Choosing the Right RFID Label for Your Products

When retailers first look at RFID, the reader and the software get most of the attention. The label is treated as an afterthought. In practice the label is the decision that touches every single item you sell, so it is worth getting right.

The good news is that the choice is not complicated. It comes down to how the tag attaches to the product and how the product is displayed. There are three label families in the RSG line, and each one exists for a clear reason.

C8102 apparel hangtag

The apparel hangtag is the most familiar form. It is a printed swing tag, attached with a loop or a tag gun, that already looks at home on garments, accessories, and soft goods.

Choose the hangtag when:

• You sell clothing, footwear, bags, or anything that already carries a swing ticket.
• You want the tag to double as your price and brand ticket.
• The item can carry a tag that hangs rather than sticks.

Because the hangtag sits away from the body of the garment, read performance is strong and consistent, which is why apparel was one of the first categories to adopt RFID at scale.

C8101 adhesive label

The adhesive label is a printed sticker with the RFID inlay built in. It applies directly to a box, a carton, a polybag, or the product itself.

Choose the adhesive label when:

• Your products come in boxes or packaging, such as footwear cartons, cosmetics, or electronics.
• You want the tag applied flat to a surface rather than hung from the item.
• You are tagging at the case or carton level as well as the unit.

One thing to plan for: metal and liquids interfere with UHF radio signals. If you are tagging cans, bottles, or products with foil packaging, mention it early so the label and placement can be matched to the material.

C8103 jewelry tag

Jewelry is the hardest category to tag well, because the items are tiny, valuable, and often metal. The jewelry tag is a small format label, frequently a barbell or rat tail style, designed to loop through a ring or around a small piece without overwhelming it.

Choose the jewelry tag when:

• You sell rings, earrings, watches, or other small high value items.
• A standard hangtag would be larger than the product itself.
• You need the tag to be discreet on a display piece.

How to decide

Run through three questions for each product group you sell.

1. How is it displayed? Hung, boxed, or laid out in a case.
2. What is it made of? Fabric and paper read easily. Metal and liquid need planning.
3. How big is the item? A small product needs a small format tag.

Most stores end up using more than one label family, because a single catalog often spans soft goods, boxed goods, and small items. That is expected, and the same C8001 reader and V-Prime software work across all three.

Print and encode in store

All three families are designed to be printed and encoded on the C8005 industrial label printer, so you produce tags on demand rather than ordering pre printed stock for every variation. The printer lays down the human readable face and writes the RFID identifier in the same pass.

Not sure which label fits your catalog? Send us your product list and Retail Security Group will help you match the right label family to what you sell.