Zebra Technologies Corporation, a global leader in digitizing and automating workflows to deliver intelligent operations, unveiled the findings of its 18th Annual Global Shopper Study. The research shows Gen AI and automation solutions emerging as critical tools, with 87% of retail leaders citing their importance in loss prevention efforts.
“Businesses that increasingly thrive in retail’s future are agile leaders engaging the “phygital experience” through intelligent workflows,” said Mr. Subramaniam Thiruppathi, Director, Sales, India and Sub-Continent, Zebra Technologies. “Tapping on AI, automation, and improved workflows, retailers are empowered to deliver the fast, seamless, and personalized experiences that today’s shoppers demand.”
The data indicates shopper satisfaction levels have dipped for the second consecutive year, declining for both in-store (79% globally, 75% in APAC including India) and online experiences (73% globally, 69% in APAC including India). This marks a further decline compared to the past two years, with the highest satisfaction levels recorded in 2023 at 85% globally (for both in-store and online) and 81% in APAC including India (for online experiences).
The research also highlights a shift in shopper priorities. While increasingly drawn to convenience, speed, and value, nearly eight-in-ten shoppers (78% globally, 74% in APAC including India) prioritize discounts and promotions as inflation pressures persist. At the same time, consumers demand operational excellence, expressing frustration with out-of-stocks (68% globally, 63% in APAC including India), locked-up products (70% globally, 67% in APAC including India) or a lack of self-checkout lanes (62% globally, 56% in APAC including India).
Connecting Frontline Teams with Advanced Technology
Retailers are increasingly recognizing the importance technology plays in enhancing the shopping experience, as delays in accessing information can hinder associates and disrupt service. According to the study, 88% of associates report challenges in obtaining timely assistance or information, up from 82% last year. This is similarly echoed by APAC including India associates, at 85% and 76% respectively.
Providing the right technology alleviates stress and boosts job satisfaction. More than 8-in-10 surveyed associates (87% globally, 84% in APAC including India) believe effective tools make their work more enjoyable and less stressful while helping them provide better service to customers. Plus, the large majority (90% globally, 86% in APAC including India) believe the right technology helps them complete tasks faster.
Optimizing Inventory and Mitigating Shrinkage Remain Priorities
Unsurprisingly, inventory challenges continue to impact shopper satisfaction and retailer profitability. While improvement is evident year-over-year, almost half of shoppers (Global’s 52% in 2025 vs 57% in 2024; APAC including India’s 47% in 2025 vs 49% in 2024) are still leaving stores without all the items they intended to purchase, often due to out-of-stocks or difficulties locating products.
Retailers acknowledge these gaps, with 84% of global decision-makers (85% in APAC including India) citing real-time inventory synchronization as a top priority for their organizations. In fact, many of them plan to implement advanced technologies such as computer vision (57% globally, 55% in APAC including India), RFID (54% globally and in APAC including India) and Gen AI (51% globally and 62% in APAC including India) over the next five years as they are viewed as essential tools for improving inventory visibility and reducing shrinkage.
Boosting Revenue and Profitability with Improved Workflows
Improving inventory management also has a positive impact on retailers’ bottom line. Based on a recent research study from Zebra in collaboration with Oxford Economics titled, “Impact of Intelligent Operations,” retailers achieved up to 1.8-percentage-point increases in revenue growth and profitability through improvements in their prioritized workflow of inventory management.
According to the Global Shopper Study, retail decision-makers recognize the importance of making these improvements to drive online and in-store sales. Optimizing inventory processes jumped nine percentage points (38% globally vs 36% in APAC including India), as the leading way retailers believe they can boost profits from online orders.
Inventory optimization also ranked in the top three for in-store profitability drivers (38% globally, 36% in APAC including India), topped by automation for more real-time inventory visibility (39% globally and 36% in APAC including India) and in-store digital ads and retail media networks which rose to 43% globally (42% in APAC including India). Likewise, Zebra recently acquired Elo which provides solutions that retailers use to build their own retail media networks and enhance the customer experience.
“Shoppers deserve to fully enjoy a modern store experience – beyond finding great deals and their desired products, retailers should focus on creating meaningful connections and seamless, hassle-free interactions. With advanced retail solutions like ZD421 Desktop Printer, ZT621/ZT611 Industrial Printers, ZT421/ZT411 Industrial Printers, ZQ630 Plus/ZQ620 Plus/ZQ610 Plus Mobile Printers, Elo I-Series 5 with Android, and EloPOS Z30, Zebra is dedicated to building trust, fostering loyalty, and empowering retailers to remain competitive in an ever-evolving landscape,” added Thiruppathi.
Some of the latest solutions from Zebra improve inventory visibility, associate productivity and loss prevention while those from Elo expand in-store engagement and digital media capabilities:
KEY REGIONAL FINDINGS
Asia Pacific (APAC including India)
- 84% of store associates in APAC including India – compared to 89% globally – agree that AI will help them become more productive.
Europe
- 84% of retail decision-makers are under pressure to synchronize real-time inventory across channels to better forecast demand and replenishment; this is 10 percentage points higher than those who feel pressure to improve pricing and promotions management.
Latin America
- Compared to 52% globally, 60% of shoppers surveyed in Latin America say they’ve left a store within the last three months without all the items they intended to purchase.
North America
- This region has the second highest percentage of retail associates (80%) who agreed that maintaining real-time visibility of out-of-stock products is a significant challenge. The highest region is Latin America at 88%.
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