The majority of retail associates (84% globally, 72% in APAC) are concerned about the lack of technology deployed to spot safety threats or criminal activity.
This is based on a global research study commissioned by Zebra Technologies and administered online by Azure Knowledge. There were over 4,200 respondents across topics of shopper experience, device and technology usage, delivery and fulfillment in store and online.
With most retailers (78% globally, 80% in APAC) under high pressure to minimise theft and loss, they are now investing in technology tools that can help frontline workers and those watching operations from behind the scenes.
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are currently viewed as the most helpful with loss prevention, closely followed by cameras, sensors, and RFID.
While only 38% of retailers globally and in APAC currently use AI-based prescriptive analytics for loss prevention, more than half of those surveyed (50% globally, 52% in APAC) plan to use it in the next one to three years for this purpose.
Over three in 10 retailers say they also plan to use self-checkout cameras and sensors (45% globally, 52% in APAC), computer vision (46% globally and in APAC), and RFID tags and readers (42% globally, 38% in APAC) within the next three years, specifically for loss prevention.
Nearly 90% of retail associates believe they can provide better customer experience when they have mobile technology tools to help simplify real-time communication and prioritise tasks as well as check prices and inventory.
Most retailers agree technology enables associates to do their jobs better, and as a result, 75% of global retailers (79% in APAC) say they plan to increase their technology investments in 2025.
“Retailers in Singapore and across the region are redefining the shopping experience to meet the demands of today’s consumers,” said Christanto Suryadarma, sales VP, for Southeast Asia at Zebra Technologies.
“Investments in mobile and intelligent technology will enhance operational visibility, empower store associates with greater mobility, and support informed decision-making, which are crucial for retailers to build the modern store experience and stay competitive,” he said.
Along with enhancing customer experience, the study shows retailers’ top priorities include improving mobile workforce efficiency and productivity along with inventory management.
More than one-third of them (39% globally, 41% in APAC) believe that generative AI will have an extremely significant impact on inventory management and demand forecasting. They will also be automating product locating and item-level RFID (46% globally and in APAC), video monitoring (45% globally and 36% in APAC), and stock-out alerts (45% globally, 49% in APAC) to give associates and shoppers real-time inventory visibility, which is a leading profitability driver.
“Adopting advanced technologies such as wearable scanners and linerless printing solutions can enable retailers to effectively address the multifaceted challenges of today’s business landscape,” said George Pepes, APAC vertical solutions lead, retail, Zebra Technologies.
“These solutions are purposefully designed to mitigate issues such as stockouts while enhancing associates’ ability to deliver a seamless customer experience,” said Pepes.
According to Zebra, retailers can exceed shopper expectations, drive profitability and empower engaged associates if they get to know their customers; make it easier to find, pay for, and return items and find item–related information; keep shelves stocked; protect shoppers without over-indexing on loss prevention; avoid passing operational costs onto customers; and give associates more technology.
Across the Asia-Pacific region, 80% of decision-makers plan to boost investments in the supply chain, outpacing the global average.
