Skechers operates more than 3,000 stores across China and manages an extensive range of footwear and apparel SKUs, making traditional barcode systems increasingly difficult to scale. To address these challenges, the company adopted an RFID Skechers Tag solution based on the “one item, one code” concept. Implemented by Siciang Lide, the RFID system enables end-to-end product visibility across the entire supply chain—from manufacturing facilities and distribution centers to warehouses and retail stores—improving inventory accuracy, operational efficiency, and overall supply chain management.
About SKECHERS
Founded in 1992, SKECHERS is the third-largest athletic footwear and apparel brand in the United States and has grown into one of the world’s leading active lifestyle brands. Since entering the Chinese market more than a decade ago, SKECHERS has rapidly expanded its presence to over 3,000 brick-and-mortar stores nationwide with its comfortable, stylish, and value-for-money products, while continuing to expand its e-commerce and new retail channels.
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Skechers’ goal is straightforward: against the backdrop of rapid store expansion and a continuously growing number of SKUs, to effectively manage inventory—a “fundamental yet critical” aspect of the business—thereby supporting more efficient operations and a better customer experience.
But the practical challenges are equally daunting. A typical Skechers store often carries thousands of SKUs; footwear involves complex sizing variations, and when combined with apparel and accessories, the volume of inventory is enormous. In the past, when barcodes were used to scan and inventory each item individually, it would routinely take 5–6 people at a single store to spend most of a day—or even work through the night—on the task. This not only disrupted business operations but also frequently led to errors. The receiving and shipping processes were equally problematic—large boxes of goods shipped from the warehouse to stores had to be unpacked and checked item by item, which was inefficient and often resulted in discrepancies between recorded and actual inventory. And when a customer asks in-store, “Do you have these shoes in size 42?”, the sales associate often has to run to the warehouse and spend a long time searching for them, which significantly compromises the customer experience.
Based on this real-world scenario, Skechers customized a full-chain RFID solution: attaching a tag with an RFID chip to every pair of shoes and every piece of clothing, effectively serving as an “electronic ID.”
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This solution did not replace Skechers’ existing system; instead, it integrated with the company’s current ERP and store systems via an RFID management platform, enabling real-time synchronization of inventory data and truly unifying online and offline inventory into a single system.
After the solution was implemented, Skechers’ store operations saw noticeable changes.
Inventory counting time was reduced from over 8 hours to about 2 hours, and it can now be completed during business hours without the need to close the store. Receiving and shipping times were cut from 10 minutes per box to less than 1 minute. Locating items, which previously took an experienced staff member about 5 minutes, can now be done by any store associate in under 1 minute. Store associates no longer need to make frequent trips to the warehouse, and customers no longer have to wait idly. Inventory accuracy has consistently remained above 99.9%, allowing headquarters to track real-time, accurate inventory levels for every store and every SKU, resulting in more timely and precise decisions regarding restocking and inventory transfers.
More importantly, employees have been freed from the tedious tasks of inventory counting and locating items, enabling them to focus more energy on serving customers. The time saved has been reinvested in sales and customer experience, leading to a significant increase in cross-selling and repeat purchase rates.
Make inventory management simple—start with RFID. We welcome more footwear and apparel brands to contact Sichuang Lide for customized solutions.
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