EPC Labels for the Fashion Industry
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An EPC label is much like a bar code: it contains information about a product and assigns a unique number to each item, allowing retailers to distinguish one item from another. EPC labels used in retail are passive — they emit no signal on their own and contain nothing more than a unique number to identify the merchandise. Readers prompt the label to send its electronic product code back, and clothing companies do not have to see the labels to read them, as they must with bar codes, so thousands of items can be counted in seconds.
EPC Labels for the Fashion Industry - Terms of Interest to the Fashion Industry
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An EPC label is much like a bar code. It contains information about a product and assigns a unique number to each item, allowing retailers to distinguish one item from another.
EPC labels used in
retail are passive, which means they don’t
emit any signal on their own. The labels
contain nothing more than a unique number to
identify the merchandise. Retailers
can use special readers that prompt the
label to send its electronic product code
back to the reader. Most importantly,
clothing companies don’t actually have to
see the labels in order to read them as we
have to do with bar codes. This means
companies can count thousands of items in
seconds and know which products are out of
stock.
Clothing retailers can use an EPC to help
improve their inventory tracking. It
helps make sure the right products are on
the shelves when the consumer need them.
The EPC technology gives clothing stores an
accurate count of what is in stock in a
matter of seconds. In an apparel
department, companies can use EPC
identification to help ensure that they have
the right styles, sizes, and colors on store
shelves when consumers want them.
By helping stores manage their inventory
more efficiently, EPC technology helps
apparel retailers lower expenses for
themselves which can potentially be passed
along as savings for customers.
EPC is the next generation of bar codes and
works through the use of radio frequency
identification (RFID) – a technology that
has been around since the 1940s. If you have
a remote keyless entry device for your car
or a E-Z Pass, you are actually already
using RFID technology.
The EPC label is typically part of the
product packaging or on the price tag. It's
easy to find products that use this
technology. Just
look for the EPC symbol.
To learn more about EPC labels, you can
visit
EPCglobal. EPCglobal®
is leading the development of
industry-driven standards for the Electronic
Product Code™ (EPC) to support the use of
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in
today's fast-moving, information rich,
trading networks.
ML111611
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EPC, RFID and the Bar Code
The three identification systems on this page build on each other. A bar code identifies a type of product and must be seen to be scanned, one item at a time. A UPC gives that product code a standardized form used at checkout. An EPC label, carried on an RFID label, identifies the individual item — this specific shirt, not just this style of shirt — and can be read in bulk without line of sight. For a clothing company, that difference turns stock counting from a manual, item-by-item job into a near-instant read of a rail, a carton or a stockroom, and it is what makes item-level tracking through factories, warehouses and stores practical.
Common Questions
What is an EPC label?
A label that carries an electronic product code: information about a product with a unique number assigned to each individual item, so retailers can distinguish one item from another. In retail the labels are passive, containing nothing more than the unique number.
How are EPC labels read?
Retailers use special readers that prompt the label to send its electronic product code back to the reader. Unlike bar codes, the labels do not have to be visible to be read.
Why do clothing companies use EPC labels?
Because items can be identified individually and counted in bulk without line of sight: companies can count thousands of items in seconds and know which specific items they have. This page links onward to RFID, RFID labels, the UPC guide and bar code labels.