Legendary ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky famously said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” In the highly competitive footwear retail market, this translates to an absolute truth: you miss 100% of the sales you cannot fulfill.
Retail associates often face overwhelming app fatigue. Disjointed communication tools and isolated point solution applications cause unnecessary friction during their daily shifts.
The Wall Street Journal recently recognized Zebra Technologies as a global Top 10 company for AI Readiness. Earning a spot next to major tech innovators validates our strategic focus on AI for the frontline of business.
For years, a significant hurdle blocked the path toward truly intelligent, automated operations on the manufacturing floor. In environments prioritizing network integrity, particularly in automotive production, strict policies often ban Bluetooth® devices.
The energy at our recent Channel Partner Summit in Orlando felt palpable. Everywhere you turned, conversations buzzed with the potential of AI.
A recent story that caught my eye involved a rather audacious theft. Somewhere on a route between Italy and Poland, thieves made off with a truck carrying twelve tons of chocolate bars.
After two decades in the transportation and logistics (T&L) sector, I find its constant motion continues to fascinate me. Our industry serves as the circulatory system for the global economy, and its pulse reflects the pressures and priorities of our time.
After navigating the energetic cacophony of NRF 2026, one thing is abundantly clear: the retail industry's conversation around AI has pivoted from the theoretical to the practical.
Each January, the tech world converges on Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), offering a preview of the future. We see smarter homes, next-generation gadgets, and brilliant displays.
Retailers today navigate a fiercely competitive environment. Consumers expect, and demand, seamlessly connected shopping experiences, whether they shop online or in-store.
In part one of the series, I shared my experience attending Zebra’s inaugural RFID Forum in Prague. As we continue our journey through our first-ever RFID Forum, it’s evident that RFID is not just a buzzword but a pivotal technology driving tangible change across industries.
In the fast-paced world of retail, staying ahead of changing consumer demands is more challenging than ever. As retailers strive to enhance customer experiences and maintain competitiveness, many are turning to the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI). Zebra Technologies is at the forefront of this movement, offering AI solutions that unlock the potential of frontline operations, allowing retailers to make smarter business decisions.
An RFID thread connected to the right frequency makes it easy for manufacturers to relay critical intel on garments to retailers and shoppers.
Retail has always fascinated me. It’s a dynamic industry that demands constant attention to detail, an ability to adapt, and a focus on solving problems that can threaten both profits and customer trust.
Working in retail today is more challenging than ever. The pressure on frontline workers has reached unprecedented levels, with 59% of them considering quitting their jobs in the past year alone.
Frontline workers are the backbone of retail operations, yet their challenges often go unnoticed. From juggling demanding schedules to managing inventory discrepancies and navigating volatile pricing environments, the frontline faces significant hurdles daily. We offer solutions designed to address these pain points head-on. Through Workcloud Shift, Workcloud Inventory Visibility, and Workcloud Lifecycle Pricing, we are transforming how frontline workers do their jobs, fostering connected collaboration, and driving operational excellence.
Retail operations generate vast amounts of data every day. This data, which includes sales transactions, inventory levels, customer interactions, and employee actions, holds the key to understanding and resolving operational issues. However, traditional data analysis methods often fall short, struggling to address the multi-step nature of many retail problems.
Shoppers expect the same things from retailers they always have, including convenience and quality. But it’s seemingly more difficult for retailers to deliver those things now. Why is that? And what can they do to fix it? Here's one retail strategist's perspective.
You can’t just bolt on AI and expect things to get better. If you don’t take these steps first, AI use will only add to your care team’s workload, detract from patient care, and multiply your IT spend.
Do you know exactly when, where and why losses are happening within your operations? If not, it will be hard to figure out how to prevent them, fix inventory distortion, and eliminate friction within your operations. So, let’s talk about loss detection.
The traditional 1D barcode scanner isn’t going to help you see and intervene when losses occur at the point of sale (POS). Nor will it reduce the number of interventions required by retail store associates or restaurant workers. But retail leader Mark Thomson has seen something that will. He explains in his latest blog post.
Were exactly should RFID, machine vision and other automation technologies be used within the reverse logistics chain? Alex Whiting, founder of MiTEQ, reveals what he’s found to work best.
AI is changing the future of advanced analytics and anomaly detection in retail. Here’s how.
If you want to know exactly where your Zebra Android mobile devices are within your facilities, the you'll want to find out how the 802.11mc fine time measurement (FTM) locating feature works. You'll also want to turn it on across your Wi-Fi network and Zebra devices. (There's no extra cost.) Learn more.
Identity Guardian uses face biometrics and an encrypted barcode to prevent unauthorized users from seeing sensitive business data – and help authorized users access that data faster. Here’s how it works.
PacSun thought it was struggling to meet e-commerce demand because of poor forecasting. Come to find out, that was only half the story (and issue). Find out what we learned once we started investigating the source of its fulfillment challenges, as it may be a hidden problem in your operations, too.
Learn more about what type of data is flowing from Zebra’s technology systems into ServiceNow asset management systems to help you keep tabs on all your assets without doing more than lifting a finger.
Though meant to reduce theft, locking up products in your stores may be causing losses by deterring impatient shoppers from completing their purchase or complicating inventory management. Consider this instead.
AI does not start and end with ChatGPT (or whatever other generative AI is creating the most buzz). So, let’s talk about what AI means for your business, including your workers.
The RFID tag is not the next evolution of the barcode. It is technology you should treat as complementary to barcodes. Here’s why.
If it feels inconvenient to have to buy all new reusable bins or recyclable serving utensils, find out what one global QSR chain is doing to conveniently maintain operations, meet sustainability goals and comply with multiple plastics bans.
With it becoming more challenging than ever to make money in retail, it’s crucial to streamline your store operations in line with the new “Modern Store” framework introduced at NRF.
Retail, logistics, shipping, and warehouse teams are having to move more cold chain goods every day. So, they will appreciate how the Zebra RS6100 can survive extreme temps and help them maintain a steady tempo in and out of freezers.
Find out how OCR Wedge enables you to automatically capture VIN, TIN and license plate data across automotive supply chains, stores and service centers using only a handheld mobile computer.
Perishable good restocks require precise inventory planning by retailers. That’s why predictive ordering AI/ML algorithms may be some of the best innovations since sliced bread. Find out how they work.
It may be tempting to push customers toward staffed checkout lanes instead of self-checkout (SCO) to reduce losses. However, doing so could push your most loyal customers away. So, let’s talk about ways to stop SCO-related shrink.
Did you know that you don’t always need real-time visibility into trailer location to prevent goods losses on the road and labor-related losses in your retail stores, warehouses and distribution centers? Learn more.
Here are some calculations to run and often overlooked factors to consider before you think that a consumer mobile device is going to be “cheaper" than one purpose-built for business or industrial use cases.
Shoppers want more autonomy. They also want more on-demand associate assistance (when needed), along with faster payment experiences. Here are some easy ways to give them everything they want.
Erv Comer is an engineer who has spent the last 35 years focused on security. This is what he wants you to ask (and) know before you buy another mobile computer or tablet, especially if you plan to use it for business purposes.