Mobile technology investment key to improving business performance: Study

An increasing number of organizations across sectors like retail, transportation, logistics, and manufacturing are betting on mobile technology to enhance employee productivity, improve order fulfillment accuracy and increase revenues, a report by Zebra Technologies said on Tuesday.

Zebra, which offers hardware and software solutions like printers and bar code scanners, said in its study that 58 per cent respondents in the Asia-Pacific region had stated that they are expanding mobile technology to enterprise-wide use.

This number is expected to reach 97 per cent by 2023, it added. Also, 74 per cent respondents said they rely on paper-based systems for over one-fifth of their field operations, and this is expected to reduce to almost 35 per cent by 2023 as more organizations embrace mobile technology.

“From 2018 to 2023, the use of handheld mobile computers with built-in bar code scanners is forecasted to grow by 41 per cent, mobile printers by 60 per cent, and rugged tablets by 57 per cent,” it added. The study, which focused on workers in field operations in the Asia Pacific region, included respondents from India, China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

Deep Agarwal, Regional Sales Director (India) at Zebra Technologies, said that other trends bringing in changes in field operations include growing expectations of performance, convenience from end-customers, disruptions caused by emerging technologies (like virtual reality), and faster networks.

“These forward-thinking organizations are scaling mobile technology, evaluating the total cost of ownership of mobile technology as a standard practice, and utilizing emerging field operations technologies more extensively to achieve a competitive edge,” he added.

Zebra has introduced new touch computing solutions, industrial tablets, and mobile printers to help enterprises in their digital transformation journey, he said.