Store Characteristics Research Articles

E-cigarette retail outlets in Mexico: a country that bans the sale.

Restrictive e-cigarette policies have not allowed for the characterization of the sale of these tobacco products in the countries where they are implemented. This is because it is believed that there are no stores. However, the use of e-cigarettes persists in these countries. A content analysis of electronic cigarette points of sale through the internet in Mexico was conducted. Cross-sectional study. Structured searches were performed in the Google Maps search engine with the terms "electronic cigarette store" and "vape store" in combination with the name of each state of Mexico, in the period from October 2021 to February 2022. A total of 695 e-cigarette stores were located, of which 481 (69.2%) were physical stores, 207 hybrid stores (29.8%), 4 online stores (0.6%) and 3 (0.4%) vending machines. A total of 316 e-cigarette brands and 578 vape liquid brands were identified. The sales attraction strategy they used the most was free shipping of products (85.8%). Stores used WhatsApp (92.5%), Facebook (86.3%) and Instagram (74.4%) to promote their products. Only 35.1% of stores checked the age of their customers, of which, 95.9% asked if the customer was of legal age and 4.1% asked for the date of birth. In addition, 25.6% of the stores warned about nicotine addiction and 24.2% specifically about the ingredients of the liquids. E-cigarettes are widely available and marketed in a variety of retail outlets in Mexico. The high number of stores, brands of liquids, and e-cigarettes indicates non-compliance with existing regulations. E-cigarette consumption has increased globally, even in countries with restrictive regulations. However, there is limited data on the density and characteristics of vape stores in low- and middle-income countries with restrictive regulations. This study found no significant differences in e-cigarette sales between countries with permissive and restrictive regulations. Therefore, it is suggested that, in addition to establishing restrictive policies on the sale of e-cigarettes, their enforcement should also be monitored. Countries with restrictive measures should regulate Internet sales and promotion of e-cigarettes with greater emphasis.

Effects of urban regeneration projects on store survival rate in neighborhood commercial areas: the case of South Korea

ABSTRACT Neighborhood commercial areas in cities densely populated with small stores serve as crucial social, economic, and cultural hubs. However, the emergence of large discount stores and online shopping and urban decline have challenged these commercial areas. In response, South Korea introduced urban regeneration policies in 2014, known as urban regeneration leading areas (URLAs), with related projects carried out between 2017 and 2019. This study explored how urban regeneration projects impacted neighborhood commercial areas. It specifically examined the relationship between store survival rates – a key indicator of revitalization – and influencing factors (e.g. characteristics of urban regeneration projects, store characteristics, and regional features). The results, derived from a survival analysis model, indicated that revitalized areas, such as artificially specialized streets, negatively impacted store survival rates. Moreover, stores established at the commencement or midpoint of regeneration projects demonstrated lower survival rates, indicating temporary gentrification. Contrarily, stores linked to convenience facilities integral to residents’ lives and those existing before regeneration projects exhibited higher survival rates. These results suggest the need for a shift in urban regeneration projects and policies, such as increasing support for established local stores rather than creating new commercial zones and setting reasonable rents to sustain newly established stores.

Implementasi Algoritma Needleman-Wunsch dalam Pengujian Tingkat Kemiripan DNA Babi Sulawesi Utara

Data is a collection generated from various media used by humans. DNA data is a form of data, which is data in the form of genetic code text to store biological identities and characteristics of living things. This study used DNA to test the similarity level of North Sulawesi pigs. The method used is the Pairwise Sequence Alignment method. With sequences of different DNA lengths, the researcher implemented the Needleman-Wunsch algorithm for alignment. Matching is used using the BioPython module, which is in pairwise2. And this study produces a model and proportion of the similarity level of North Sulawesi Pigs that can be used as future references for biological research on molecular biology or for the field of informatics in implementing Needleman-Wunsch algorithm in Python, or references and additional knowledge for research in Bioinformatics.

Mobile platform expansion: How does it affect the incumbent food delivery app and other sales channels?

