Competitive advantage using information technology in retailing: myth or reality?

Abstract

The idea of using Information Technology (IT) to gain competitive advantage is receiving increasing attention in the literature and many organizations are grappling with the issue, but so far the evidence of applications is slight. This is not to say that tremendous developments arc not taking place, but their form and function arc not well documented. In this paper we look at some case studies from the retailing sector. The results suggest that many of the organizations are busy implementing an IT infrastructure which updates their existing transaction systems, and attention to the strategic uses of IT is not yet high on the agenda. Many of the exciting benefits that are suggested from the use of IT are still to be pursued in the retail sector.