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Despite a historically conservative approach to new technology adoption, retailers saw the likes of Apple go mobile with smartphones running retail business applications and began clamoring to do the same. And why not follow that leader? In 2011, Apple reported an astounding 75 million visits to its stores in a single quarter. Consumers consider Apple stores a destination, and the interaction with both technology and tech-enabled associates is why they go in droves. This temptation of putting the forbidden fruit to work in their stores has caused many retailers to throw caution to the wind.

There's a clear trend toward convergence of traditional instore retail systems applications and heavy-duty supply chain and inventory applications on the same device. The ROI is clear — measurable productivity gains are enabled by intuitive devices when deployed for core retail functions like inventory management, the devices are less expensive than their predecessors, and their multifunctional capabilities as information management and POS devices create real opportunity to decrease the PC and POS hardware footprints in stores. Increasingly, retailers want that one multifunctional device to look, act, and feel like a smartphone.