Food delivery apps (FDAs) are popular sales platforms, and many restaurants rely on multiple FDAs. Adding more FDAs represents a novel type of channel expansion (i.e., platform-to-platform), though no prior studies have examined its performance implications to determine if introducing a new, competing FDA might cannibalize or enhance a restaurant's customer acquisition and sales through the incumbent FDA. Furthermore, introduction timing, local competition, and store characteristics might moderate these effects, with implications for the restaurant's total sales over time. Using associative network theory, together with 557,127 purchase records gathered from 173,537 customers, we apply a panel regression model across 18 store locations of a restaurant chain. The results show that adding a competing FDA has positive synergistic effects on the restaurant's customer acquisition and sales (including sales revenues and order volumes) through the incumbent FDA, especially if it adds the competing FDA long (vs. soon) after the prior FDA and the store is younger (vs. older). Larger stores and those located in competitive areas benefit more from mobile platform expansion. The positive effects of introducing a competing FDA on total sales diminish over time though. These findings can inform both research into and the practice of mobile platform expansions.

A size‐dependent energy‐based strain burst criterion

AbstractThis paper presents a size‐dependent energy‐based strain burst criterion linking strength, elasticity, fracture energies and specimen size effect with stress state due to changes in boundary conditions. It proposes the concept of a ‘Burst Envelope’, a surface in three‐dimensional principal stress space derived based on energy storing and dissipation characteristics of a rock sample, taking into account the size of the specimen and potential localised failure pattern. A scalar burst index is also proposed to quantify the bursting scale. To illustrate and verify its functioning, a numerical modelling framework based on the distinct element method and employing a new cohesive‐frictional contact model is used to perform virtual strain burst experiments under different polyaxial loading‐unloading scenarios, mimicking various underground excavation scenarios. The obtained results are in good agreement with the theoretical prediction of burst occurrence. On that basis, the variation of burst possibility and magnitude are investigated with key factors, including confinement level and the material's elastic, strength and fracture properties. The effect of the specimen's aspect ratio and size on the rock burst potential is elaborated and verified using virtual strain burst experiments, facilitating the linking of the proposed theoretical framework with the evaluation of in‐situ strain bursts in rock masses around underground openings.

The Impact of Unmanned Store Characteristics on Stickiness Intention through Consumer Value

Despite the growth of unmanned stores alongside innovative technological advancements, research on consumer value and purchase intentions regarding unmanned stores remains relatively scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of unmanned store characteristics on stickiness intentions based on consumer value. An online survey was conducted from October 10th to October 17th, 2023, targeting 350 individuals who had made purchases at unmanned stores, and a total of 319 responses were used for analysis. The research findings indicate that the characteristics of unmanned stores responsiveness, tangibility, and reliability positively influence consumers' experiential value, subsequently increasing stickiness intentions. Moreover, Tangibility positively affected economic value, while reliability had a positive impact on psychological value. Consumer value was found to significantly impact stickiness intentions. Confirming the influence of each unmanned store characteristic through various consumer values on stickiness intentions, this study suggests that strategic planning to enhance consumer stickiness intentions is feasible. It also underscores the necessity of store operational strategies that consider the significance of consumer value.

역사 특성이 역세권 상권 매출액에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study was to analyze the determinants of commercial sales of these industries located in the station influence area and to clearly identify the difference. The subjects of this study are beauty salons for service businesses, coffee/drinks for restaurants, and convenience stores for retail businesses, and these industries are characterized by the fact that the number of businesses in the top 100 living sectors selected by the National Tax Service is within the 15th place and are mainly concentrated in the station influence area. As a result of the analysis, it was found that hair salons, coffee/drink stores, and convenience stores were affected by sales differently depending on the characteristics of subway stations, regional characteristics, and location characteristics, respectively. This study aimed to serve as an objective and practical basis for decision-making by prospective entrepreneurs or related policy makers, targeting beauty salons, coffee/drink stores, and convenience stores that are close to people's lives and have a high influence in the station area. However, due to the limitations of available data, the characteristics of individual stores cannot be examined, and the study is limited to specific industries.

