The landscape of smart data capture software is undergoing a significant transformation, with advancements that can help businesses build long-term resilience against disruptions like trade tariffs, labor shortages, and volatile demand.
No longer confined to handheld computers and mobile devices, the technology is embracing a new batch of hybrid data capture methods that include fixed cameras, drones, and wearables.
If you weren’t familiar with smart data capture, it is the ability to capture data intelligently from barcodes, text, IDs, and objects. It enables real-time decision-making, engagement, and workflow automation at scale across industries such as retail, supply chain, logistics, travel, and healthcare.
The advancements it’s currently experiencing are beyond technological novelties; they are further redefining how businesses operate, driving ROI, enhancing customer experience, and streamlining operational workflows. Let’s explore how:
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More than just smartphones
Traditionally, smart data capture relied heavily on smartphones and handheld computers, devices that both captured data and facilitated user action. With advancements in technology, the device landscape is expanding. Wearables like smart glasses and headsets, fixed cameras, drones, and even robots are becoming more commonplace, each with its own value.
This diversification leads to the distinction of devices that purely ‘capture’ data versus those that can ‘act’ on it too. For example, stationary cameras or drones capture data from the real world and then feed it into a system of record to be aggregated with other data.
Other devices — often mobile or wearable — can capture data and empower users to act on that information instantly, such as a store associate who scans a shelf and can instantly be informed of a pricing error on a particular item. Depending on factors such as the frequency of data collected, these devices can allow enterprises to tailor a data capture strategy to their needs.
Practical innovations with real ROI
In a market saturated with emerging technologies, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of the next big thing. However, not all innovations are ready for prime time, and many fail to deliver a tangible return on investment, especially at scale. The key for businesses is to focus on practical, easy-to-implement solutions that enhance workflows rather than disrupt them by leveraging existing technologies and IT infrastructure.
An illustrative example of this evolution is the increasing use of fixed cameras in conjunction with mobile devices for shelf auditing and monitoring in retail environments. Retailers are deploying mobile devices and fixed cameras to monitor shelves in near real-time and identify out-of-stock items, pricing errors, and planogram discrepancies, freeing up store associates’ time and increasing revenue — game-changing capabilities in the current volatile trade environment, which triggers frequent price changes and inventory challenges.
This hybrid shelf management approach allows businesses to scale operations no matter the store format: retailers can easily pilot the solution using their existing mobile devices with minimal upfront investment and assess all the expected ROI and benefits before committing to full-scale implementation.
The combination also enables further operational efficiency, with fixed cameras providing continuous and fully automated shelf monitoring in high-footfall areas, while mobile devices can handle lower-frequency monitoring in less-frequented aisles.
This is how a leading European grocery chain increased revenue by 2% in just six months — an enormous uplift in a tight-margin vertical like grocery.
Multi-device and multi-signal systems
An important aspect of this data capture evolution is the seamless integration of all these various devices and technologies. User interfaces are being developed to facilitate multi-device interactions, ensuring that data captured by one system can be acted upon through another.
For example, fixed cameras might continuously monitor inventory levels, with alerts to replenish specific low-stock items sent directly to a worker’s wearable device for immediate and hands-free action.
And speaking of hands-free operation: gesture recognition and voice input are also becoming increasingly important, especially for wearable devices lacking traditional touchscreens. Advancing these technologies would enable workers to interact with items naturally and efficiently.
Adaptive user interfaces also play a vital role, ensuring consistent experiences across different devices and form factors. Whether using a smartphone, tablet, or digital eyewear, the user interface should adapt to provide the necessary functionality without a steep learning curve; otherwise, it may negatively impact the adoption rate of the data capture solution.
Recognizing the benefits, a large US grocer implemented a pre-built adaptive UI to enable top-performing scanning capabilities on existing apps to 100 stores in just 90 days.
The co-pilot system
As the volume of data increases, so does the potential for information overload. In some cases, systems can generate thousands of alerts daily, overwhelming staff and hindering productivity. To combat this, businesses are adopting so-called co-pilot systems — a combination of devices and advanced smart data capture that can guide workers to prioritize ROI-optimizing tasks.
This combination leverages machine learning to analyze sales numbers, inventory levels, and other critical metrics, providing frontline workers with actionable insights. By focusing on high-priority tasks, employees can work more efficiently without sifting through endless lists of alerts.
Preparing for the future
As the smart data capture landscape continues to evolve and disruption becomes the “new normal”, businesses must ensure their technology stacks are flexible, adaptable, and scalable.
Supporting various devices, integrating multiple data signals, and providing clear task prioritization are essential for staying competitive in an increasingly complex, changeable and data-driven market.
By embracing hybrid smart data capture device strategies, businesses can optimize processes, enhance user experiences, and make informed decisions based on real-time data.
The convergence of mobile devices, fixed cameras, wearables, drones, and advanced user interfaces represents not just an evolution in technology but a revolution in how businesses operate. And in a world where data is king, those who capture it effectively — and act on it intelligently — will lock in higher margins today and lead the way tomorrow.
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