About 60% of organizations in the Asia-Pacific region are banking on business propositions brought by mobile technology, according to the latest edition of Zebra Technologies Corp.’s Future of Field Operations APAC Vision Study.

Zebra is a public company that manufactures and sells marking, tracking and computer printing technologies.

The online survey interviewed 2,075 mobility decision-makers from 20 countries across the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, China, India, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

The investments will most likely go to disruptive or emerging technologies and enterprise mobile devices that are expected to improve business productivity as well as improve customer satisfaction. The role of mobile devices and technology is highly regarded to make a huge difference. At present, mobile-first organizations in the region are conducting total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis prior to major capital expenditure on mobile technology of up to 83% of the time. Only 34% of the survey respondents believe that consumer smartphones have better TCO than rugged devices.

“Driven by the acceleration of e-commerce along with customers’ heightened expectations and increased focus within companies on differentiating service levels, the field operations industry is rapidly changing the way it looks at mobile technology investments,” said Tan Aik Jin, APAC Vertical Solutions Lead, Manufacturing and Transportation & Logistics for Zebra Technologies.

The study also found out that in Asia-Pacific, up to 44% of the organizations view mobility investment as a top priority. As much as 58% of APAC organizations are expanding mobile technology to enterprise-wide use and are seen to reach 97% by 2023.

Organizations believe that front-line workers’ aptitude in technology would make a great deal in improving businesses. The study reveals that from the years 2018 to 2023, the use of handheld mobile computers with built-in bar-code scanners in the region is projected to grow by 41%, mobile printers by 60% and rugged tablets by 57%. The higher levels of inventory, shipment and asset accuracy provided by using these devices is expected to increase business revenues.

“Our study shows how growing challenges related to the on-demand economy drive organizations to adopt transformative, disruptive technologies such as augmented reality and intelligent labels to provide visibility and integrate business intelligence for a performance edge,” said Tan Aik Jin.

Businesses are looking at a wide breadth of use cases developed through disruptive technologies. Mobile-first organizations in the Asia-Pacific are expected to implement the use of sensors, radio frequency identification (RFID) and intelligent labels from 76% to 98% from the end of 2018 to 2023.

Augmented reality (AR), which was first used in the entertainment field, is now crossing to enterprises. The study says that companies are making greater use of AR with companies who expressed interest will increase from 68% to 95% from the end of 2018-2023. These technologies will also expand the use of blockchain from 68% to 96% from the end of 2018 to 2023 to track chains of custody of goods or document service by multiple partnering firms.

In the Asia-Pacific, 44% of respondents consider truck loading automation among one of the most disruptive technologies compared to 28 percent globally.