Sydney, Australia – July 23, 2026 – Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), a global leader in digitising and automating workflows to deliver intelligent operations, today announced the latest research findings from its collaboration with Oxford Economics. The updated global study, surveying leaders across retail, transportation and logistics (T&L), and manufacturing, demonstrates how organisations gain significant financial and operational benefits by modernising frontline workflows. The updated 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 modernising production lines.
Unlocking Frontline Potential
The expanded Zebra study with Oxford Economics, which analyses 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 organisation.
Modernising 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, modernising 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 optimise workflows.
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 organisations 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 organisations 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 organisations to make smarter, real-time decisions. By streamlining repetitive tasks and simplifying workflows, Zebra helps frontline workers eliminate manual errors, maximise productivity, and continuously drive AI-backed innovation at the point of work.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- New data from Zebra and Oxford Economics shows organisations in retail, T&L, and manufacturing may achieve multi-million-dollar profit gains and significant increases in worker productivity and satisfaction by optimising frontline workflows.
- The study reveals that technology investments in areas like production lines, supply chain management, and point of sale directly contribute to a more engaged workforce and improved financial performance.
- These outcomes show how combining AI, data, and automation with human expertise can transform the way work gets done, enabling the frontline to work better every day.
- The findings highlight a significant increase in AI adoption, reinforcing Zebra’s position as a leader in deploying AI on the frontline, as recognised by the Wall Street Journal.
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