Nearly nine in 10 distribution centre operators expect to adopt new mobile devices and voice-direction technology in the next five years, according to a survey by Honeywell and YouGov.
The survey of hundreds of IT decision-makers across the UK, France, Germany and the US found that mobile solutions are expected to increase in adoption over the next five years, driven by the need for increased order-fulfilment accuracy and improved customer service requests.
With distribution centres losing on average more than €350,000 every year on picking errors, many are looking to technology to improve accuracy and reduce costs.
Honeywell’s survey revealed that nearly two-thirds of distribution centres currently support omni-channel distribution, meaning they have the data capture and asset tracking systems required to fulfil orders both from retailers and from consumers purchasing online.
Of the countries surveyed, France has the highest percentage of sales coming from eCommerce (54 per cent).
An average of 84 per cent of IT decision-makers agree that data capture technology has had a positive impact on their omni-channel distribution strategy.
The majority of respondents anticipate transitioning to voice solutions within the next five years, including 94 per cent in Germany, 87 per cent in the US, 82 per cent in the U.K. and 78 per cent in France.
Commenting on the study, Bruce Stubbs, director of industry marketing at Honeywell Sensing and Productivity Solutions, said, "Consumers want their purchases delivered as quickly as possible, which puts extreme pressure on distribution centre operators to deliver the right products to the right place at the right time.
"Connected workers using mobile solutions with data capture technology such as those delivered by Honeywell offer higher accuracy and productivity and have a positive impact on the bottom line."
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