Convert Every Unit into Revenue

RFID inventory tracking starts with a microchip and a small antenna inside each RFID tag. An RFID reader sends radio waves; the tag answers with its electronic product code, and the software records the item and its location. Readers pick up many tags at once, so RFID inventory tracking covers a rack, a backroom, or a delivery in seconds.

Passive RFID tags have no battery and draw power from the reader's signal, which makes them small and inexpensive enough for individual retail items. Active RFID tags carry a battery and broadcast their own signal. Active tags suit larger or high-value items that need a longer read range. Retail stores typically use passive RFID tags, and read range depends on the tag, the antenna, and the materials around each item.

RFID reads many items at once through packaging and across a shelf, and barcode scanning reads one label at a time. Receiving with RFID readers finishes in a fraction of the time barcode scanning takes, and RFID counts remove the manual, error-prone counting that barcode systems depend on. Barcodes stay useful for price lookup and for items that carry no tag.

RFID asset tracking follows durable equipment, such as tools, fixtures, and returnable containers, through its working life. RFID inventory management follows sellable units, such as apparel and accessories, from receiving to sale. Asset tracking systems log where equipment is and who holds it, and asset tracking usually belongs to facilities and IT teams. ActiveStore focuses on sellable inventory, so counts, receiving, and replenishment run on unit-level data.

Stores use handheld readers that associates carry, fixed readers mounted at doors or in the backroom, or both. Handheld readers suit counts, receiving, and locating products, and fixed readers watch a doorway or a stockroom around the clock. ActiveStore supports any combination of fixed and handheld RFID readers, and Bluetooth handhelds from Zebra connect through eConnex.

Accurate counts show which items are running low before shoppers find an empty shelf, which prevents stockouts and out-of-stock listings online. The same counts show excess units sooner, which helps stores avoid overstocking and lowers carrying costs. Reconciling RFID counts against expected supply shows where units go missing, giving loss prevention teams an earlier view of shrinkage.

Yes. Store Inventory Management runs on Manhattan's API-first, cloud-native platform, which connects to the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system your finance team uses and to the WMS or warehouse management systems in your distribution centers. Store counts then join the wider supply chain management picture, so planning and replenishment start from what each store actually holds.

ActiveStore is built for retail stores managing sellable stock. Pallets, raw materials, and finished goods move through manufacturing and distribution workflows, which Manhattan's supply chain execution solutions cover for warehouses and plants.

Spreadsheets work while a retailer has few locations and low volume. Once teams need accurate stock levels across several stores, real-time inventory visibility, and counts that finish in minutes, an RFID inventory management system replaces manual updates with tag reads.

No. Retailers tag by store or category and keep receiving, counting, and adjusting, while only some units carry a tag. Losses can be recorded without a tag, and each store sets the minimum accuracy a count must reach before it can be submitted.

Accurate real-time inventory tracking tells order promising which stores hold a unit, so order fulfillment from stores starts with stock that is on the shelf. RFID Geiger mode then guides associates to the closest unit when an order is picked.