Australia’s e-commerce industry is undergoing rapid change and innovation. By 2020, one in ten items will be purchased online1, which represents a unique opportunity for Australian businesses.
Yet businesses that aren’t equipped to meet the expectations of today’s “on demand” economy could find themselves depleted with overworked employees and unsatisfied customers. As such, organisations are turning to the latest disruptive technologies and enterprise mobile devices.
Harnessing Mobile Enterprise Technologies
What was once an industry full of manual processes with clipboards is fast becoming synonymous with technological innovation. In order to keep up with rising consumer demands, enterprises are turning to mobile technologies to support the business.
This is a trend that we’re witnessing on a global scale – research has shown that 58% of business decision-makers are looking to expand the use of mobile technology in the workforce – a number set to rise to 97% by 2023.
Globally, tablets and handheld mobile computers will top the devices used for omnichannel logistics in two to three years. This will coincide with a shift from manual systems to mobile devices which offer real-time access to the warehouse.
Benefits of Mobility
Such strong uptake is driven by the robust benefits associated with handheld computers. When armed with enterprise mobile devices, field workers are essentially able to do more and operate quicker. This is a sentiment that is reflected by 77% of companies surveyed.
Mobile printers allow workers to provide receipts instantly while operators can book future appointments or reschedule deliveries immediately on their devices, cutting waiting time for customers and increasing cash flow for organisations.
Devices also give workers the ability to track orders and online reviews in real time, increasing their visibility over operations and allowing them to deliver better customer service. In tandem, ruggedized tablets allow fleet managers to access data and information wherever products or workers may be on their journey.
Disruptive Technologies
Alongside mobile enterprise technology, other technologies are expected to disrupt the industry.
As technological capabilities continue to grow, the traditional interaction between humans and technology is set to become more intertwined in the move towards ‘Industry 5.0’.
What we will witness is a shift in the warehouse, where collaborative robots or ‘cobots’ are used to make human inputs more valuable. Autonomous solutions will empower and augment the worker, whilst offering greater insights and analysing more efficient solutions for future operations.
The value of such technologies is that it provides a holistic view of the business. Data analytics and machine learning technologies in manufacturing can identify inefficiencies, reveal actionable workflow insights and generate resolution instructions.
However, in the midst of such disruption, the onus is on businesses to foster a culture and environment which encourages innovation. As the industry continues to evolve, expectations on field operations workers will continue to grow alongside customer expectations. It is only through harnessing the new and the innovative that organisations can help alleviate such pressures and continue to satisfy their customers.
1 Source: Australia Post – https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/2018-ecommerce-industry-paper-inside-australian-online-shopping.pdf
