Retail
With mobile RFID devices already on the market, the infrastructure is also beginning to grow for RFID payments as several retailers from McDonalds to Starbucks in the UK have already signed up. The video below from IBM has been around for a while but examines how this concept can be taken further.
From a consumer perspective RFID is a fairly simple approach, however for a retailer this technology has massive implications on the supply chain. The cost benefit analysis of implementing tags on all products to have real time asset management, warehouse management and supply chain visibility is immensely valuable. Each product can now be accurately tracked from its raw materials, straight through to the manufacturing process and finally to the individual end user. With the rise of the intelligent fridge we could see better communication between several closed systems. For example once a product is consumed a message could be sent back to the retailer to delivery more and also to the manufacturer to produce more, thus allowing for better stock control and reducing waste.