JD Sports Fashion's Dan McGrath: many retailers are looking at RFID technology through the wrongs lens

Until people start viewing RFID through the correct lens, they’ll keep massively underestimating what the technology actually unlocks. So says Dan McGrath, JD Group Customer Operations, JD Sports.

In a LinkedIn post, McGrath, a member of the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards judging panel, said: "I hate RFID. Not because it doesn’t work. Not because it isn’t valuable. But because most of the industry is still looking at it through the wrong lens"

He added that RFID has never been about stock accuracy for him. Rather, it’s about stock confidence. "Accuracy is a report. Confidence is a decision. And in an agentic world where everything is about speed, automation, and autonomous decision-making, confidence is the only thing that actually matters."

"Because what’s the point in being 98% accurate, if an agent can’t trust that last 2%? In an age of velocity: Can I confidently sell this item? Can I confidently promise it to a customer? Can I confidently route demand to this store? If the answer isn’t 100% yes, the system breaks."

McGrath continued: "That’s the shift people are missing. RFID isn’t a store ops tool anymore. It’s a confidence engine for agentic commerce. And this is exactly why we chose Checkpoint Systems and ItemOptix. Because it’s a fully serviceable, API first RFID platform.”

“That means I can use RFID as a live data layer, connecting the physical store to autonomous systems, agents, and whatever comes next. Stores stop being places with stock and start becoming real-time, queryable inventory nodes. That’s the game. The industry is still talking about cycle counts."

He concluded: "The reality? We’re building infrastructure for machines to trade physical goods. And until people start viewing RFID through that lens, they’ll keep massively underestimating what it actually unlocks."

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

RFID will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.