Fast Five Shorts | Is Old Navy’s 1,200 Store Radar RFID Rollout Too Aggressive?
In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Infios, ClearDemand, and Ocampo Capital Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss: If Old Navy’s 1,200 Store Radar RFID Rollout Is Too Aggressive?
For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/xZ2R3c0ZxsU
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Transcript
Old Navy is partnering with Radar for the rollout of its AI powered RFID technology.
Speaker A:According to ChainStorage, in a multi year phase rollout of indeterminate length I might add.
Speaker A: ing technology into more than: Speaker A:Radar's RFID and AI platform which uses overhead scanners that are always on and constantly tracking garments embedded with RFID chips, helps Old Navy to precisely manage inventory and give store associates the real time information they need to instantly find products anywhere in the store from the sales floor to the back room.
Speaker A: And a: Speaker A: his tech actually reaches all: Speaker A:What are the odds?
Speaker B:Okay, I don't think I have enough data to make this bet and so that's where I would come on because, because I think that there's a major missing piece from this story.
Speaker B:And I did as much digging as I could in prep for this show but all I could find is that radars in 600 stores.
Speaker B:American Eagle being one of those.
Speaker B:But we don't know like have they tested this at get at Old Navy already?
Speaker B:How is this working?
Speaker B:Like what's happening?
Speaker B: What's phased rollout of: Speaker B:I think there's a lot of data to me that's missing that will, that will determine whether or not this is going to be successful.
Speaker B: for this to expand out to all: Speaker B:Umbrella And I'd be willing to bet that they could do even more sales than you know, whatever the they were the top performing sales revenue or revenue driver this year in gaps latest reporting.
Speaker B:I think if you could find more of that product.
Speaker B:Exactly what Lily AI CEO Prva Gupta told us.
Speaker B:If you can find more product then there you can buy more product.
Speaker B:And I would be willing to bet that that is a major issue right now for Old Navy stores is that there's so much stuff stuff in there that it's really hard for both consumers to find it when they're in store and and for them to sell product from the stores online and know exactly like how much inventory they have.
Speaker B:So I think this definitely will help them achieve that and I think could increase sales for Old Navy.
Speaker B:But I, I still feel like I can't put an exact like yes, this I would not put any bets on it yet because I feel like I still need more information.
Speaker B:But what.
Speaker A:So you're, you're essentially punting.
Speaker A: bility that this rolls out to: Speaker A:Really?
Speaker A:You're punting?
Speaker B:Okay, I.
Speaker B:All right, I do.
Speaker B:I think there's more information that I need.
Speaker B:And, and I mean Spencer, the guy that.
Speaker B:The CEO of Radar, super smart dude.
Speaker B:Like one of the most super smart people I've ever talked to.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But only 600 stores in the US feels like a small number for as long as he's been around.
Speaker B:So I, Yeah, I just, I don't have enough data to support it, Chris.
Speaker B:I'm sorry, you don't have enough data.
Speaker A:To make a guess?
Speaker B:Okay, I don't, I don't have enough data to make an educated guess where I'd be willing to put mortgage my home to places.
Speaker A:Let's just say that I would never ask you to do that on this show and.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:But so busy.
Speaker A:Your point is to recap.
Speaker A:Your point is you like the, you like the idea and concept.
Speaker A:Like we've talked about RFID a lot on this show and the value.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A: t bet or if we'll see this in: Speaker A:Okay, well, I'll be a little more, I'll be a little more pinpointed and exact, which is probably my reputation on this show too.
Speaker A:Relatively speaking.
Speaker A:I give it almost 0% chance of happening.
Speaker A:And, and all like, like zero at all.
Speaker A:Zero.
Speaker A:There's no way.
Speaker B:Not no rollout.
Speaker B:No rollout or you think it'll be.
Speaker A:No, no, no.
Speaker A: just think it doesn't get to: Speaker A:And there's a lot of reasons I say that.
Speaker A:I mean like first of all, you said Spencer's really smart guy.
Speaker A:He is.
Speaker A:We've met him, we've talked to him.
Speaker A:He's also.
Speaker A:It's also a Y combinator back company which is a good feather in your cap.
Speaker A:So they got that going for them as well.
Speaker A:But the second part of this too is like the solution as it was shown to us originally, use computer vision.
Speaker A:So I'm not sure if that's the case here.
Speaker A:I couldn't figure that out for many of the articles.
Speaker A:I always thought that was a little over engineered for what you need to do in the apparel space as well.
Speaker A:And third, this is like the last point I would make is this.
Speaker A:Make on this based on how they're Talking about the rollout, too.
Speaker A:They're saying it's of an indeterminate length, basically, if you read between the headlines.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so that it feels like you're buying promise versus reality.
Speaker A:To your point, they've only, you know, tested this in a small number of stores so far, and RFID isn't anything new.
Speaker A:There's a lot of companies that have been trying to do it for a long time.
Speaker A:They've been trying to crack the code on it.
Speaker A:So, like, why does.
Speaker A:What is Radar doing that others aren't doing that?
Speaker A: pital is hard to come by into: Speaker A:And honestly, when I go to their webpage to go radar.com you can check it out, folks.
Speaker A: I think would be ready for a: Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:I could say.
Speaker A:I could argue, okay, maybe this is their second big client.
Speaker A:They haven't invested in that.
Speaker A:That's fine, but I don't know.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:And I hope they prove me wrong, honestly, and I hope they do.
Speaker A:But if I'm Old Navy and I'm Gap Inc's cfo, I'm watching this really closely and possibly even digging in a bit more to it as well.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker A:That's my take here.
Speaker A:Like, I want to make sure I'm not over committing to this idea based on, you know, on.
Speaker A:On.
Speaker A:On where things stand.
Speaker A:But go ahead.
Speaker B:Even if it's just RFID alone, like, you don't think this is a smart investment for Old Navy to be making just rfid?
Speaker A:I think it is, but I think to go.
Speaker A:I think it is.
Speaker A:But to go bold and say we're gonna.
Speaker A: 're gonna lock ourselves into: Speaker A: ike, are they really going to: Speaker A:On understanding how this rolls out?
Speaker A: sed to see it actually get to: Speaker B:So your.
Speaker B:Your approach would be you should go.
Speaker B:You should be testing this with multiple providers before you choose one to roll out with.
Speaker B:Is that the.
Speaker A:I mean, I think.
Speaker A:I think they.
Speaker A:I'm hope I'm hopeful I.
Speaker A:I will give Old Navy credit.
Speaker A:I'm hopeful that they've done that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A: s saying, hey, we're going to: Speaker A:With this company.
Speaker A:Because a lot of these can spin out of control if everyone gets too far ahead of themselves from those types of announcements.