Significantly Enhanced Energy Density of Polyvinylidene Fluoride/Polyimide-Based Nanocomposites by Core-Shell BaTiO3@SiO2.

Improving the limited energy storage capacity of dielectric materials has long been an attractive challenge. In this work, a four-phase hybridized nanocomposite was designed. The linear polymer polyimide (PI) was added to the ferroelectric polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and compounded with a nanoceramic BT@SiO2 with a core-shell structure. The results show that PVDF-PI/BT@SiO2 nanocomposites prepared by a straightforward spin-coating method have a significantly increased discharge energy density. The polymer blends obtain a tightly extended conformation in the amorphous region. Also, this provides an excellent matrix environment for the homogeneous dispersion of fillers. The core-shell structure, as a physical barrier, not only hinders the expansion of the breakdown path but also extends multiple polarization surfaces with gradient variations at the microscopic level. Therefore, the synergistic effect generated by polymer blending and core-shell structure effectively enhances the dielectric and stored energy characteristics of nanocomposites. The dielectric constant is stable at 11.39-18.7, and the dielectric loss is always lower than 0.136. The discharge energy density is 2.5 J/cm3, almost 110% higher than that of the BOPP films (about 1.2 J/cm3). These experimental results suggest that the composite system using core-shell structure and polymer blending is a new way to improve the energy density of dielectric materials.

ОЦЕНКА ВИРТУАЛЬНЫХ РЫНКОВ И СОСТОЯНИЯ ЭЛЕКТРОННОЙ КОММЕРЦИИ В ДОНЕЦКОЙ НАРОДНОЙ РЕСПУБЛИКЕ

The article analyzes the state of e-commerce in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), identifying key characteristics of online stores in various areas of their activities. The study covers the work of the Electronic Trading Platform of the Ministry of Economic Development of the DPR, which allows for a clear visualization of current trends and initiatives in this area. As part of the assessment of the virtual market, a marketing survey was conducted to study consumer commitment to online shopping, the results of which indicated certain preferences and behavior of consumers regarding online shopping, which can help entrepreneurs better understand the target audience. An expert assessment of the use of resources and capabilities of the digital business environment with an emphasis on Internet marketing tools was carried out, which revealed that the level of use of information resources remains low, which hinders the full disclosure of business potential in the virtual market. However, despite the identified shortcomings, there are significant opportunities to improve marketing strategies and increase the efficiency of enterprises in the virtual market.

"If You Just Tell Me You're 18, I'll Still Sell to You": A Qualitative Study of Underage Tobacco Product Purchasing Experiences in a Tobacco 21 Compliance Study.

Tens of thousands of underage tobacco buy attempts are conducted each year for research, compliance, and public health surveillance. However, little research has qualitatively examined the perceptions and experiences of underage buyers participating in these programs. We sought to understand underage buyers' experiences and gather recommendations for protocol improvements. We conducted semi-structured interviews in the fall of 2022 to assess experiences with underage tobacco product purchasing. Participants (N = 19, 58% male, 42% White) were research assistants aged 18-20 in New Jersey, New York, or North Carolina. Interviews examined purchasing experiences in relation to store characteristics, clerk interactions, and buyer identities. We used deductive and inductive thematic coding to explore key themes related to buyer experiences. We identified four themes: (1) non-chain stores lacked consistency in verifying age; (2) female data collectors experienced uncomfortable situations more frequently than male data collectors; (3) not identifying with the store's typical demographics impacted purchase attempts; and (4) participants suggested improvements for inspections and research during training. Retailer education, widespread adoption of ID scanners, and enforcement could increase standardization of ID requests and verification. Male and female buyers can be trained on what they might expect based on their gender, as well as how to maneuver through unwanted situations. Consideration of shared identity is important for future waves of data collection and research. Efforts to improve training include more extensive mock purchase training with supervisors well-versed in this area. Electronic ID verification and promoting compliance at non-chain retailers could impact access to tobacco products for underage buyers. Training for underage buyers in research and compliance assessments should focus on ways to enhance data collectors' confidence when making a purchase attempt, which may improve the validity of the rate of sales to individuals under 21.

