implementing category-specific labels to protect and extend the life of merchandise, e.g. fresh foods
- Tracking products to reduce the impact of supply chain fraud
- Protecting the retailer and wider supply chain against theft
Effectively assess supply chain and retail challenges
Flavio Musci, EMEA Source Tagging Director, Checkpoint Systems, said: “As the market leader in Source Tagging, we understand the importance of working closely with our customers and their vendors to effectively assess supply chain and retail challenges and create a programme that responds to their needs. This not only takes into consideration the design implications of label placement, but the technological innovations required to capture and relay important information to enhance traceability and critically, stock availability.”
“With the biggest source-tagging team in the world, we are uniquely placed to help retailers maximise the benefits of their source tagging programmes. And, speaking about the importance of collaboration, a leading European grocery retailer once said: retailers, vendors and solutions providers have to work collaboratively to achieve a successful source tagging programme.”