Smart Labels Set to See Wide Scale Use

Developments to smart label design and the connectivity solutions behind them are driving adoption across industries, as the solutions become cheaper and easier to deploy.

A new report from ABI Research says the smart label industry is set for a boom, as  the asset tracking and supply chain transparency devices are shifting from the design phase to commercial deployment. 

“Over the past 15 years, the printed electronics market for asset tracking has been driven by Radio Frequency Identification (RFID),” said Tancred Taylor, ABI industry analyst. “This will continue to remain a dominant technology, but the evolution of low-power IoT technologies from Bluetooth all the way through to cellular and non-cellular LPWAN technologies is making possible the creation of RF labels with enhanced capabilities.”

Smart labels have potential applications across a range of industries, including retail, manufacturing and logistics, agricultural and health care – to name a few. 

“Smart labels are already evolving in numerous directions from features and form-factor perspectives, which will entirely change how enterprises gather data on their assets, which will be the greatest driver of value,” said Taylor.

“The key is for companies to target the right use cases, to understand how smart labels will function alongside the rest of IoT, and to position themselves actively within the value chain to take advantage of this fast-developing market.”