Changing Environment

Successes noted in the report include airline baggage and some segments of the retail sector. Airlines in 2006 used 25 million tags, despite experiencing problems with the UHF global standard for baggage. In retail, U.K.-based Marks & Spencer is extending its item-level RFID tagging program from 42 to 120 stores by 2Q07. Its goal is to tag all of its 350 million items of apparel yearly. In stores that have implemented the program to date, the company has seen sales increases due to the enhanced visibility of stock availability.