By Industry

By Industry

Wearable Technology by Industry: Retail

Many analysts predict that the main beneficiaries of wearable tech will be those businesses that routinely involve deskless workers performing task-based activities. Retail is a great example—large store environments as well as wholesale warehouses are very mobile and task-driven, and could greatly benefit from wearables to increase efficiency in a range of activities, from receiving inbound deliveries and restocking shelves behind the scenes to creating an enhanced, seamless shopping experience on the consumer front. Some of the proposed applications for wearables in retail bank on shoppers owning their own wearable tech devices, whether Google Glass or smartwatches like the Samsung Gear or Apple Watch. Retailers could then create wearable apps, and send special, targeted offers to connected consumer devices while in the store. Other discussed “applications” focus on how retailers will need to carry wearable tech products for consumers to buy. Seeing as wearable technology is expected to grow to be a $19 billion industry by 2018, it is no wonder Amazon opened its Wearable Technology Store or that much of the discussion of wearables in the retail space centers around the consumer’s POV. But we see even more immediate potential in back-end applications when it comes to WT in […]

4 min read

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Wearable Technology by Industry: Travel and Hospitality

As was the case in retail, much of the discussion when it comes to wearable technology in travel & hospitality has focused on how wearables stand to change the travel experience for consumers (i.e. the travelers) as opposed to those who work in the industry. For example, in the near future smartwatches (or smartglasses) will provide all the information that fuels a person’s trip – flight & boarding pass reminders, gate updates, reservation numbers, confirmation codes, directions from the airport, transportation options, even restaurant recommendations & weather forecasts – all at a glance, all in real time, right there on the wrist (or in front of the eyes). Travelers can already receive regular updates, book rooms, check-in, even order room service using mobile devices – a phenomenon referred to as the mobile concierge – and soon they will be able to do the same with wearables, or so the forecast goes. Of course, this all banks on wearable tech taking off with consumers, which it has yet to do but may very well once the Apple Watch is made available on April 24. The hotel industry once attracted guests with technological innovations. Consider the television for a moment. Back when […]

4 min read

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Wearable Technology by Industry: Warehousing and Distribution

Wearables are not new to logistics; in fact, warehouse workers have been sporting wearable computers for years, including wrist scanners and headsets supplied mainly by Motorola. But now, we are seeing the next generation or phase of wearable technology emerging in the warehouse: the combination of smart glasses plus augmented reality is leaving the old, basic voice command system and wearable scanner in the dust in many warehouses & distribution centers, helping workers to multitask and do their jobs better like never before. In the warehouse industry, companies are always looking for new ways to drive down costs and boost performance. As picking and replenishment processes account for up to 70% of operating costs in a typical warehouse, these areas are top priority for warehouse professionals seeking to increase operational efficiency, productivity and safety via advanced technology like wearables. And what logistics professionals are finding is that smart glasses by Google and Vuzix can indeed be used to pick the load and pack it safely, along with a host of other applications for wearable tech in the warehouse environment. The ability for warehouse workers to perform their tasks hands-free has always been vital; although traditional wrists scanners left operatives’ hands […]

5 min read

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Google Glass Saving Healthcare

1 min read