Abstract
The current advances in information and communications technologies developed new tools for retailers to innovate. In fact, the increasing computing capacity and the advancements in networking systems provided a new ubiquitous scenario that can be adapted for retailing in order to develop innovative shopping environments. The aim of this paper is to deeply understand the emergence of the ubiquitous retailing phenomenon and the possible shift from the physical point of sale to a ubiquitous one, by analysing this radical innovation and the main consequences for firms and market.
Highlights
To date, for many retail-oriented firms the competitive advantage depends mainly by the capability of introducing innovations, with emphasis on the novelties related to the information technologies (Bennet and Savani, 2011; Zawslak, et al, 2012; Cropley, Kaufman, Cropley, 2011)
The first part of the paper introduces the concept of ubiquitous computing and its application to retail sector, whereas the second one is devoted to the analysis of the shifting from the traditional physical and fixed point of sale, to a distributed and virtual one
Date in 2008, Wu and Hisa anticipated the application of ubiquitous computing at retailing, by predicting the u-commerce as a disruptive innovation able to make traditional e-commerce obsolete and to force firms to develop new capabilities for fast responding to the market trend. This new kind of distributed retail environment exploits the current advances on mobiles and wireless technologies, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) (Radio Identification) systems, QR code, and on the new techniques for the fast moving of consumer goods (FMCG), for achieving the fast product recognition and delivery (Bennet and Savani, 2011)
Summary
For many retail-oriented firms the competitive advantage depends mainly by the capability of introducing innovations, with emphasis on the novelties related to the information technologies (Bennet and Savani, 2011; Zawslak, et al, 2012; Cropley, Kaufman, Cropley, 2011). The innovations based on the new advanced technologies able to enhance retailing are discontinuous innovations able to radically modify the process, by changing the (i) product searching, (ii) product displaying, (iii) information accessing, (iv) payment modalities, and (v) vendor-client relationship (Pantano and Di Pietro, 2012). Since these technologies provide a large amount of information on the available products that consumers can access according to their personal needs through an ease interaction between the user and the system, they dramatically leap in terms of consumers’ familiarity and usage behaviour (Veryzer, 1998). The first part of the paper introduces the concept of ubiquitous computing and its application to retail sector, whereas the second one is devoted to the analysis of the shifting from the traditional physical and fixed point of sale, to a distributed and virtual one
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