Zebra Technologies Corp. is a leading provider of mobile computers, barcode scanners, and other distribution center solutions. The company recently unveiled findings from its Future of Fulfillment Vision Study that analyzed how manufacturing will be impacted by the growing use of e-commerce for industrial purchasing.
Findings included:
- 78 percent of logistics companies expect to provide same-day delivery by 2023.
- 40 percent anticipate delivery within a two-hour window by 2028.
- 87 percent expect that by 2028, crowdsourced delivery or a network of drivers that choose to complete a specific order will be in place.
- 39 percent reported operating at an omnichannel level.
- The biggest challenge cited for reaching omnichannel fulfillment was reducing backorders. Inventory allocation and freight costs followed.
- 87 percent of respondents acknowledged that accepting and managing product returns continues to be a challenge and negatively impacts profitability.
- 55 percent of organizations are still using pen-and-paper-based processes to enable omnichannel logistics.
- By 2021, handheld mobile computers with barcode scanners will be used by 94 percent of respondents for omnichannel logistics to provide more real-time access to warehouse management systems.
- Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology and inventory management platforms are expected to grow by 49 percent in the next few years.
- Drones (39 percent), autonomous vehicles (38 percent), wearable and mobile technology (37 percent), and robotics (37 percent) were cited as the most disruptive technologies.
- Manufacturers ranked inventory accuracy at 74 percent and reported needing it to be at 83 percent to handle the rise of omnichannel logistics.