How a Leading Coffee Chain Digitized Store Operations with RFID

Brief Introduction

A world-renowned coffee chain partnered with Seuic to enhance in-store ingredient and inventory management. By integrating RFID, smart shelves, and backend connectivity, the solution replaced time-consuming barcode operations with real-time expiry alerts, improved inventory speed by 80%, and reduced training time by 90%.

Customer Background

As one of the world's most recognizable coffeehouse brands, this global chain operates tens of thousands of stores worldwide, serving millions of customers daily. The brand offers a wide variety of premium coffee beverages, handcrafted drinks, desserts, and branded merchandise such as mugs and tumblers. With such a broad and fast-moving product mix, ensuring accurate expiry control, efficient inventory management, and smooth daily operations across all stores is critical to maintaining service quality and operational consistency.

Challenges Faced

Despite its scale and sophistication, the brand faced several operational bottlenecks at the store level:

• Manual Expiry Tracking Was Time-Consuming:

Perishable items such as coffee beans, cocoa powder, milk, and desserts required individual barcode scanning to check expiry status. This process was labor-intensive, prone to errors, and difficult to scale across thousands of stores.

• Inventory Counting Was Slow and Inefficient:

Packaged products like bagged coffee, mugs, and tumblers required manual daily counts before closing. In high-traffic stores, this process could take up to 25–40 minutes per shift, reducing productivity.

• Training New Staff Was Challenging:

Due to the variety of packaging materials and barcode positions, barcode scanning required experience and training. This increased onboarding time and made it difficult to maintain accuracy with new or temporary staff.

Seuic's Smart RFID Solution

To address these issues, Seuic deployed a comprehensive RFID-based solution integrated with the customer's store infrastructure and backend systems.

1. RFID-Enabled Expiry Management

Each perishable ingredient was tagged with RFID labels. Store staff could instantly scan multiple items using Seuic’s handheld RFID terminal. Expiry status was displayed in real time on the device interface, enabling quick identification of products approaching shelf life. This eliminated the need for individual barcode scans.

2. Automated Daily Inventory

For merchandise and supplies, RFID tags allowed bulk scanning of items such as mugs, tumblers, and bagged coffee. Staff could complete daily inventory checks in under 2 minutes, reducing the time spent on end-of-day procedures by up to 80%.

3. Seamless Integration with Backend System

The solution connected directly to the store's centralized management system (MDM), ensuring that scanned data — including expiry dates, stock levels, and replenishment needs — were synchronized in real time.

4. Zero Learning Curve for Staff

Seuic's user-friendly interface required no specialized training. With a touchscreen display and intuitive operation, even new employees could perform tasks with minimal guidance. Training time was reduced by over 90% compared to the previous barcode system.

Tangible Results & Benefits

✅ Expiry Visibility with Instant Alerts

RFID scanning detects expiry in less than 1 second per item, triggering real-time alerts to help store staff proactively manage food safety.

✅ Labor Savings

Inventory tasks that previously took 25–40 minutes now take 1–2 minutes, freeing staff to focus on customer service.

✅ Improved Accuracy

The RFID system reduces manual errors and ensures stock accuracy across all categories — from ingredients to merchandise.

✅ Rapid Deployment at Scale

Thanks to its simplicity and plug-and-play architecture, the solution can be quickly rolled out to thousands of stores with minimal disruption.

Related Product

The AUTOID UTouch 2 is a next-generation UHF RFID reader with significant improvements over its predecessor. It can read up to 1300 tags per second and allows for easy switching between different reading scenarios with a single tap. The device supports various special tags and features an upgraded algorithm for precise item identification according to your needs. Equipped with an octa-core processor and Wi-Fi 6, it performs exceptionally well in complex environments. The 11,700mAh dual battery provides strong support for continuous operation, and the device is built to withstand drops from up to 2 meters onto concrete. This combination of features makes it a game-changer in the market.

Conclusion