How RFID Technology Is Powering an Omnichannel Retail Boom

Mexico’s retail sector has entered a new era, one in which digital commerce is leading the nation’s GDP growth. A recent study found that ecommerce retail GDP grew 19.2% in 2025, outperforming the national average (0.8%) significantly. With a market value of MX$941 billion (US$53 billion) and 77.2 million active buyers, Mexico’s e-commerce market has rapidly become the eighth largest in the world. 

The report presents a paradox, though. On the surface, the scale of Mexico’s digital retail market could be interpreted as a destination — the final word on the new landscape, with e-commerce the new status quo. The reality is more complicated, less fixed and full of opportunities for traditional retailers to emerge as the winners of the competition for digital-driven loyalty.

Omnichannel Opportunity

It’s no surprise that “Pure Players” — the study’s identifier for digital-first brands — led this growth (+23.7% YOY), but “Brick & Click” options are close behind (+14.9% YOY). Further, AMVO - Asociación Mexicana de Venta Online (Mexican Online Sales Association) found that, while the general buyer base is large, three-quarters of digital shoppers use digital channels only sporadically. Per the analysis, just under one-fifth (17.7%) of sales revenue flows through digital channels, and Mexican consumers are more likely to invest in services online (71%) than to purchase products (62%). 

That means retailers who have added digital touchpoints are nearly keeping pace with digital-first brands, and they're doing it while serving the 75% of shoppers who still haven't fully committed to any one channel. That’s powerful leverage. After all, the consumer who buys online occasionally, browses in-store and wants the flexibility of both is exactly the customer physical retailers are positioned to win — provided their operations can keep up. 

The AMVO study provides some insight into what exactly keeping up looks like for Mexican shoppers toying with expanded omnichannel ordering. Order integrity emerged as the primary pain point for digital shoppers, with damaged (45%), late (38%) and incomplete (33%) orders cited as the most frequent concerns when ordering products online. 

Remedying these issues will be make-or-break for retailers hoping to grow their omnichannel prowess in the coming years. 

Merchandising, Maturity, and RFID Insight

Mexico’s retail industry appears ready to face the challenge head-on, as another study reveals a market that’s ready to move from digital experimentation to scale. Over the last several years, retailers across Mexico have been investing in technologies that produce the real-time intelligence needed to make faster, more informed decisions. 

The country has quickly gotten up to speed, with AMVO’s report noting that the country’s digital maturity is about on par with global averages (“medium maturity,” using their verbiage). To make the most of this moment, Mexico’s retailers will need to push toward the next level. Another study — focused on Mexico's radio-frequency identification (RFID) market growth — shows that Mexico’s retailers are well on their way. 

In 2024, Mexico's RFID market size topped $367 million — already too large to represent a technology being trialed at the edges. By 2032, that number is expected to double. The country’s projected investments in RFID provide compelling evidence that retailers are ready to take the next step forward in optimization, because these systems are the foundation of modern retail visibility. 

They provide businesses with real-time, item-level intelligence necessary to firm up omnichannel operations and address the areas in which online orders routinely fall short. Item-level inventory data can help retailers:

• Identify compromised inventory before it ships and track quality patterns across shippers, so they can identify those who routinely deliver substandard product from their networks. 
• Get ahead of delays early enough to reroute fulfillment or set accurate expectations before a customer is left waiting. 
• Ensure orders are complete and correct by removing the guesswork from order packing and storage.

Just as important, having this data and using it strategically empowers retailers to communicate with customers proactively and transparently. It provides staff with details about customer orders, insight into storage and floor locations and — ultimately — more time to focus on streamlining customer experiences. And, it gives decision-makers live monitoring of where merchandise is, where it needs to be and how to keep shelves stocked with the items shoppers actually want.

The Next Stage of Retail Maturity 

For many retailers, the conversation around RFID has shifted from whether to invest to how quickly they can expand deployments across their operations. Mexico's retailers have spent years moving from counting inventory to seeing it, from reacting to a report to acting on live signals. 

The market trajectory says the shift from pilot to what's next is far from over, but it has — undeniably — started. Retailers who treat RFID as infrastructure — as the connective tissue between digital promise and physical delivery — will be better prepared than those who still treat it as a tag on a box. After all, the goal was never visibility for its own sake; it’s winning the customer who's still deciding where to land. Right now, that “customer” is in the 75% of digital shoppers who haven't yet committed to a channel. They're curious, they're active, and they're reachable — but only if the experience holds up when they try.