Zebra's Kevin Tapscott talks about Zebra Workcloud?

Kevin Tapscott leads Zebra’s Global Solutions Center, which is focused on retailers’ most important opportunities.

Tell me about YOU.

After helping lead a regional sporting goods chain to explosive store growth and helping a national retailer open markets in Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Boston, I made the move to software to pursue my passion of using technology to solve retail problems. As a central figure in the growth of Reflexis, I developed and led a variety of functions including pre-sales and value engineering from our time as a scrappy start-up to becoming the global leader in Task and Workforce Management. Zebra acquired Reflexis in 2020 and I’ve continued to be a catalyst for strong growth as the Global Leader of the Software Solution Center for Zebra.

Tell me about Zebra Workcloud?.

Most know Zebra as the global leader in mobile computing and asset intelligence. What they may not now is that we have connected that strength to a billion-dollar investment in software and solutions and have seen a multiplier effect from our hard work around that investment. We call that multiplier effect Zebra Workcloud, and it is the world’s first and only suite of apps designed specifically for the frontline worker. We collapsed 6 best of breed solutions into 4 pillars: Workforce Optimization, Enterprise Collaboration, Inventory Optimization, and Demand Intelligence that make up Workcloud. Touch on one aspect -- communications and collaborations?

If I double-click on one of those pillars for a moment, let’s take Enterprise Collaboration. Technology ranks 3rd on the list of factors that frontline workers say could help reduce workplace stress. Communication solutions, that meet the frontline worker where they are, are crucial and ?can take on many forms.? Workcloud enables retail enterprises to optimize frontline communication and lower costs by rationalizing devices being used down to a single, simple device. Secondly, it flexibly enables the right modality of communication in a way that is tailor made for each retailer. Push-to-talk, Voice over IP optimization, sanctioned and secure messaging, and more, are all enabled by Workcloud on a single device of choice of the customer.

Talk about another element -- maybe inventory availability and how it relates to Holiday 2023

Another Workcloud pillar I’m excited about as we head into the holidays is Inventory Optimization. Workcloud enables retailers’ end-to-end Inventory Visibility from customer demand to store delivery, to cycle counts and physical inventory. Omni-channel makes accurate, real-time, on-shelf accuracy an imperative. Workcloud delivers on that imperative for retail organizations.

What are your fearless predictions for next year?

My fearless prediction for 2024 is that RFID traction in retail will be the best we have seen to date. RFID is transformative for Walmart and others. I see it taking shape across retail at large next year.

Connect with Kevin at [email protected]