What happened Shares in data capture company Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ: ZBRA) rose 50% in 2020, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. But it wasn't all smooth sailing for the stock, with a significant decline in early March followed by a 100%-plus gain after that. Image source: Getty Images. For readers who don't know the company well, Zebra manufactures bar code scanners, RFID readers, mobile computers, and printers that capture real-time data. As data becomes an ever larger part of industry, it's essential to capture more and more of it through devices made by Zebra and a competitor like industrial conglomerate Honeywell International (NYSE: HON). There were three main drivers for Zebra's share price appreciation in 2020: According to management, Zebra has "substantially completed its initiative" to shift sourcing from China, allaying fears that trade tariffs would lead to escalating costs for the company. Its impressive recovery from the pandemic has soothed concerns over its exposure to clothing retailers and small businesses. The sales recovery has been a lot stronger than management's guidance, and it's been backed up by a positive outlook from Honeywell, too. Expanding on the sales recovery, management had forecast a 3% to 7% decline in the third quarter only to report a 0.2% increase. Moreover, it expects sales to increase by 3% to 7% in the fourth quarter. So what The acceleration in investment in digital technologies and automation caused by the pandemic is playing to Zebra's strengths. For example, if the surge in e-commerce demand means more investment in logistics, that means more demand for data capture products. As such, Zebra is probably a net beneficiary of the pandemic. Now what In the near term, investors should look for the fourth-quarter sales numbers because they may well come in ahead of guidance. Thinking longer term, the glass-half-empty view sees an artificial pull-forward in Zebra's sales in 2020, which will then correct itself in 2021. On the other hand, the glass-half-full view sees the increased investment in digitization and automation as a structural change that will encourage wider adoption (and ultimately more sales) for Zebra. Given the strong secular trend in investing in automation, investors have every reason to believe the glass-half-full view will win out in 2021. 10 stocks we like better than Honeywell InternationalWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Honeywell International wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of November 20, 2020 Lee Samaha owns shares of Honeywell International. The Motley Fool recommends Zebra Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source