Zebra Technologies Corporation, a global leader in digitizing and automating frontline workflows, has introduced several innovative AI-powered products and solutions tailored to the retail industry.
Among the key offerings is the Zebra Mobile Computing AI Suite, a comprehensive set of tools designed to integrate advanced AI capabilities into Zebra’s Android mobile devices. The suite includes an AI data capture software development kit (SDK) and sample applications optimized for select devices, enabling developers, independent software vendors (ISVs), and customers to seamlessly embed vision AI features into their mobile applications.
Leveraging these AI technologies, Zebra has created an environment where frontline workers can effortlessly capture contextual data and integrate it directly into Zebra Companion, a new, all-encompassing suite of AI agents designed to empower retail employees. In partnership with select customers, Zebra is developing this multimodal generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) solution to enhance productivity and elevate the overall customer experience in retail environments.
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Zebra Companion is a cutting-edge tool providing frontline employees instant access to critical information and real-time troubleshooting support to optimize their daily operations. The solution addresses key retail workflows, enabling workers to manage routine tasks, as well as respond swiftly to unforeseen issues. Zebra is committed to upholding the highest standards of data privacy and ethical AI practices, ensuring the secure and responsible application of AI technologies. Zebra Companion will be available in the second quarter of 2025, with select customers gaining access through Zebra’s early access pilot program. The suite includes the following AI agents:
- Knowledge Agent: Facilitates rapid onboarding by allowing employees to interact conversationally with job aids and standard operating procedures (SOPs), delivering essential information when needed.
- Sales Agent: Helps with product-related queries, real-time information on availability and pricing, and offers cross-sell and upsell recommendations to associates during customer interactions.
- Zebra Device Agent: Optimizes device usage by providing troubleshooting and contextual data integrations, reducing downtime and ensuring continuous retail operations.
- Merchandising Agent: Utilizes advanced on-device image recognition to assess shelf health and support frontline teams in addressing merchandising issues, including shelf gaps, misplacements, planograming discrepancies, and inaccurate pricing or signage.
The Merchandising Agent was developed as a co-innovation project aimed at enhancing the customer and associate experience. Visitors to Zebra‘s booth at NRF will have the opportunity to see its capabilities in action. Looking ahead, Zebra plans to enable partners, ISVs, and developers to deploy their own agents to integrate with Zebra Companion, offering a unified multimodal user interface for frontline workers using Zebra’s advanced solution platform.
“For years, we’ve been embedding AI into our products, elevating outcomes for our customers and partners,” said Yogesh Kulkarni, Vice President of AI Strategy at Zebra Technologies. “Our AI-enabled solutions are shaping the future of frontline operations by creating new ways of working. We’re proud to collaborate with our extensive partner community and customers to enhance our AI and GenAI capabilities, automate workflows, streamline processes, and improve efficiency—making work easier every day.”
According to Zebra’s 17th Annual Global Shopper Study, 71% of shoppers expressed frustration with the lack of assistance from store associates. In contrast, nearly 90% of associates believe they could provide a better customer experience with mobile technology tools that simplify real-time communication and task prioritization. This is a key reason Zebra is unveiling new technologies at NRF that will extend AI capabilities to frontline decision-making and workflows. In addition to the Mobile Computing AI Suite and Zebra Companion, Zebra is also introducing several other solutions designed to revolutionize retail operations, including:
Zebra Workcloud Sync: This solution enables frontline teams to improve collaboration and productivity by providing a range of robust communication features within a single application. With Workcloud Sync, team members can connect one-on-one or in groups, communicating with colleagues and customers in their preferred language via push-to-talk, Wi-Fi voice and video calls, multimedia messaging, to-dos, and forums. Additionally, frontline workers can leverage the Knowledge Agent within Workcloud Sync for easy access to AI-driven insights.
These innovations from Zebra Technologies are set to redefine the retail experience, helping organizations optimize workflows, enhance employee productivity, and deliver superior customer service with the power of AI.