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.
In the fast-paced world of retail, your team relies on a growing arsenal of mobile devices. Handheld computers manage inventory in the aisle, tablets process sales from anywhere on the floor, and wearables keep associates connected and informed.
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.
The manufacturing landscape across the Asia Pacific region faces a profound operational shift. As organizations digitize their factory floors and supply chains, they encounter a critical intersection of human workforce dynamics and technological advancement.
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.
In my years leading technology and product teams, I have witnessed a fundamental shift in how businesses operate. The frontline, once disconnected from the digital core, now stands as the epicenter of value creation.
Retailers today navigate a fiercely competitive environment. Consumers expect, and demand, seamlessly connected shopping experiences, whether they shop online or in-store.
The retail landscape continues its rapid evolution, especially across the Asia Pacific region. Today’s shoppers enter stores with high expectations for a digitally enhanced journey.
Picture this: it is the peak of the holiday shopping season. Every register has a long line, associates race to fulfill online orders, and the stockroom buzzes with activity. Suddenly, a handheld scanner in a key department stops working. The frontline associate feels stranded.
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.
As Zebra rolls out its refreshed brand, I realize how privileged our role is as Independent Software Vendors in applying this new messaging around mobile devices.
In today’s fast-paced industries, ranging from logistics to retail and manufacturing, the need for precision, efficiency, and real-time visibility into assets has become a critical factor for success. Organizations under constant pressure to streamline operations want to cut costs and maintain agility, making it essential to adopt tools that enhance productivity and simplify complex workflows.
There's new AI touchscreen SigmaSense that's making it easier for frontline workers to use rugged tablets in the field, in freezing conditions, and when water gets on the screen. Hear how it works and see it in action.
Want to make the right decisions for your tech project? Ask your tech partner about the mistakes they have made in the past. The ideal partner will possess extensive firsthand experience across a variety of IT implementations, equipping them with the expertise to steer you clear of typical and expensive project pitfalls.
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.
You need more than the “stakeholders” involved from day one on healthcare modernization porjects because buy-in on new technology toolsand processes starts – but doesn’t end – at the top of your healthcare organization. Found out whose opinion and support matters most so that you can invite the right people to inform your RFID-projects
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.
It's standard procedure for you to get a wristband when you go to the hospital as it helps healthcare providers confirm your identity and update your patient records. But have you ever stopped to think about how much this technology actually helps you get the care you need? Lorna Hopkin didn't until recently, when a trip to the "birth place" of Zebra wristbands helped her appreciate just how much this technology is protecting her and her family every day. Find out what she learned.
Many frontline jobs have become harder to do over the last decade. That’s why we have further accelerated our innovative approach at Zebra since making our largest acquisition 10 years ago. We want to create new ways of working to help make frontline jobs more efficient, impactful, and fulfilling. Learn more about how we're driving advancements that help frontline workers.
What do you think about on-device AI? Is it all hype or will it prove helpful to frontline workers? Zebra CTO Tom Bianculli sat down with Art Miller from Qualcomm and Rouzbeh Aminpour from Google Cloud in this new podcast episode to break down the benefits of this new approach to AI so you can decide for yourself.
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.
The food wasted annually – the ~1.3 billion tons of food that ends up in the landfill – contains enough calories to feed approximately three billion people for a year! So, why is even a single person experiencing food insecurity or hunger right now? There is clearly enough food being produced to feed everyone on the planet today and then some. In this blog post, Leo Lowy takes a closer look at the root causes of food waste and loss as well as the technology tools that could be applied right now to stop food waste in its tracks at a global level. Read his recommendations.
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.
I’m often asked this question, along with two more: ‘What training format is best?’ and ‘Do I need to train them on every little change or new feature?’ Here’s my advice (based on some regrets other business leaders have expressed.)
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.
If you’re only thinking about which mobile applications you need to develop or download to support workers, they may not be getting what they really need to be effective at their jobs. That's one of the reasons why you need to put more thought into your software decisions. Find out the other reasons why you need to look closer at the software you're running across your operations.
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.
AI, robots and other automation technologies will help you drive operational improvements sometime in the future. But, today, you need to be using voice-command automation (which is not the same thing as the voice-directed picking “solutions” you’re struggling with today.) Find out how voice-command automation differs from the other ways your frontline workers are using voice technology today.
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.
When store shelves are empty, people clearly notice. While that’s a problem, the bigger issue is what people are missing before that empty shelf becomes apparent. Let’s look at that for a minute and talk about what more retailers can be doing behind the scenes to avoid out-of-stocks and solve this hidden crisis.
AI is changing the future of advanced analytics and anomaly detection in retail. Here’s how.
When an ambulance is dispatched to a call, the assumption is that it will be fully stocked with the right equipment and medicines for EMTs to stabilize patients or perform life-saving measures in the field. But with the increased number of calls for service, it’s becoming more difficult for EMTs to maintain proper stock in their ambulances – and that has patient care implications. Why is such a fundamental task so hard to manage? That’s one of the questions we asked two public safety experts. The other question? Is there anything that can be done to reduce the wait times for ambulance services where the calls for service are exceeding EMTs’ capacity? These experts have some thoughts.
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.
Unlike most clinicians, nurses at Hull University Teaching Hospitals don’t have to worry that patient care will be compromised due to missing equipment or medical supplies shortages. Why? They’ve found an unconventional but effective ‘cure’ using RFID. Hear about the inventory management solution that is helping clinicians focus on patient care.
When it comes to technology implementations, there's never benefit in trying to go it alone. You always need to bring in someone who knows the technology tools you want to use. They'll help you get things working perfectly. But should you try to find one partner who can “do it all”? Or is it better to assemble a team of experts to help you manage the IT/OT convergence and achieve your business objectives? Larry Walsh, CEO and Chief Analyst, Channelnomics, helps answer those questions.
What are you doing to ensure your newer utility workers can keep up with retirees? Are you training them more? Using technology to transfer knowledge? Or just hoping that expertise will be restored with time? Find out which method(s) is going to be best for your next-generation workforce and your business.
The thinking used to be that a warranty plan was enough to protect business mobile devices, scanners, and printers. Here’s why that thinking has proven to be flawed.
A new survey indicates that while bank branch employees are eager for more digital tools, they still aren’t getting what they need. So, the question is: Are you ready to bring your bank into the digital age?
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.
Would they be able to communicate with first responders, customers, and each other in real time…even when they couldn’t talk?