The numbers don’t lie. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global RFID market was valued at $15.5 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $37.7 billion by 2032.
There is no doubt that more industries are adopting the technology, and that we are on the cusp of several technological revolutions that will make RFID more widespread and more useful. Think AI and machine learning, the internet of things and blockchain. And don’t discount those incremental changes and improvements – better antennae, cheaper parts and smaller tags. Together, these will help to green-light a tech that may have previously been unviable for some organisations.
This post about RFID future trends is a game of two halves. We’ll start by looking at the technical advances in RFID, then look at how industries will, or might, adopt them. (There is an element of speculation here, after all.) One thing we know for certain is that RFID will play its part in the rollout of the EU’s Digital Product Passports across many product categories in the years ahead.
If you’d like a primer on RFID before diving into emerging technologies, see our introduction to RFID, RFID case studies and our complete guide to RFID tags.
Future trends in RFID technologies
1. Tags and labels will get much smaller
Small is going to become really, really big. The advancement of printed electronics is creating thinner, more flexible RFID tags. These can be coupled with printed sensors, batteries and thin photovoltaic solar cells and other tech. Tiny RFID tags are already being embedded in clothes, consumer goods and medical devices. More speculative commentary suggests nano RFID tags will enable tracking at unprecedented scale in tiny objects such as pills and even the human body. Some observers also suggest tags will be printed directly inside products during manufacture, making their use ubiquitous.
2. RFID will connect with… everything
RFID and the internet of things (IoT) can appear to be competing technologies. RFID requires fixing tags to items and associated infrastructure to read them. Meanwhile, IoT sensors report their environmental status (and physical presence) using cellular, mesh or Wi-Fi networks. However, each has its advantages and limitations, and we’re likely to see more integration of these technologies in the years ahead.
For instance, many IoT devices using GPS are excellent at tracking assets outdoors, but aren’t so great at reading a precise location indoors. Meanwhile, RFID is ideal for indoor tracking but usually won’t perform outdoors unless RFID readers and gateways are present. Together, these technologies can provide precise outdoor-indoor tracking and enhanced inventory management – something each may struggle to achieve alone. Here’s an excellent article about RFID and IoT integrations from RFID Journal.
3. Blockchain will enhance security
Blockchain is a digital record-keeping system where data is stored in cryptographically linked blocks across multiple computers, creating tamper-resistant records that all authorised parties can verify without a central authority. In RFID-monitored supply chains, it can be used to record and verify each transaction. This ensures the traceability and authenticity of stock from manufacture to delivery.
While this RFID/blockchain integration is nascent, NIKE is already trialling the use of blockchain technology to combat counterfeiting. Expect more of the same from other manufacturers in the years ahead.
4. Antennas will become more adaptable
As our complete guide to RFID reveals, antennas are a crucial part of an RFID setup and, like tags, they’re getting smaller. They’re also getting flexible, thanks to the use of copper and silver in construction; and more resistant to common challenging environments that interfere with signals, such as metals and liquids. All of these breakthroughs make deploying them in more scenarios easier.
Future applications for RFID technologies
With the above technical developments, we are likely to see many of the below RFID future trends in the years ahead…
5. Cities will get smarter
As cities get bigger and more populated, increasingly sophisticated methods will be required to ensure the seamless flow of people, traffic, goods and services. And RFID will be one of the key technologies helping to make urban living easier.
With the vast rollout of discrete, adaptable RFID technologies on vehicles, uniforms and in street architecture – along with the analytics potential of machine learning and the security of blockchain – we will be able to synchronise and streamline our urban living. Imagine this. Better optimised traffic flows, smarter waste disposal and recycling, faster response to disasters, and tighter and quicker security access.
To provide one emerging example of RFID technologies in action in cities, smart RFID bin tags in Madrid help crews collect bins only when needed, preventing overflows and reducing unnecessary pickups. Streets are cleaner, and the city saves on driver hours, fuel and costs.
6. Retail will be revolutionised
Before you tell us we’re late to the party, yes, retail is already a frontrunner in adopting RFID. Stores and omnichannel services are currently using it for inventory management and theft prevention.
However, innovations such as RFiD Threads – which integrates a built-in chip and micro-filament-based antenna within the fabric of a garment (rather than placing a tag on a label) – provides huge opportunities for product traceability, resale of ‘pre-loved goods’ and the circular economy.
Meanwhile, RFID is helping to create an increasingly frictionless checkout experience, as the Japanese company Uniqlo has illustrated. Shoppers in its Japan, US and Canada stores place RFID-tagged items in a white basin, where they are immediately scanned. The customer can then pay and leave the store. No searching for bar codes. No pointing and clicking with readers. It’s a one-scan-and-you’re-done experience, speeding up the sales process.
7. Machinery will work for longer
What if you could maintain and repair a vehicle or factory component before it failed? By embedding RFID tags in equipment, organisations can continuously track assets’ condition and performance in real time. AI and machine learning can then analyse the data, to help detect potential issues.
Use cases for this application include helping to detect brake wear before failure in commercial vehicle fleets and conveyor belt motor issues in factories to prevent costly downtime. There’s an interesting post about this second example here.
8. Defence forces will be better supplied and more secure
Using RFID technology and AI analysis, defence forces can automatically manage weapon and asset inventories, predict equipment failures before they happen and redirect resources during operations without the need for human intervention.
The security benefits are also potentially huge. RFID-enabled perimeter security systems can predict and identify potential threats before they materialise. For instance, RFID readers positioned throughout a facility can continuously track authorised personnel, vehicles and equipment. This establishes baseline movement patterns, revealing who accesses which zones, at what times, and with what frequency. The AI system then learns these patterns and flags anomalies.
9. Logistics will be revolutionised
It’s happening already, of course, but one of the biggest developments we’ll see in the years ahead is more and more organisations introducing RFID technology to manage their supply chains. It will help to make warehouse management systems more efficient, increase inventory count speed and track the location of products in the supply chain in real time. It will also improve product safety within the supply chain (for instance, managing temperature-controlled medical items) and improve compliance and regulatory reporting.
One sometimes undersung benefit is a reduction in theft in supply chains – ‘cargo crime’ led to an estimated £68m in stolen goods in the UK in 2023. RFID’s real-time location tracking can quickly flag up any anomalies, as can tamper-detection features. For some vulnerable businesses, that alone will be worth the price of admission to a comprehensive RFID setup.
Nuffield Technologies provides consultancy to help organisations build a business case for RFID and integrate RFID technology into their operations. We can analyse your current methodologies and develop processes that will provide the maximum benefits and return on investment. As a Zebra Technologies reseller, we can also access the leading provider’s extensive ecosystem of RFID technologies, helping you to develop a fully integrated RFID operation at preferential rates. Contact our team now to find out more.