Asterisk Launches Full-Scale Rollout of 'All Products RFID Solution' for Supermarkets

ASTERISK Inc. (Headquarters: Yodogawa-ku, Osaka; President and CEO: Noriyuki Suzuki; hereinafter referred to as "the Company") is pleased to announce the full-scale launch of its 'All Products RFID Solution,' which brings the convenience of RFID self-checkout, established by UNIQLO and GU, to supermarkets. The Company aims to transform the retail industry by promoting the RFID tagging of all products in supermarkets, a feat previously considered difficult, thereby realizing a "shopping experience without checkout lines" and "real-time inventory management."

(Image of a supermarket where RFID is used for bulk reading at the checkout)

1. Expansion of the Global RFID Market

In the global retail industry, product management using RFID is rapidly expanding, primarily in the apparel sector. For example, UNIQLO and GU have widely adopted RFID checkouts where customers can place items in their shopping baskets, and multiple products are recognized simultaneously, completing the transaction without scanning a single barcode. RFID is becoming a standard infrastructure in the apparel industry.

In recent years, RFID utilization has also spread to sectors beyond apparel. In the United States, Walmart, one of the world's largest retailers, is promoting initiatives requiring suppliers to attach RFID tags, highlighting RFID as a next-generation retail infrastructure.

Furthermore, within Japan, LIFE Inc., an RFID solution provider, has announced the transition to commercial operation following trials of RFID tagging on all products at Rocky Supermarket in Kumamoto, indicating the beginning of RFID adoption in the food supermarket sector.

However, no practical examples of "basket-based checkout" have yet been realized in food supermarkets. The primary reasons are the labor involved in attaching tags to a large volume of products and unstable reading performance due to moisture and metal.

The Company will promote the establishment of an operational model in this area.

2. Asterisk's Total RFID Solution

With this significant market shift in view, the Company will provide next-generation store infrastructure that integrates "products," "shelves," "carts," and "checkouts" using RFID.

This solution consists of the following components:

* Product RFID tags * RFID tag attachment service * In-store RFID readers * Shelf RFID management system * Cart RFID reading system * POS integration software

As RFID tags are consumables that are continuously used and replenished, continuous demand is expected alongside the advancement of RFID adoption, in addition to equipment sales.

The global supermarket market is estimated to be worth trillions of yen, and the adoption of RFID in food supermarkets is expected to enter a full-scale proliferation phase.

3. RFID Tagging Technology for Food Supermarkets

RFID tags are susceptible to the effects of moisture and metal, making it a significant challenge to ensure stable reading performance in food supermarkets, which handle a large volume of beverages, prepared foods, fresh foods, products in aluminum-vaporized packaging, and canned goods.

To address this challenge, the Company has developed a proprietary technology that attaches RFID tags at a certain distance from the product surface (this technology is patent pending).

This technology aims to reduce the impact of moisture and metal on radio wave characteristics, enabling stable reading performance even for foods and products in metal packaging, where RFID operation was previously difficult.

Furthermore, the Company has developed these special RFID tags to be compatible with existing labeling equipment such as hand labelers and automatic labelers, in addition to manual attachment. This allows retailers and food manufacturers to proceed with RFID adoption without making large-scale equipment changes.

Additionally, the Company employs a method that does not write data directly to the RFID tag itself. The tag only stores a unique ID, and all product information is managed on a cloud server. This eliminates the need for expensive rewritable tags, significantly reducing tag costs. It also eliminates the writing process at factories, logistics warehouses, and stores, thereby reducing attachment labor (this method is also patent pending).

By providing a total solution that includes not only the RFID tags themselves but also attachment and operational methods, the Company will support the realization of RFID tagging for all products in food supermarkets.

This technology simultaneously solves the challenges of "reading performance" and "large-volume attachment" that have been barriers to RFID adoption in food supermarkets. This will make the "basket-based checkout" realized at UNIQLO a reality in food supermarkets.

(Image of attaching RFID to groceries)

4. Expansion to Online Supermarkets and Logistics DX

In recent years, the online supermarket and food delivery service markets have continued to expand, making the efficiency of in-store picking and delivery operations a critical management issue.

By utilizing RFID, products can be automatically recognized during order picking, reducing errors in picking and omissions. Furthermore, during shipment confirmation before delivery, automatic matching of ordered items with delivered products becomes possible, leading to the prevention of incorrect deliveries and missing items.

