What's Inside

Equipping associates with dedicated mobile devices presents numerous benefits for retailers, from employee satisfaction to improved customer experience to retailer efficiency. We refer to this as filling “unserved hands,” meaning retail employees that do not have handheld devices allocated to them for their exclusive use.

In this report, we examine the “unserved hands” opportunity among US retailers, quantifying its scale and exploring the benefits and opportunities for retailers of equipping retail staff with dedicated mobile devices.

Our analysis in this report is informed by a Coresight Research survey of US-based companies operating in a range of retail sectors.

Key Learnings:

• The labor shortage in the US is impacting retailers and hindering the adoption of mobile devices for employees.
• Improve operational efficiency and enhance customer satisfaction by powering operations and merchandising with more mobile devices.
• The benefits of filling unserved hands are prevalent across multiple business workflows.
• Retailers are willing to invest even more in devices with advanced technology.

Data in this research report include proprietary survey findings on:

• Retailers’ adoption of mobile devices—in total and by retailer size and segment
• Challenges that organizations are facing due to the skills gap
• Barriers hindering the adoption of mobile devices
• Business functions and workflows that stand to gain from the implementation of more mobile devices
• Benefits of equipping employees with mobile devices

We also offer several case studies involving leading retailers and brands, such as Lowe’s, Office Depot and Walgreens.

This report is produced and made available to non-subscribers of Coresight Research in partnership with Zebra Technologies, a leading digital solution provider enabling businesses to intelligently connect data, assets and people.

Download the associated infographic for selected findings from this report.

Other relevant research:

• Retail-Tech Landscape: Store Associate Enablement
• Visit the Coresight Research Retail Technology Hub to explore reports, data and competitive landscapes on technology.
• Read more reports on retail management and physical retail
• More Innovator Research from Coresight Research

Non-subscribers can access the report by completing the form on this page. The report will arrive in your inbox upon completion of the form.