Improving MicroSME Supply Chain Efficiency through an RFID and IoT-Based Inventory System in Kendal

Fika Ulfa Widowati (Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Semarang)

International Journal of Management Science and Information Technology (IJMSIT)
Vol. 6 No. 2 (2026): July - December 2026

For microenterprises in Kendal Regency, relying on manual inventory recording leads to severe supply chain inefficiencies, such as substantial stock discrepancies, frequent stockouts, order fulfillment delays, and unmapped inventory waste. To overcome these operational obstacles, this project aims to develop, deploy, and statistically evaluate a tiered, ultra-low-cost inventory system model that integrates Internet of Things (IoT) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies. The concept is especially designed to accommodate micro-scale firms' severe resource limitations. Over the course of a 12-week intervention period, empirical data were collected from 60 microenterprises in three critical districts (Kendal, Kaliwungu, and Weleri) using a quantitative technique with a quasi-experimental single-group pretest-posttest design. An Extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) survey that included Infrastructure Readiness and Cost Support elements was used in conjunction with this empirical research. Multiple linear regression and paired sample t-tests were used to analyze the data. The operational results showed dramatic performance gains: monthly stocktaking time lowered by 72.07% (from 8.52 to 2.38 hours), monthly stockout frequency decreased from 5.8 to 1.6 events, and mean stock accuracy increased from 71.4% to 94.2%. Additionally, inventory shrinkage fell from 4.12% to 1.18%, order fulfillment lead time decreased by 57.18%, and inventory turnover ratio increased from 3.20 to 5.42 times annually (p < 0.001 for all parameters). Perceived usefulness (beta = 0.418) and infrastructure readiness (beta = 0.352) were found to be the most significant predictors of continuous usage intention by regression analysis (R^2 = 0.684). The study's main contribution is the first field-tested empirical validation of an ultra-low-cost RFID-IoT architecture (< 115 per node) designed exclusively for independent microenterprises within semi-urban industrial buffer zones. This fills a significant vacuum in the literature. These results give local authorities strategic policy frameworks for the digitalization of MSMEs in the region and provide practical empirical data for the use of supply chain technology.