A new study reveals that retail leaders have modest near-term expectations for returns on warehouse automation investments, but anticipate major productivity gains over the next 5-10 years through augmenting human workforces.

The research, conducted by wearables firm ProGlove, surveyed over 1,000 retail managers across the US, UK, and Germany on attitudes and adoption timelines for supply chain robotics.

Only 11.5% foresee payoffs within two years, though over a third believe it will take 5-10 years. Just under 20% shared dissatisfaction with current automation initiatives, signaling ample room for innovation.

When asked where automation could maximize impact, 25.3% pointed to human augmentation - combining strengths of people and technology. An equal share highlighted the need for supporting software platforms.

As for productivity estimates, over half see automation lifting output more than 20%, with 35.4% expecting gains between 21-30%. But 15.6% admitted integrating automation remains challenging.

“Retailers seek a synergy that leverages technology to empower, not replace, the human workforce,” explained ProGlove CEO Stefan Lampa.

The findings depict an industry cautiously optimistic about long-term potential, yet still struggling to capture value in existing deployments. Companies seem committed to patient trial-and-error while avoiding wholesale short-term disruption to warehouses.

But with 55.3% projecting productivity could jump by over a fifth through blended human-robot operations, automation appears poised to transform retail supply chains - albeit slowly and deliberately over the next decade rather than overnight.

Patience also carries risk, however, as the pace of advancement threatens to leave laggard retailers behind. “While [automation] holds potential for efficiency, our research underscores the critical role of human-machine collaboration,” Lampa concluded.