Zebra Technologies Corporation, a global leader in digitizing and automating workflows to deliver intelligent operations, today announced the latest research findings from its collaboration with Oxford Economics. The global study, surveying leaders across retail, transportation and logistics (T&L), and manufacturing, demonstrates how organizations gain significant financial and operational benefits by modernizing frontline workflows. The study shows how improving additional frontline workflows with advanced technologies like AI, automation, and data improves profitability and enhances the customer experience.
For example, 34% of T&L firms which reported improving their picking and packing operations noted an improvement in staff retention and satisfaction, and 54% say they increased operational speed. Similarly, 56% of manufacturers reported productivity gains from modernizing production lines.
Unlocking Frontline Potential
The expanded Zebra study with Oxford Economics, which analyzes several new critical workflows, reveals impressive financial gains. For example, manufacturers improving their supply chain and inventory management reported a potential profit increase of $6.6 million for a typical organization.
Modernizing maintenance workflows provided a $6.2 million profit uplift, while advancing production lines added $3.5 million. These figures underscore the value of achieving asset visibility and real-time insight across operations.
In the retail sector, modernizing the point of sale unlocks a potential $4 million in higher profits. In T&L, improving shipping and loading workflows delivers a potential $2.8 million profit increase. These gains connect directly to equipping the frontline with the right technology to optimize workflows.
“Across India, businesses are increasingly shifting their focus from adopting new technologies to realizing measurable business impact and value outcome from those investments,” said Subramaniam Thiruppathi, Country Lead, India and Subcontinent, Zebra Technologies. “The research reinforces how AI, automation, and real-time visibility help businesses simplify frontline workflows, improve workforce productivity, and unlock tangible financial value. By equipping frontline teams with intelligent solutions, organizations are building greater agility, resilience, and long-term growth.”
AI Moves from Theory to Practice
The research indicates a clear acceleration in AI adoption across all sectors. Zebra is well-positioned to meet this growing customer demand as validated by the Wall Street Journal’s recent recognition of Zebra as a Top 10 company for AI Readiness in its inaugural “Best Companies for the Future” report.
The study shows that while many organizations already leverage AI, even more identify it as a critical need for future progress. In manufacturing, 50% of surveyed leaders seeking to advance production lines see AI as their top priority. In T&L, interest in AI for shipping and loading workflows nearly tripled among organizations still aiming to improve.
“This updated research confirms that intelligent operations deliver a quantifiable human and financial impact, simplifying complexity, elevating frontline productivity, and improving engagement,” said Tom Bianculli, Chief Technology Officer, Zebra Technologies. “As a leader in AI for the frontline, we see how embedding intelligence directly into daily workflows turns insights into measurable action, unlocking the next wave of productivity and value for our customers.”
Leveraging deep industry expertise and a global partner ecosystem, Zebra’s advanced products and solutions empower organizations to make smarter, real-time decisions. By streamlining repetitive tasks and simplifying workflows, Zebra helps frontline workers eliminate manual errors, maximize productivity, and continuously drive AI-backed innovation at the point of work.