Moreover, individual item identification is possible for each product, leading to expected benefits such as:

* Improved picking accuracy * Prevention of incorrect deliveries * Reduction in returns and complaints * Increased efficiency in delivery operations * Enhanced food traceability

The Company will promote RFID utilization not only in store operations but also in the online supermarket and food delivery markets, supporting the digital transformation (DX) of retail businesses.

5. RFID Platform Connecting Shelves, Carts, Checkouts, and Logistics

This solution utilizes the Company's proprietary technology to automatically recognize the entire supermarket store using RFID.

Shelf RFID

RFID readers installed on shelves provide real-time insight into product display status, stockouts, and inventory levels. Furthermore, by identifying products individually, it enables advanced management of expiration dates. In other words, it becomes possible to anticipate which products are likely to run out while still on the sales floor.

(Image of automatic inventory management using RFID readers installed on shelves)

Self-Checkout RFID

This realizes self-checkout where customers place their shopping baskets or carts at the checkout, and multiple items are read simultaneously for payment.

Since RFID can identify products one by one, barcode scanning becomes unnecessary, allowing for significant acceleration of checkout processing. This is precisely the checkout experience from UNIQLO, now coming to food supermarkets.

(Image of RFID reading items by the basket)

Cart RFID

This employs proprietary technology with RFID reading mechanisms installed in shopping carts to read only the items inside the cart. As items are added, the total amount is automatically tallied and displayed in real-time. Then, simply passing the cart through the payment gate completes the transaction—eliminating the need to queue at the checkout. In other words, the act of queuing at the checkout itself disappears.

In addition to the "basket-based bulk checkout" realized at UNIQLO, the Company takes the "checkout while shopping" experience unique to supermarkets a step further with cart RFID.

(Image of RFID reading with a shopping cart)

6. Differences from Image Recognition-Based Stores

In recent years, unmanned store technologies using cameras and AI have emerged. However, image recognition methods face challenges in:

* Determining quantity when products overlap * Individual identification of the same product * Individual management such as expiration dates

Compared to image recognition methods, RFID is more suitable for individual product identification and traceability management.

7. OPOS and JPOS Compatibility for Introduction with Existing Checkouts

Our RFID readers are equipped with a general-purpose interface that can be connected without modifying your current POS system. This allows for RFID implementation to begin without the need for system upgrades.

For individual product IDs assigned to RFID tags, we also provide management functions through our cloud service, enabling traceability management of sold products and facilitating responses to product recalls (this method is also patent pending).

8. Robust Patent Portfolio

The Company has acquired 7 patents in Japan in the field of RFID self-checkout, with several more pending. These technologies are also patented in the United States and China. Furthermore, related patents for both hardware and software are being acquired, and PCT (international patent applications) are in progress.

In the RFID checkout field, technologies such as reading accuracy, error prevention, and product identification are known to influence competitiveness, and patent protection serves as a strong barrier to entry.

Through this portfolio of patents, the Company has established an unassailable technological advantage in the untapped area of food supermarket RFIDization.

(Contents of patents acquired by our company)

9. Future Outlook

RFID is entering a full-scale proliferation phase as the next-generation product identification infrastructure following barcodes.

By providing RFID tags, tag attachment services, RFID equipment, and cloud services as an integrated offering, the Company will be the first to fully introduce "basket-based checkout," which has become commonplace at UNIQLO and GU, to food supermarkets, and will promote the RFID tagging of all products in supermarkets.

Through this solution, the Company will support the store DX of supermarkets and grow as a leading company in this field.

Explanatory Video for This Release

URL: https://youtu.be/o1EvIZ6XhkM

◾️ ASTERISK Inc. Company Overview

Company Name: ASTERISK Inc.

Representative: Noriyuki Suzuki, President and CEO

Capital: 983,510 thousand yen (as of February 28, 2026)

Stock Market: Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market (Securities Code: 6522)

Established: September 2006

Headquarters: 2-2-1 Kikiwanishi, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, 532-0013

URL: https://www.asx.co.jp (Corporate Site)

https://asreader.jp (Product Site)

Business Activities: AsReader Business (Planning, development, and sales of the product AsReader)

System Integration Business (SI business related to operations)

Contact: ASTERISK Public Relations 050-5536-1185