Zebra Technologies & RILA Announce Strategic Partnership

Today, Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), the market leader in rugged mobile computers, barcode scanners and barcode printers enhanced with software and services to enable real-time visibility, announced its strategic partnership with the Retail Industry Leaders Association’s (RILA) (R)Tech Center for Innovation. The partnership will focus on identifying and harnessing emerging technologies to the benefit of the global retail industry.  

“Zebra is excited to partner in this effort to co-innovate, develop and offer new offerings, working with top retail executives and operational leaders. A critical goal for retailers is building a culture of innovation which we aim to help achieve. We look forward to our continued work with RILA as we develop next-generation offerings that will fulfill industry needs and expand operational visibility to improve the overall customer experience,” said Tom Bianculli, Chief Technology Officer, Zebra Technologies. 

“Zebra’s proven leadership in innovative retail technology along with its record as a committed RILA partner makes the company an ideal partner for the Center. We look forward to working together on future endeavors that benefit both retailers and consumers,” said Adam Siegel, Senior Vice President of Innovation for RILA. 

RILA and Zebra are partnering to further their shared vision of bringing emerging technologies that will enhance and enable solutions to address the challenges retailers face in a dynamic environment. One area of focus will be data security and sharing. Retailers are generating vast amounts of actionable data about processes and assets that can be leveraged to transform their operations to improve business performance and outcomes. As the retail industry leverages an increasing amount of real-time data to transform operations and the customer experience, both Zebra and RILA will have a focus on data security. This area of data security is just one domain example that represents their mutual expertise and broader involvement with the entire retail community. 

In addition to partnering in the (R)Tech initiative, Zebra is a sponsor and partner on RILA’s Asset Protection Leaders Council which includes senior executives in retail focused on asset protection, loss prevention and risk management.  

“As a participant in its Asset Protection Leaders Council, Zebra is engaged in advancing RILA’s broader ability to support and enhance its charter to reduce shrink in retail. Our joint efforts combined with our focus on bringing innovative solutions to market will allow retailers to focus on future growth,” Ed Tonkon, President, Zebra Retail Solutions, Zebra Technologies. 

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About Zebra  

With the unparalleled operational visibility Zebra (NASDAQ: ZBRA) provides, enterprises become as smart and connected as the world we live in. Real-time information – gleaned from visionary solutions including hardware, software and services – gives organizations the competitive edge they need to simplify operations, know more about their businesses and customers, and empower their mobile workers to succeed in today’s data-centric world. For more information, visit www.zebra.com or sign up for our news alerts. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. 

About the RILA RTech Center for Innovation 

U.S. and global consumers are driving change in retail as never before. Ubiquitous internet access, and changing consumer values, preferences, and lifestyles, have led to unprecedented disruption in virtually every industry; retail perhaps more than any other. This digital revolution continues to transform the way customers buy and interact with retailers and products. And the pace and depth of these changes is both unprecedented and accelerating. This new retail landscape brings with it many risks, but also many opportunities. To address this new reality, RILA sees an opportunity to help its members by forming a new (R)Tech Center for Innovation and an accompanying “(R)Tech” brand in the retail, innovation, and policymaking arenas. (R)Tech is a new term that describes the confluence of retail and technology; it is meant to impassion entrepreneurs for, and direct venture funding to, technologies, ideas, and startups that help the industry, and to reinvigorate retail’s reputation with innovators, the next generation of retail talent, policymakers, and the public.