Macy's Inc. (Cincinnati) is accelerating the use of RFID technology at its Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores. The technology will be used to more precisely manage item-level merchandise inventories. By the third quarter of 2012, the company expects to begin using RFID in all stores nationwide to count size-intensive replenishment goods, or those items regularly stocked and automatically resupplied as they are sold to customers.

The department store chain says it’s been testing RFIDs for nearly two years in selected stores and distribution centers and plans to have all stores outfitted with the technology by fall of 2013.

“To Macy's and Bloomingdale's, RFID is a tool to better serve customers and drive sales by ensuring we have the right product in the right place at the right time for our in-store and omnichannel shoppers,” says Tom Cole, chief administrative officer of Macy's Inc. “RFID will allow us to more frequently count item-level inventory with precision so our inventory is readily accessible to our customers. This is technology that has proven effective in our testing, and we believe now is the right time to roll out RFID aggressively.”

RFID will enable multiple counts of inventory throughout the year compared with the current practice of taking a physical inventory once a year. Macy’s expects this to help in inventory accuracy as well as ensure the correct placement of items in the right range of sizes, colors and styles on the selling floor.

The initial 2012 launch of RFID technology will be in men's furnishings, intimate apparel, men's slacks, denim and women's shoes in each store nationwide.