국내 패션 브랜드 플래그십 스토어의 전시 체험적 특성이 MZ세대의 브랜드 이미지에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구 - 성수동 아더 스페이스 2.0을 중심으로 -

국내 패션 브랜드 플래그십 스토어의 전시 체험적 특성이 MZ세대의 브랜드 이미지에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구 - 성수동 아더 스페이스 2.0을 중심으로 -

Store Analysis Using Latent Representation of Robust Variational Autoencoder Based on Sales History Data

This study proposes an analytical model based on the robust variational autoencoder (RVAE) to analyze store characteristics and further formulate item strategies at the store level for future reduction of the loss of unsold items. The data of the display item vector of each store characterizes the sales strategy of the store. However, it is sparse because the number of items displayed in each store accounts for only approximately 10% of the total number of item brands sold in all the stores. To manage this sparsity, a simple autoencoder model is inappropriate because of the large variation in input data, which is as a result of the store characteristics of selling unique products. Therefore, this study employs the RVAE to analyze the store characteristics of the listed items. Here, the latent representation of an RVAE is usually an output from an estimated probability distribution in the middle layer of the trained network. Generally, the similarity of the latent representations of two input data is evaluated using the sample data of the probability distributions. This study proposes a model to calculate the distance between probability distributions without sampling, for valid estimations of the similarities between latent representations. It proposes a method to use the reconstruction error obtained through the RVAE that enables the detection of stores whose trends differ significantly from those of other stores. Additionally, the proposed method can detect groups of stores with similar trends. In this study, the proposed model was applied to an actual dataset, after which its effectiveness was verified.

The quest for quality within an online educational marketplace: Indicators of expert-evaluated quality in U.S. history activities

Online educational marketplaces such as TeachersPayTeachers.com (TPT) have become popular among teachers, but the quality of materials offered is inconsistent. This descriptive study explored quality indicators for site materials. Examining a sample of TPT’s 100 best-selling 11th-grade U.S. history activities, we compared overall quality scores (as evaluated by three experts) with user review metrics and store characteristics. Expert ratings were not correlated with average user ratings, the number of user ratings, qualitative user feedback, the resource’s popularity rank, or marketing appeal. However, price and the seller’s number of followers were positively correlated with expert ratings, albeit weakly. These findings highlight how for-profit educational marketplaces constrain teachers’ ability to access and evaluate curricular materials. Ways forward for teachers, teacher educators, and the for-profit platforms are discussed.

Food and Beverage Environments at Store Checkouts in California: Mostly Unhealthy Products

BackgroundAs the only place in a store where customers must pass through, checkouts may be especially influential over purchases. Research is needed to understand the healthfulness of checkout environments. ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to classify checkout product facings in California food stores. MethodsIn a cross-sectional study, 102 stores, including chains (dollar stores, drugstores, specialty food stores, supermarkets, and mass merchandisers) and independent supermarkets and grocery stores were sampled from 4 northern California cities. Observational assessments of each checkout product facing were conducted in February 2021 using the Store CheckOUt Tool. Facings were classified by category and healthfulness, defined by meeting Berkeley’s Healthy Checkout Ordinance’s healthy checkout standards: unsweetened beverages and specific foods containing ≤5 g added sugar and ≤200 mg sodium per serving. Log binomial regressions compared healthfulness by store and checkout characteristics. ResultsOf 26,758 food and beverage checkout facings, the most common categories were candy (31%), gum (18%), sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs; 11%), salty snacks (9%), mints (7%), and sweets (6%). Water represented only 3% and fruits and vegetables 1% of these facings. Only 30% of food and beverage facings met Berkeley’s healthy checkout standards, with 70% not meeting the standards. The percentage of food and beverage facings not meeting the standards was even higher (89%) among snack-sized packages (≤2 servings/package). Compared with chain supermarkets, mass merchandisers, and specialty food stores (34%–36%), dollar and independent grocery stores had a lower percentage of food and beverage facings that met the healthy checkout standards (18%–20%; P < 0.05). Compared with lane and register areas (35%), endcaps and snaking sections within checkouts had fewer food and beverage facings that met the standards (21%–23%; P < 0.001). ConclusionsMost foods and beverages at checkout consisted of candy, SSBs, salty snacks, and sweets and failed to meet the healthy checkout standards.

