Tesco enters smart tags trial

Supermarket giant Tesco is running a trial of smart chips that can warn staff when products are past their sell-by date or even being shoplifted.

The trial of radio frequency identity tags (RFID), which the supermarket said is the first of its kind in Europe, will see the tiny wireless chips attached to packs of Gillette Mach3 razor blades.

Last week Gillette revealed that it would be trialling half a billion of the chips in the US and UK.

The tags can tell staff how much stock there is of a particular product; where it is; when it goes out of date; whether it has been paid for and even if it has been recycled by a customer after use.

"The possibilities with RFID are endless," said Tesco IT director Colin Cobain.

"Tagging products will lead to real improvements for both customers and staff, with instant information and improved availability."

Gillette razor blades are a popular target for shoplifters. The RFID chips could be linked with closed-circuit TV systems to track a product from the shelf to the till and out of the shop. If a product left the shop without being paid for, alarms would be activated.

Tesco said that in the future the tags would also be able to tell staff how many products are in stock, as well as how many are on their way to the store, in the distribution centre or at the factory.

If the trial proves successful, Tesco said that the tags could feature on a wide range of products in the future, providing information for staff and cutting down on product shortages.

"In time we will see chips on food products, so we will know when products on-shelf are approaching their sell-by dates," said Cobain

"It will make identifying products a lot easier, allowing our staff to spend more time with customers."

Cobain explained that RFID tags could have a range of uses.

"The tags will be particularly effective with CDs and DVDs, where there are hundreds of different lines," he said."They will allow us to see easily if items are in the wrong place, and how many of each type are on the shelf and in stock. When a title is picked up a trailer could even play on a plasma screen."

The RFID trial will take place at Tesco's Newmarket Road store in Cambridge.