Zebra Technologies Corporation (Zebra), in partnership with Oxford Economics, has released new research showing that automating frontline workflows with technologies like AI and data analytics can significantly improve business performance.
The study, titled Impact of Intelligent Operations, highlights how intelligent operations—defined as the integration of automation, AI, and real-time data with human expertise—can drive measurable gains in efficiency, visibility, and profitability.
For example, it found that retailers reported a 21% improvement in customer satisfaction, manufacturers cited a 19% increase in employee productivity, and T&L leaders reported a 21% increase in productivity with better workflows.
In addition, the study indicates AI investments help organizations achieve real-time visibility, generate actionable insights and improve efficiency.
Oxford Economics estimates that if the top 20 companies in retail, manufacturing, and logistics from the Forbes Global 2000 list optimized their frontline workflows, each could earn an average of US$3 billion in additional revenue and US$120 million in profit annually.
It noted that organizations which embrace intelligent operations – integrating advanced technologies like AI, automation and data with human expertise to optimize business processes – report significant gains.
Retailers achieved up to 1.8-percentage-point increases in revenue growth and profitability through improvements in their prioritized workflow of inventory management.
Manufacturers optimizing their top workflow of quality control and assurance also saw revenue growth uplift by 2.4 percentage points and profitability improvements of 1.4 percentage points.
T&L firms optimizing key delivery and inventory workflows, meanwhile, experienced a revenue growth increase of up to 3.4 percentage points with a similar increase in profitability.
“Across Asia Pacific, industries like retail, manufacturing, and logistics are being redefined at the workflow level, where speed, visibility, and precision drive growth and elevate frontline productivity,” said Christanto Suryadarma, sales vice president, Southeast Asia (SEA), South Korea, and Channel APJeC, Zebra Technologies.
“By integrating advanced technologies like AI, automation, and machine vision with human expertise, intelligent operations empower organizations to simplify complex processes and deliver exceptional customer experiences, helping them thrive in today’s competitive markets.”
Bill Burns, chief executive officer, Zebra Technologies, noted that the company empowers organizations of all sizes globally to continuously drive better processes and adapt to changing conditions.
“Our powerful portfolio of connected frontline, asset visibility and intelligent automation solutions is purpose-built to support modern workflows and improve the way work gets done every day,” he said.
Zebra Technologies commissioned global research with Oxford Economics conducted through a combination of surveys and econometric analysis. The participants included 1,000 senior leaders across retail (400), manufacturing (400), and T&L sectors (200) from the U.S., Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Zebra supports intelligent operations through its suite of connected frontline, asset tracking, and automation tools. Businesses across sectors like retail, manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare use these solutions to improve day-to-day performance and adapt to evolving operational needs. Working with partners, Zebra helps organizations streamline workflows and boost productivity.
