Zebra Technologies released survey results indicating 46 percent of retail,transportation and logisticsbusinesses are operating on “overwhelmed” wireless infrastructures.
More than half (53 percent) of surveyed companies in these sectors are planning to refresh their wireless infrastructure within the next 12 months, anticipating even greater pressure on their systems due to new devices and services coming online. Forrester Consulting conducted the commissioned October 2015 study on behalf of Zebra Technologies, and surveyed and business professionals in 250 global firms in the retail, hospitality and T&L industries in the United States and Europe.
Retailers, T&L companies and hospitality establishments are expanding their Wi-Fi capabilities to improve customer service, increase operational efficiencies and make faster decisions. Nearly 60 percent of T&L providers, 54 percent of retailers and 49 percent of hospitality firms have plans to expand or upgrade Wi-Fi capabilities.
Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of retailers, 69 percent of T&L firms and 61 percent of hospitality companies are expanding, upgrading or planning to implement technology to tap into the Internet of Things (IoT). Businesses are planning to add new wireless services including video conferencing and streaming video along with industry-specific applications and services to locate company assets and people.
Forty-six percent of companies in the retail, T&L and hospitality industries are planning to refresh their wireless infrastructure to improve wireless coverage. More than half of surveyed firms that recently refreshed did so to prepare for new devices and services, and 41 percent of those planning a refresh reported wireless access points (APs) are getting overwhelmed by new corporate-owned devices.
Seventy percent of firms in France are expanding or upgrading their wireless LANs (WLAN) compared with 58 percent in the United States and approximately 50 percent in the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany.
Imran Akbar, vice president, Enterprise Networking Communications, Zebra Technologies: “The enterprise network is the critical backbone for connecting every part of a business and helps win, serve and retain customers. A powerful wireless infrastructure enables the flow of real-time data that lets organizations know what is happening with their assets, workforces and customer transactions, giving them a full picture of business operations.”
Source: Zebra Technologies