An ontology-based approach to designing a NoSQL database for semi-structured and unstructured health data.

With the advent of ICT-based healthcare applications, various formats of health data are generated every day in huge volume. Such data, consisting of unstructured, semi-structured and structured data, has every characteristic of Big data. NoSQL databases are generally preferred for storing such type of health data with the objective of improving query performance. However, for efficient retrieval and processing of Big Health Data and for resource optimization, suitable data models and design of the NoSQL databases are important requirements. Unlike relational databases, no standard methods or tools exist for NoSQL database design. In this work, we adopt an ontology-based schema design approach. We propose that an ontology, which captures the domain knowledge, be used for developing a health data model. An ontology for primary healthcare is described in this paper. We also propose an algorithm for designing the schema of a NoSQL database, keeping in mind the characteristics of the target NoSQL store, using a related ontology, a sample query set, some statistical information of the queries, and performance requirements of the query set. The ontology proposed by us for primary healthcare domain and the above mentioned algorithm along with a set of queries are used for generating a schema targeting MongoDB datastore. The performance of the proposed design is compared with a relational model developed for the same primary healthcare data and the effectiveness of our proposed approach is demonstrated. The entire experiment has been carried out on MongoDB cloud platform.

An approach for assessing industrial IoT data sources to determine their data trustworthiness

Trustworthy data in the Industrial Internet of Things are paramount to ensure correct strategic decision-making and accurate actions on the shop floor. However, the enormous amount of industrial data generated by a variety of sources (e.g. machines and sensors) is often of poor quality (e.g. unreliable sensor readings). Research suggests that certain characteristics of data sources (e.g. battery-powered power supply and wireless communication) contribute to this poor data quality. Nonetheless, to date, much of the research on data trustworthiness has only focused on data values to determine trustworthiness. Consequently, we propose to pay more attention to the characteristics of data sources in the context of data trustworthiness. Thus, this article presents an approach for assessing Industrial Internet of Things data sources to determine their data trustworthiness. The approach is based on a meta-model decomposing data sources into data stores (e.g. databases) and providers (e.g. sensors). Furthermore, the approach provides a quality model comprising quality-related characteristics of data stores to determine their data trustworthiness. Moreover, a catalogue containing properties of data providers is presented to infer the trustworthiness of their provided data. An industrial case study revealed a moderate correlation between the data source assessments of the proposed approach and experts.

The impact of buy-online-and-return-in-store channel integration on online and offline behavioral intentions: The role of offline store

Retailers have treated the buy-online-and-return-in-store (BORS) policy as an important initiative to reduce return losses and provide a better customer experience. Studies on BORS policy have primarily focused on the retailer's strategic value, but not on how such a seamlessly integrated omnichannel operation affects customer behavior. Using Chinese customer data and the structural equation model (SEM), we investigate how BORS channel integration impacts customer behavioral intentions, with the consideration of the mediating effect of customer satisfaction and the moderating effect of offline store characteristics. Based on the stimulus-organism-response framework, our research found that two dimensions of BORS channel integration (integrated return fulfillment and integrated customer service) positively impact customer satisfaction and subsequently impact behavioral intentions in different channels. Furthermore, offline store convenience moderates the relationship between integrated customer service and customer satisfaction. Product variety in the offline store moderates the relationship between customer satisfaction and offline behavioral intentions, while it is not statistically significant in the relationship between customer satisfaction and online behavioral intentions. Compared to the younger group, the older group who is satisfied with BORS service is more likely to purchase offline. These findings generate important theoretical and practical implications for omnichannel return operations.

