96 Percent Of Retailers Are Ready For The Internet Of Things, According To Zebra Technologies' Commissioned Survey

Zebra Technologies’ commissioned global study finds retail business leaders believe IoT can help improve operations, create new revenue streams and enhance customer experience

Zebra Technologies Corporation, a global leader in products and services that provide real-time visibility into organizations’ assets, people and transactions, recently released survey results that revealed nearly all retailers are ready to make the changes required to adopt the Internet of Things (IoT). The survey, conducted in October 2014 by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Zebra Technologies, also showed that a majority of retailers believe IoT will be the most important technological initiative of the decade. Zebra will discuss the survey results this week at the 104th National Retail Federation (NRF) Annual Convention & EXPO in New York City.

Key Facts

• Nearly 96 percent of retail decision makers are ready to make changes required to adopt IoT. 67 percent of respondents already have implemented IoT and another 26 percent of retailers are planning to deploy within a year.
• More than half of surveyed retailers expect IoT to provide operational and actionable data on the location and condition of tracked objects which can help empower process and cost optimization in the supply chains – and ultimately improve operations, create new revenue streams and enhance the customer experience.
• Retail decision makers listed real-time locating systems (RTLS), mobile computing and barcoding as the most important technologies for enabling IoT implementations. Data analytics, security solutions and sensor devices were cited most often as required solutions for IoT adoption.
• 56 percent of respondents listed integration challenges as the top barrier to IoT implementations, while 47 percent mentioned security and privacy as a chief concern.
• In November 2014, Zebra released global findings on the adoption of IoT across many verticals and industries, surveying IT and business decision makers from nearly 600 global firms.

Supporting Quote
Nick D’Alessio, Global Retail Practice Leader, Zebra Technologies

“The advent of new technologies has completely changed the way shoppers interact with retailers, but the shopping experience can be the retailer’s strategic differentiator. With the Internet of Things, retailers will be empowered with the intelligence to make strategic, informed business decisions that improve customer loyalty and associate effectiveness while creating exciting experiences for their shoppers.”

About Zebra Technologies
Zebra makes businesses as smart and connected as the world we live in. Zebra tracking and visibility solutions transform the physical to digital, creating the data streams enterprises need to simplify operations, know more about their businesses, and empower their mobile workforces. For more information, visit www.zebra.com/possibilities.