by Elliot Mintz | 01/30/2025

VDC Research recently published its 2024 Buyer Behavior Guide, exploring decision makers’ preferences on enterprise and government technology. The survey highlights ongoing trends in organizations' purchasing criteria when investing in mobile devices for their frontline workers in healthcare, field service, public safety, retail, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, and warehousing. In the 2024 edition, VDC investigated new developments around AI adoption, sustainability initiatives like EPEAT, and best practices for mobile device sourcing and disposal.

The first key to enhancing safety, productivity, and operational efficiency in an enterprise or government setting is selecting the right technology. In 2024, VDC found that smartphones were the most common form factor used across industries. 88.9% of organizations say mobile workers use smartphones, but many are paired with larger form factor mobile devices. 59.7% of organizations use tablets, 54.5% use notebooks/laptops, and 43.9% use handheld computers/RF scan guns. The optimal device for an organization is heavily tied to the use case(s) it is intended for. Frontline mobile workers use these devices for many tasks, including communication, situational awareness, video streaming, point of sale, maintenance, inventory management, and more. Some mobile computers are mounted on vehicles, while others are handheld or designed as hands-free wearables for employees. With so much variation in the possible technologies to deploy, organizations and OEMs must communicate and work together closely to find the perfect solution for each unique environment.

Mobile technology helps address the labor challenges that many organizations face today. For the 62.1% of organizations that experienced a decrease in employee retention over the past year, technology is a game-changer. In VDC's 2024 survey, organizations expressed their plans to upgrade mobile applications to make them more intuitive, increase investment in automation to offset labor recruitment challenges, and restructure tasks from manual to digital workflows. Investments that save workers time and hassle increase employee satisfaction and productivity at the same time, leading to improved retention and operations. In addition to automation, artificial intelligence is a major point of emphasis for organizations going into 2025.

The age of AI is coming to the frontline workforce. Almost half of organizations surveyed intend to purchase devices with dedicated NPUs to support on-device AI processing during their next device upgrade cycle despite barriers such as security and data privacy concerns and integration challenges with existing (legacy) systems. Over two-thirds of organizations would be willing to pay a premium for mobile devices with on-device AI capabilities, and only 35.1% see cost as a top barrier. In 2025 and beyond, AI will impact every workflow across industries to at least some degree. In transportation, AI is the number one technology considered most strategic in addressing supply chain operations over the next 24 months. Public safety is another top beneficiary of AI technology, which VDC explores in its 2024 report on Driving First Responder Workflow Efficiencies, Safety, and Citizen Engagement.

Looking forward to 2025, VDC Research will continue to analyze ongoing and emerging trends in the enterprise mobility landscape. Check out our 2025 predictions to learn more.