Technology makes billing easier

A leading global solution provider in specialty printing and automatic identification, Zebra Technologies has lots to offer to the retail sector. Mark Thomson, Head – Marketing (Retail & Hospitality), Zebra Technologies, speaks on the products, their futuristic features and the company’s business plan in India

Retailer: What products are you manufacturing for the retail vertical?

Mark Thomson (MT): We have a wide range of products that cater to the retail verticals. We have small printers or desk top printers in use at the retail POS, mid range printers to work within warehouse environment and industrial printers. We also have mobile printers. These printers are essentially helpful for queue bursting (i.e. reducing the queue) by walking up to the customers standing in a queue and generating bills for the item purchased. These mobile printers can be used for mark down pricing, the common practice in the matured market in Europe and the US, where there is a deal for the day in a retail outlet, that is, slashing down of prices on some specific items for a day or for a certain period of time. On such occasions, mobile printers come in handy. We also have kiosk printers. Our ID card printers are used by several retailers across the world to identify their members.

Retailer: When did you enter India and who are your clients in India?

MT: We have a long association with India. It’s almost for twelve years now, that we have a partner based in India. But for the last six years, we’re focusing in India and we’re growing. We have set up an office in Mumbai. We have a channel manager in North India. We’re going to recruit someone for the market in South India and also a technical official based in Mumbai. We’re a 100 per cent channel based organisation, building up business from channel perspective. We’re also focusing on the distribution market. It can also be online distribution.

Pantaloons is using our printers. Globally, a large number of people from our organisation are working with Walmart. We have Topshop as our client and lots of other retailers who are using our mobile printers. We’re working with the Metro Group all across the world.

Retailer: What are the special areas in retail which require the implementation of Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID)?

MT: RFID has manifold utilities. An RFID scanner can be installed in a trolley which will keep on adding up the bill of a customer. This makes the entire shopping process easier and also time saving for customers. Again, from a retailer’s perspective, RFID can be used to monitor replenishment of stock through a centralised process, with the shelves having antennae.  All these processes are in an experimental stage. Some have been implemented in the Metro Future Store.

Retailer: What is the cost of implementation for small, mid and big size    companies?

MT: It will depend on the requirement and how advanced the technology is that a retailer is going to implement.

Retailer: How are you working with the hospitality sector?

MT: In the hospitality sector, be it a hotel, an amusement park, a holiday resort or a restaurant, the mobile printer range is very much popular. A mobile printer enables taking orders at a table which automatically go to the kitchen through a wireless network. In a large infrastructure this is quite helpful. It also prints out the bill and the receipt.

Retailer: Who are your target customers – SMEs or big corporate houses?

MT: We’re here to support all kinds of retailers. We’re strengthening our channel infrastructure to grow our business and market share. We’re in talks with Pantaloons and Reliance Retail. We’re basically targeting the organised retail sector in India. We’re more interested in a chain of retail stores than an individual retail store.

Retailer: How is Zebra Technologies’ growth in business operations in India?

MT: We are growing rapidly in India. We’re operating through our channel partners and for the last 6 years we’re also working on direct selling. I can only say that we’ve registered a global turnover of USD 868 million last year.

Retailer: What prospects are you likely to see in these two sectors – retail and hospitality – as the technology solution provider?

MT: The retail market in India is very exciting and offers a number of opportunities to grow. It is a proven fact that many big retailers are now investing in India after the Bharti-Walmart tie-up and the tie-up between Tesco and Trent of Tata. Also, Reliance is signing up with Wincanton for back-end support.  So, the prospects are huge.

Retailer: Do you have any technology solutions for small retailers, especially in tier II and tier III cities? How frequently do you upgrade your products?

MT: Our printers can be used by small retailers for price marking and generating bills. At the cost of a few dollars, they can upgrade their operations, making them more organised. They can add professionalism to their sale process. They can choose from a whole range of printers according to their requirements. Zebra has a range of printers fitted for any retail scenario.

We spent a lot on research & development. Our R&D office is based in the US, where a lot of product development takes place.