Customer service enhancement using passive RFID

A customer service system is described that augments the shopping experience of consumers. The system uses customer information contained in passive Radio Frequency Identification, RFID tags to alert sales-assistants to probable needs of the customer. These needs may be derived from previous consumption patterns and this enables personalized services to be provided. The system is transparent to customers who carry "Hospitality" cards. These are Ultra-High Frequency, UHF passive RFID tags that may be read accurately at a distance up to 2.2 m by an example remote RFID reader. This reader is connected to a database and Bluetooth-enabled short-range radios that communicate with receivers held by sales-persons A market research exercise has been conducted in order to investigate customer requirements and to gage the possible reaction to the system by shoppers in Beijing.