Datascan on MarketScale | Retail Inventory Management Content

Barcode and RFID inventory counting solutions for global retailers

Datascan provides barcode and RFID inventory counting solutions for major retailers operating in more than 42 countries. Their MarketScale channel covers inventory accuracy, cycle counting methodology, and the business case for outsourced physical inventory programs. Retail operations and supply chain teams use this content to evaluate inventory management strategies and technology partnerships.

44 episodes

Channel Brief·Datascan · 44 episodes

Updated Jan 12, 2024

Inventory accuracy drives retail survival in omnichannel era

Datascan argues that real-time, accurate inventory counting is non-negotiable as retail transforms into distributed fulfillment. The channel grounds this claim in concrete operational pain points: stockouts, shrink, labor inefficiency, and failed BOPIS orders.

Datascan's core argument is that retail's shift toward omnichannel operations, BOPIS, and store-as-distribution-center models has made traditional inventory counting methods (biannual or less) operationally obsolete and financially damaging. The channel substantiates this by linking poor inventory visibility directly to lost sales, customer churn, shrink, and inflated safety stock costs, then presenting RFID and continuous counting as the operational solution.

Drawn from Retail Roundtable: How Serious is the Retail S… and 5 more →

“If you're doing barcodes once or twice a year, your average inventory record accuracy before you count is around 35 percent.”
Herb Billings, VP of Technology Strategy, Datascan

By the numbers

35%

average inventory record accuracy before barcode count

$500M

Target's predicted profit impact from inventory shrink

80%

Walmart apparel tagged with RFID, expanding to other categories

50 years

Datascan's tenure in retail inventory counting business

What the channel argues

DataRetailers with barcode-only systems checking inventory once or twice yearly operate at 35% accuracy.→

DataTarget predicted a $500 million impact on profitability due to inventory shrink.→

DataRFID tag cost ranges from $0.04 to $0.08 per unit, with lower costs higher up the supply chain.→

DataWalmart has tagged over 80 percent of apparel with RFID and is expanding to sporting goods, electronics, and toys.→

InsightFour main drivers for RFID adoption are inventory accuracy, reduced manual labor, anti-theft, and display compliance.→

InsightRetailers struggle to maintain accurate inventory when stores transform into distribution centers for BOPIS and curbside fulfillment.→

What you'll learn

•Why traditional biannual inventory counts fail in omnichannel retail and what specific accuracy benchmark should replace them.

•How RFID deployment costs scale with supply chain placement and what ROI drivers justify the investment for different retailers.

•Why shrink, stockouts, and safety stock overstock are interconnected symptoms of poor inventory visibility, not isolated problems.

•How BOPIS and curbside pickup models have forced retailers to rethink their entire stock counting and visibility cadence.

•What concrete metrics matter when evaluating RFID versus barcode systems for your retail operation and customer experience.

What to do about it

→Audit your current inventory count frequency and accuracy baseline, then establish a target for continuous or near-real-time visibility aligned with your BOPIS and fulfillment model.

→Map RFID tag costs and ROI drivers specific to your product mix, supply chain, and loss prevention priorities before making a deployment decision.

→Identify the highest-friction store operations where manual labor is blocking inventory accuracy or customer service, then pilot RFID or supplemental counting to measure labor time savings and sales lift.

Who and what shows up

Adrian Thomas

President and CEO, Datascan

Discusses Datascan's 50-year history in inventory counting and the company's mission to elevate inventory management practices as retail undergoes digital transformation.

Herb Billings

VP of Product Strategy, Datascan

Explains RFID economics, historical accuracy benchmarks, supply chain impact, and the four main drivers for RFID adoption across multiple episodes.

Max Dunn

Manager of RFID Solutions, Datascan

Provides insights into RFID adoption trends, implementation challenges, and the evolution of RFID capabilities over two decades in retail.

Nick Ford

Director of Inventory Solutions, Datascan

Participated in roundtable discussion identifying database accuracy and global supply chain as major issues in automotive parts inventory management.

Walmart

Major retailer

Cited as leader in RFID adoption, with over 80 percent of apparel tagged and expansion to sporting goods, electronics, and toys, influencing industry-wide RFID mandate pressure on suppliers.

Questions this channel answers

Why do traditional inventory count methods fail in modern retail?

Retailers counting inventory once or twice yearly at 35% accuracy cannot fulfill BOPIS orders reliably, avoid stockouts on sales floor, or detect shrink fast enough. Store-as-fulfillment-center models demand continuous or near-real-time visibility.

What are the primary challenges retailers are facing fro… →

What are the main business drivers for implementing RFID?

The four main drivers are improving inventory record accuracy, reducing manual labor time for counting and restocking tasks, implementing anti-theft capabilities, and ensuring display compliance.

Keeping Count: What are the main drivers prompting retai… →

How much does RFID tagging cost and where is it most cost-effective?

Tags cost $0.04 to $0.08 per unit. The further up the supply chain you tag, the cheaper it becomes, making supplier-level tagging more economical than retail-level application.

Keeping Count: How to Successfully Deploy RFID in Retail →

What are the consequences of poor inventory record accuracy?

Five effects include lost sales from stockouts, customer dissatisfaction and churn, inflated safety stock to buffer inaccuracy, higher operational costs, and inability to meet omnichannel order promises.

Herb’s Hot Hot Takes: The Five Effects of Bad Inventory … →

Is the retail shrink crisis real, and what is driving it?

Retailers face conflicting data on shrink rates, but organized retail crime is confirmed as a significant contributor. Target predicted a $500 million impact, and Walmart closed Portland stores citing theft, though some surveys show slight dips in average shrink.

Retail Roundtable: How Serious is the Retail Shrink Cris… →

Best place to start

Getting to Know Datascan and the Retail LandscapeEstablishes the company's 50-year mission and frames the core inventory management challenge in modern retail, setting foundation for all subsequent arguments.

Keeping Count: What are the main drivers prompting retailers to implement RFID?Distills the four core drivers and presents the shocking 35 percent accuracy benchmark that justifies the entire RFID investment thesis.

Topics:RFID technology and implementationInventory accuracy and countingBOPIS and omnichannel fulfillmentRetail shrink and loss preventionSupply chain visibility

Themes:Inventory visibility as operational necessity, not nice-to-haveOmnichannel demand reshaping counting cadence and accuracy requirementsRFID economics tied to supply chain position and loss prevention ROI

Industry context

RFID adoption in supply chain and warehouse operations is accelerating, with the warehouse RFID market projected to reach US$19.6 billion by 2033 at an 11.1% compound annual growth rate, driven by real-time inventory tracking demand.

Warehouse RFID Market Forecast 2026 to 2033 (persistencemarketresearch.com) ↗