The RFID tags were installed in the books from Netherlands-based distributor Centraal Boekhuis. The system will track a book's shipment status from the warehouse until it arrives at the store.

BGN had previously used bar code technology to track books. The bar code system, which is still in use at the retailers' other stores, requires workers to spend five to seven minutes scanning each title in 50-book boxes as they arrive at stores. Using the RFID technology, a box can be scanned in five seconds, Vink said.

The new system also allows customers to instantly find any book in a store using the RFID tracing capability. The automated process also cuts in half the delivery time for out-of-stock books to two days.

Eventually, BGN will deploy the system at all of its 42 stores and will have 2.2 million books tagged.