Создание базы данных техногенно-нарушенных территорий Новосибирской области

Today, the problem of assessing the impact of technologically disturbed territories on the environment and analyzing decisions on their further use, taking into account environmental measures, is becoming more and more acute. The article discusses the sources of obtaining initial data for the assessment of technologically disturbed territories and their features when integrated into a single dynamically updated database. The structural elements of such a database and the stored characteristics are described both from the point of view of spatial data and from the ecological state of objects. The article proposes the concept of a multilevel system of various methods of computer modeling of complex, spatially distributed nonlinear systems "natural environment – technological space – man-made disturbed territory". It also describes the general scheme of the repository that solves the task and a set of software solutions that allow automating the processes of collecting and integrating data from open sources to the territory of interest.

소상공인의 점포·기업가·특성이 경영성과와 삶의 질에 미치는 영향

This study attempted to examine how the characteristics of stores, entrepreneurs, and institutions ofsmall businesses affect management performance and the quality of life of entrepreneurs and theirfamilies through empirical analysis. A survey was conducted to examine this study and analyzed with 384effective samples. As a result of the analysis, it was found that store characteristics, entrepreneurial characteristics, aAsa result of the analysis, it was found that store characteristics, entrepreneurial characteristics, andinstitutional characteristics had a statistically significant effect on management performance in a positive(+) direction. In addition, management performance had a significant effect on life happiness andoperation satisfaction in a positive (+) direction, and showed a mediating effect. This study presents practical and policy implications. In practice, businesses and prospective start-upsinform that they need constant efforts to differentiate their stores and improve their entrepreneurialcapabilities. In terms of policy, it shows that institutional support is needed to induce the revitalizationof life-friendly stores through related education, follow-up management, consulting, and monitoring ofprofessional companies.

소상공인 점포의 생존을 위한 공간요인 평가모델 개발 - 점포 저밀 구역의 카페 업종을 중심으로 -

The purpose of this study is to develop an assessment model of spatial factors for survival of small business stores and propose an active usage for actual application and utility. To this end, in previous studies, the collected spatial factors were purified through in-depth interviews with experts, and a survey was conducted on cafe owners who survived for more than 3 years in the low-density area of the target site. Based on the evaluation items according to the importance of spatial factors derived from previous studies, a pair comparison survey, one of the in-depth interview methods, was conducted for cafe users who had an important effect on the survival of the store, and a procedure was performed to systematically analyze the user’s qualitative experience. Formed using the fuzzy AHP method. As a result, the weight of the assessment area was highest for “Space Image” (0.51), followed by “Store Characteristics” (0.30) and “Design Attributes” (0.19). Calculating the total weight of the spatial factor assessment indicators, the most weighted items were “Parking Supply” (12.4 percent) in the categories of store characteristics, followed by “Unique Interior” (6.2 percent), “First Floor” (5.2 percent), “Unique Exterior” (5.0 percent), and “Simple Exterior” (4.5 percent). In sixth place is “Immersive Interior”(4.3 percent), followed by “Simple Interior”(4.3 percent), “Curiosity Interior” (4.1 percent), “Obstacles” (4.0 percent), and “Curiosity Exterior” (4.0 percent). Based on this assessment scorecard with weights, according to the result of evaluating the actual cases to examine the effectiveness of the assessment model, it could be interpreted that scores higher than 70 should be obtained for survival longer than three years. In addition, an efficient decision-making model for selecting and focusing on assessment indicators was presented through a simple scenario analysis using a decision tree as a method of utilizing the assessment model. It is hoped that small business owners preparing for start-ups will be able to promote and manage reasonable and efficient projects for the survival of stores in consideration of the assessment model and active usages.