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Business

Leeds Beckett University supporting Wakefield greetings card company's growth with innovative use of RFID technology

26 September 2024

The rollout of new patented Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, supported by Leeds Beckett University experts, is helping Wakefield-based Riverside Greetings realise their ambition to become the largest supplier of greetings cards to convenience and forecourt stores in the UK.

The RFID technology has been piloted, and patented, as part of a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between Leeds Beckett University and Riverside. The KTP was part-funded by the government through Innovate UK.

The technology allows stores to complete a full stock count of hundreds of cards by design in less than two minutes, with 100% accuracy. The current manual counting system takes around 30 minutes. Sales in Riverside's pilot stores grew by 11% using the innovative new method.

Dr Akbar Sheikh Akbari, reader in the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing at Leeds Beckett University, said: "The challenge for Riverside was a lack of real-time business performance data. The KTP aimed to create a sustainable platform for growth - using RFID and AI to develop better data management, tighter stock control, and a clearer understanding of which designs are selling in each store, so that Riverside can anticipate and meet the needs of their clients more quickly.

"RFID uses radio waves to passively identify a tagged object, tracking items in multiple commercial and industrial applications. Embedding RFID tags in low-value, high-volume items, such as greetings cards, is highly innovative."

The KTP has now been graded 'Outstanding' by independent assessors at Innovate UK. This is the highest possible rating awarded to projects.

Leeds Beckett University and Riverside Greetings KTP Outcomes Andrew Glen, managing director of Riverside Greetings, and Daniel Lamsdale, KTP associate, share how the KTP with Leeds Beckett University has resulted in a huge increase in productivity and sales for Riverside, and opened up future platforms for the business to grow.

A still image taken from the Riverside Greetings video showing a close-up image of someone's hand holding an RFID scanner against a backdrop of a display of greetings cards in a shop

A KTP associate, Dan Lamsdale, was recruited as a full-time member of the Riverside team, and was pivotal to the management and delivery of the project.

Dan designed and implemented the RFID pilot programme across a number of convenience stores, creating a plan for rolling out the technology to all stores after the project, and researching and driving forwards the successful patent pending application. He created a strategic marketing framework and campaign plans, and a programme of cultural change and training within the business to support the growth and adoption of the new technology.

Andrew Glen, Managing Director of Riverside Greetings, said: "The KTP has exceeded our expectations, and we have seen significant benefits. The RFID technology patent pending status has positioned us as a leader in our field. We can now investigate other markets where the technology could be applied, as well as licensing the solution to other parties in the future. The RFID technology has critically improved our responsiveness to the needs of our customers.

"Riverside's ambition is to become the largest supplier of greeting cards to the convenience and forecourt sectors. Without the KTP, the business would not be placed to progress so quickly."

Riverside are now planning a phased rollout of the technology across their store network in the UK.

Jo Griffiths, head of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships at Leeds Beckett University, added: "The Outstanding grading awarded to the project is a clear indication of the high quality of innovation achieved by the team on this KTP. That Riverside has a patent pending application is an exciting output that we did not foresee as part of the original project plan. We look forward to seeing Riverside's continued growth in the future."