Zebra Study: Seven in Ten Enterprises Cite E-commerce Driving Need for Faster Field Operations
March 20 2019 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Heightened investment in disruptive
technologies and enterprise-class devices will empower the majority
of front-line workers by 2023
Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), an innovator
at the edge of the enterprise with solutions and
partners that enable businesses to gain a performance
edge, today announced the results of its latest vision study on the
Future of Field Operations. The study reveals mobile technology
investment is a top priority for 36 percent of organizations and a
growing priority for an additional 58 percent to keep up with
rapidly evolving and increasing customer demand. The findings
indicate investments will be made in disruptive technologies and
enterprise mobile devices to enhance front-line worker productivity
and customer satisfaction in field operations including fleet
management, field services, proof of delivery and direct store
delivery workflows.
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Zebra's Future of Field Operations Vision
Study (Graphic: Business Wire)
“Driven by the acceleration of e-commerce along with customer’s
heightened expectations and more focus within companies on
differentiating service levels, the field operations industry is
rapidly adapting the way it looks at its mobile technology
investments,” said Jim Hilton, Director of Vertical Marketing
Strategy, Manufacturing, Transportation & Logistics, Zebra
Technologies. “Our study shows how growing challenges
related to the on-demand economy drive organizations to adopt
transformative, disruptive technologies such as augmented reality
and intelligent labels to provide visibility and integrate business
intelligence for a performance edge.”
KEY SURVEY FINDINGS
Equipping front-line workers with enterprise mobile devices
remains a priority to stay competitive.
- The survey shows today only one-fifth
of organizations have a majority of their field-based operations
using enterprise mobile devices. This is estimated to reach 50
percent in five years.
- Respondents indicate most organizations
intend to invest in handheld mobile computers, mobile printers and
rugged tablets. From 2018 to 2023, handheld mobile computer usage
with built-in barcode scanners is forecasted to grow by 45 percent,
mobile printers by 53 percent and rugged tablets by 54 percent. The
higher levels of inventory, shipment and asset accuracy provided by
using these devices is expected to increase business revenues.
- A key driver of productivity,
efficiency and cost-savings in field operations is ensuring
ruggedized enterprise devices replace traditional consumer ones.
Nearly 80 percent of respondents usually or always conduct a total
cost of ownership (TCO) analysis of business devices prior to
making a capital expenditure. Only 32 percent of respondents
believe that consumer smartphones have better TCO than rugged
devices.
Tertiary concerns and post-sale factors are important for
organizations when evaluating front-line worker enterprise mobile
devices.
- The survey reveals these TCO
considerations when investing in new front-line enterprise
technology: replacement (47 percent), initial device (44 percent),
application development (44 percent) and programming/IT (40
percent).
- Almost 40 percent of respondents say
device management and support costs are important as well as
customer service (37 percent), device lifecycle cadence (36
percent) and repair costs (35 percent). Such factors increasingly
influence the purchase cycle, showing that those who do not provide
clear value or cannot control these costs will quickly be overtaken
by those who do.
Emerging technologies and faster networks are disrupting
field operations.
- The survey shows seven in ten
organizations agree faster mobile networks will be a key driver for
field operations investment to enable the use of disruptive
technology.
- Significant industry game-changers will
be droids and drones, with over a third of decision makers citing
them as the biggest disruptors.
- The use of smart technologies such as
sensors, RFID, and intelligent labels also play a role in
transforming the industry. More than a quarter of respondents
continue to view augmented/virtual reality (29 percent), sensors
(28 percent), RFID and intelligent labels (28 percent) as well as
truck loading automation (28 percent) as disruptive factors.
KEY REGIONAL FINDINGS
- Asia Pacific: 44 percent of
respondents consider truck loading automation will be among one of
the most disruptive technologies, compared respectively to 28
percent globally.
- Europe, Middle East and Africa:
70 percent of respondents agree e-commerce is driving the need for
faster field operations.
- Latin America: 83 percent agree
that faster wireless networks (4G/5G) are driving greater
investment in new field operations technologies, compared with 70
percent of the global sample.
- North America: 36 percent of
respondents plan to implement rugged tablets in the next year.
SURVEY BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY
- The Future of Field Operations Vision
study reports why mobile technology investment is a top priority
for organizations, with over half planning investments to keep pace
with more proactive, customer-centric, business-driven
systems.
- The online survey interviewed 2,075
mobility decision makers from 20 countries across the United
States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, France,
Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia,
South Africa, China, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
ABOUT ZEBRA
Zebra (NASDAQ: ZBRA) empowers the front line of business in
retail/ecommerce, manufacturing, transportation and logistics,
healthcare and other industries to achieve a performance edge. With
more than 10,000 partners across 100 countries, we deliver
industry-tailored, end-to-end solutions that intelligently connect
people, assets and data to help our customers make
business-critical decisions. Our market-leading solutions elevate
the shopping experience, track and manage inventory as well as
improve supply chain efficiency and patient care. Ranked on Forbes’
list of America’s Best Employers for the last three years, Zebra
helps our customers capture their edge. For more information, visit
www.zebra.com or sign up for our news alerts. Follow us on
LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190320005028/en/
Media Contact:Valerie BerrivinZebra Technologies+33 (0)
607-956-184Valerie.Berrivin@zebra.com
Industry Analyst Contact:Kasia FahmyZebra
Technologies+1-224-306-8654k.fahmy@zebra.com
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