Smart labels are becoming increasingly popular in a range of sectors for their ability to hold much more information than traditional labels and be tracked. This trend is set to continue, which provides opportunities for resellers.
Can a barcode or QR code influence a customer to purchase a particular product? The results of a recent survey say that it can. A survey by GS1 US found that 79% consumers are more likely to buy products with scannable barcodes/QR codes to access additional product information.
This demonstrates how important smart labels – those that provide more than just basic printed information – and the printers that are used to create them are becoming in the marketplace.
There are various advantages of smart labels over traditional solutions. “Printers that can produce 2D barcodes or RFID labels/tags provide endless possibilities over devices that can only print standard barcodes,” says a TSC spokesperson. “2D barcodes, like QR codes and GS1 Data Matrix, help improve consumer engagement and enable better supply chain management such as improving product recall preparedness. RFID technology facilitates better inventory and asset management across the supply chain, saving time, money and resources.”
Deyon Antoine, product marketing manager at Toshiba Tec, adds RFID technology can encode data to onto labels with IC chips and antennas. “Not only do they print the human readable information for line of sight identification by barcode readers and scanners, but they are also able to encode a lot of data into that label, which would otherwise not be possible to fit onto a conventional label, making it smart,” he explains.
Neil Baker, head of auto ID sales for Northern Europe at BIXOLON Europe GmbH, agrees that traceability from RFID is a plus. “By pre-loading unique information or simply numbers onto these labels which are then attached to individual items, they can be tracked and traced by antennas scanning the unique codes and cross referencing them against third party inventory software,” he says. “This increases procedure efficiency and reduces failure rates to about 0.5% compared to traditional barcode label scanning and tracking options.”
Sustainability is another advantage in smart label printing, Neil adds. “As although the initial cost of investment of a RFID printer can be quite high, the total cost of ownership over the years is relatively low, as RFID labelling streamlines processes and raises efficiency and productivity.”
Smarter RFID
RFID is getting smarter, and the integration of RFID with IoT technologies is set to expand significantly in the future, says the TSC spokesperson. “RFID sensors combined with IoT devices will not only track objects but also monitor conditions like temperature, pressure and humidity,” they say. “This integration is especially important for industries like pharmaceuticals and food logistics, where monitoring the environment (cold chain) is crucial. IoT-enabled RFID will enable real-time updates and alerts, ensuring products maintain optimal conditions during transport, thus reducing spoilage and waste.
“The rise of IoT and connected devices makes RFID a valuable tool in smart warehouses and factories. RFID tags can communicate with IoT sensors to provide data on product location, condition (e.g., temperature or humidity), and movement, enabling predictive analytics and enhanced decision-making. RFID-based automation can integrate with robotic systems to optimise warehouse operations like picking, packing and shipping, leading to faster order fulfilment and more efficient use of warehouse space.”
Sector demand
Warehousing is just one sector that is increasing its use of smart labelling. “While parts of the apparel and general merchandise (AGM) sector have been using 2D barcodes for some time to improve consumer engagement, the Sunrise 2027 initiative will see widespread adoption of QR codes by retail and healthcare,” says the TSC spokesperson.
“Consumers will be able to access information like ‘how to’ instructions, recipe ideas and recycling advice. Manufacturers and retailers will likewise benefit from more comprehensive data, on fundamentals like expiry dates and batch numbers, enabling them to make faster, more accurate product recalls, improve inventory and waste management, and provide greater supply chain visibility and traceability.”
Neil agrees that retail is the driving force behind smart labelling. “With the labelling of apparel, especially high value items for inventory identification, tracking and security,” he says. “Using RFID labelling as part of a technology bundle with fixed and mobile antennas, they allow seamless tracking and identification throughout the procurement chain.”
Deyon agrees that demand started in the retail sector to help with inventory control of high value items. “Through the demands of retailers, it was rolled out across the supply chain not only for inventory management and tracking the progress of shipments throughout the supply chain but also for traceability in the event of product recalls as the data contained within RFID labels can help trace back to the source of origin,” he says.
