“The supply chain data accuracy processes have been frozen in time for decades, and a lot of the brands and retailers are begging for improvements, which is how we were able to get so much user support,” said Patton.

Patton and his team at the Auburn University RFID Lab are not done with the study. The next phase, according to the report, is a deeper “failure analysis” to understand why, in some cases, EPC/RFID data did not exactly match with ASNs. This could be for one of nine reasons, including over-picking and under-picking, but data is currently being collected to help understand more and recommend corrective actions.

The Phase 1 report, however, already includes a list of recommendations for supplier and retailer use cases, based on the findings. It also proposed an ROI formula to help supply chain managers prove the technology’s benefits.