NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Industry analyst firm ChainLink Research announced today a new Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Research Service to provide market analysis, advisory and research services to vendors and users of RFID products and services. RFID is experiencing rapid growth in several vertical markets, led by retail. ChainLink forecasts that users will consume over 150 billion RFID tags during this decade. To support the growing demand for RFID market analysis and data, ChainLink has appointed industry veteran Scot Stelter as Vice President for RFID and the Internet of Things.

According to ChainLink’s research, retail consumption of RFID tags is growing at over 40% per year, driven by the revenue uplift that results from improved on-shelf availability as well as the urgency to implement comprehensive omni-channel services. RFID is a key technology for making omni-channel work, says Stacey Shulman, SVP of Global Retail for Zensar Technologies. “Omni-channel is not possible without accurate, real-time inventory visibility,” she said, “Without it, you’ll underperform on customer service. RFID solves this problem.”

RFID is spreading across other segments including healthcare, aerospace, manufacturing, government and IT asset management – introducing new business complexity for vendors and users. “With their new service, ChainLink addresses an urgent, growing need for analysis for players throughout the RFID ecosystem,” said Bill Colleran, CEO of Impinj. “End users want guidance on the capabilities of RFID and how to successfully deploy the technology. Vendors want to identify the next killer app to optimize product portfolio decisions. Investors want to predict financial outcomes. ChainLink’s data and analysis fulfills these needs."

The service will include these elements:

• Biannual RFID market size/share and forecast research covering LF, HF, and UHF technology variants
• Annual application/industry sector report, including size and growth estimates by application and industry sector, with commentary
• Analysis of retail end-user plans, including over 100 retailers
• Periodic RFID technology briefs and articles
• Analyst calls and briefings, as needed

ChainLink will formally launch its new service on August 19, 2014 with a webinar entitled, RFID Renaissance – What Vendors, End Users and Investors Need to Know

Attendees can sign up at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/648268184. Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of The ROI for RFID in Retail, ChainLink’s report of findings from their research and survey of over 120 retailers.

As part of ChainLink’s RFID service expansion, Scot Stelter joins the ChainLink team. With over 10 years of experience at leading RFID firms, Stelter was most recently Senior Director of Product Marketing for Impinj, where his team managed the company’s complete product portfolio. “We’re delighted to add Scot’s expertise to our team.” said Ann Grackin, Founder of ChainLink Research, “As one of the most knowledgeable RFID experts in the industry, Scot’s technology and market proficiency gives us an advantage in developing the most comprehensive and prescient RFID analysis available anywhere.” Prior to Impinj, Mr. Stelter was the Director of Marketing for Alien Technology for six years. He holds BSEE and MBA degrees from the University of California.

About ChainLink Research

ChainLink Research is the most widely respected supply chain, RFID, and enterprise research and advisory firm. ChainLink’s team of supply chain leaders has created and transformed some of the world's most innovative and highly admired supply chains. Our research is designed to be forward-looking, thought provoking, and actionable. For more information: http://www.chainlinkresearch.com/rfid.