As in-store and online retail rapidly expand into multichannel operations, consumers are becoming more discerning about where they spend their money. With a wider choice than ever before, consumers have come to expect more options and speed around delivery and the ability to track orders in real-time.

In Zebra's 14th Annual Global Shopper Study, 80% of retailers said they are under pressure to offer their customers more choice and speedier deliveries. Small and medium sized businesses operating in the retail space have the challenge of trying to stay efficient while meeting their customers’ demands in a highly competitive market dominated by larger companies with more spending power.

To further exacerbate challenges, labour shortages are making it more difficult to operate a highly efficient warehouse. Over half of respondents in Zebra’s latest Warehouse Vision Study released in 2022 said that the biggest labour issues they currently face are around finding and training warehouse workers.  Additionally, 87% of decision makers plan to introduce new technology to meet consumer demands and stay competitive.

Implementing technology to increase warehouse efficiencies might seem out of reach for a smaller sized business. But the reality is that whether you operate a small warehouse or large warehouse, achieving inventory visibility and efficient order fulfilment are equally important.

Technology improvements can range from equipping workers with devices such as ultra-rugged scanners, barcode label printers, rugged tablets, handheld mobile computers, radio frequency identification (RFID), wearables and even robotics automation.

The first step is implementing simple automation solutions which are accessible to small and medium sized businesses, who can reap the benefits faster and in a cost-effective manner while planning to move from processes to ecosystems of automation.  

To find out more about Zebra’s small and medium business warehouse solutions, please click here: Warehouse Solutions for Small and Medium Businesses | Zebra

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