What is Radio Frequency Tracking?
Radio frequency tracking is a technology that tracks shipments through radio signals at various stages of a shipping life-cycle. It leverages RFID tags and is used on containers, freight, or any form of packaging, big or small, for shipping single or multiple products.
Significance of Radio Frequency Tracking in an E-commerce Shipping and Delivery
Radio frequency tracking allows sellers and shipping companies to keep track of their products and shipments without requiring manual updates. Some of its benefits are:
- Improved tracking: As RFID tags are not reliant on external effort, sellers and shipping companies can seamlessly track shipments and get real-time updates. With the cancellation of manual labor and reusability features, radio frequency tracking is also dubbed as a cost-effective method.
- Enhanced handling and management: A product’s location can be deduced easily using RFID tags. Warehouses that store and process products in bulk can quickly locate the product and decrease processing downtime.
Prerequisites of Radio Frequency Tracking and How It Works
A company must place RFID readers across all cycle endpoints using satellite GPS. Subsequently, radio frequency tracking can be accomplished in three steps.
- Requirement identification: RFID tags are used both in products and containers. Based on the shipping requirement, specific RFID tags are chosen.
- Installation: An RFID tag is installed by the partner shipping company.
- Tracking: The seller is given access to an integrated system for a specific product that allows them to track the shipment.
Use Case with Radio Frequency Tracking
A shipping company installs an RFID tag on a container holding 1,000 units of makeup kits from a Singapore-based manufacturer A and 1,000 units of self-tan products from another Singapore-based manufacturer, B. Furthermore, the shipping company gives them access to a centralized system that allows both manufacturers to track the container’s position.