RFID turns a new leaf for brand new books
Japanese publisher Shogakukan Inc. is using RFID to reduce the return ratio of unsold books.
BACKGROUND
Shogakukan Inc. and other Japanese publishers struggle with high return rates, which from retail sellers have reached 43 percent.
CHALLENGE Returns increase publishers’ production and shipping costs while reducing margins that are already tight. Unsold books often end up being disposed of, creating needless waste.
SOLUTION
- Shogakukan tagged its newly published home medical dictionaries with UPM Crab RFID inlays
- Bookstores are given two purchasing options for the dictionaries:
→ consignment sales, where unsold books can be returned without expense
→ non-consignment sales, where the margin offered is higher but returning unsold books to the publisher comes at a cost - Data concerning the choice of sales system is written to the RFID tags
- Thanks to RFID bookstores have the option of changing their purchasing approach to meet changing needs
- The return ratio for unsold books has been substantially reduced
- Non-consignment returns, which previously required manual checking and scanning, are now greatly simplified
- Human error is eliminated by automating the data processing and logistics related operations with RFID