“We’ve seen an increased demand for smart labelling across retail, transport and logistics, automotive, healthcare and pharmaceuticals in a drive to prevent counterfeiting, better inventory control for just-in-time production models and track and traceability.”
Reseller conversations
There are various facets of smart labels that resellers should be highlighting to customers. For instance, there’s greater desire by consumer and the supply chain for more data, visibility, transparency and authentication about the items we interact with every day, says the TSC spokesperson.
Compliance is also important. “For example, UK and EU food companies exporting products to the US that are on the food traceability list, have until January 20, 2026 to comply with the country’s new regulations on traceability,” says the spokesperson. “It is QR codes that are recommended for traceability records because they link specific product or batch information to update Key Data Elements and Critical Tracking Events across the value chain.
“The label printer therefore needs not only to be able to print QR codes but also needs to be versatile enough to handle various tasks and food types. Integrating QR codes with RFID, especially in food inventory management, can also reduce losses with accurate real-time data, enhance traceability and transparency in the supply chain, and improve customer satisfaction with product freshness.
“Food producers therefore need to think about suitable QR code printers and ask: will the printer accommodate various label sizes to meet changing requirements? Can it be expanded to meet the growing benefits of RFID? Does print label quality need to withstand long-distance transport, storage or even freezing, or does it only require a short shelf life?”
Deyon adds that resellers should highlight how smart labels improve inventory management and reduce manual errors. “They can also achieve improved accuracy with fast and accurate inventory counts,” he says.
“Smart labelling aids in security as it can prevent counterfeiting as each RFID label has a unique digital identifier. They also enhance the visibility of the supply chain transparency offering real-time data on the products and their location.
“RFID label printers can also handle high volumes of tags quickly, making them suitable for businesses of all sizes, from small enterprises to large corporations
“The printers can easily integrate with existing IT systems, such as Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms, ensuring seamless data flow and operational efficiency.
“They are also designed to operate in various environments, RFID label printers are built to be robust and reliable, ensuring consistent performance even in challenging conditions.”
Deyon notes that sustainability is high up on the list of demands for consumers who are looking at eco-friendly labelling and packaging solutions to make recycling easier, with the introduction of things like linerless labelling, which removes the need for backing paper which can’t be recycled.
In addition, the printers can make personalised labels, which is something more businesses are considering. “Personalisation of labels can help brands build stronger connections with their audience, via marketing and enhanced customer experiences by tracking consumer preferences,” he says.
Increasing demand
With such benefits, it is anticipated that demand for smart labelling will increase in the coming years. “As more investment into new technologies increases it will become more cost effective for a larger number of applications,” Deyon says.
“The creation of more durable and versatile RFID labels that will have things like sensors embedded in them making them true IOT devices and diversifying their applications.”
Deyon adds that future development will hopefully address some of the issues experienced around RFID in certain environmental conditions like around metals and liquids, opening up a huge range of use cases. “There will be a demand for even more data to be stored on RFID labels so we will be looking at larger memory sizes, addressing some applications where security is paramount,” he says.
“Cloud solutions will facilitate real-time inventory management, feeding more data back into ERP and WMS systems”
Neil adds that the cost of the technology will fall too, which will also help drive take-up of such solutions. “As RFID becomes more prevalent in society, the price of implementation is falling and will continue to do so over time, therefore more small- to mid-sized companies will jump onto the RFID smart labelling bandwagon,” he says. “This will assist the infiltration of RFID printing technology into the market for years to come.”
Another developing technology will also help to increase take-up of smart labelling solutions and change how it works. “Artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly revolutionising the printing and labelling industry,” says TSC’s spokesperson. “It is expected that smart printers with AI capabilities will be able to autonomously adjust label formats, identify errors, and anticipate maintenance requirements, thus minimising downtime and enhancing operational efficiency.
“Additionally, AI will be able to facilitate automated workflows by integrating with supply chain management systems, enabling automatic label printing based on real-time inventory data. This will not only accelerate the labelling process but also ensure consistency and accuracy.”