In-store Retail Research Articles

What is the impact of demand patterns on integrated online-offline and buy-online-pickup in-store (BOPS) retail in a smart supply chain management?

Retailers aim to provide in-person and remote interactions to accelerate purchases through hybrid methods, which introduce additional delivery and emissions loads but create a seamless shopping experience. The challenges of unified inventory, customer information, pricing, demand forecasting complications, and order fulfillment are met successfully in the hybrid methods. Here, a smart supply chain management that integrates traditional physical presence with cloud-based and hybrid buy-online-pickup in-store channels is optimized to meet customer demand in different demand patterns. The demand patterns considered are linear, cubic, and normalized functions of the selling price, the advertising cost, and the product lifetime. The article incorporates sustainable supply chain and omnichannel strategies to optimize supply chain performance and profitability. The paper compares the results of the proposed models with traditional supply chain models and provides some managerial insights and suggestions for online retailers. Numerical simulation reveals that nonlinear price dependence in demand provides an opportunity for higher promotional investment with a substantial rise in optimal selling price and overall profit. The shift-to-imperfect probability is seen to be the volatile component in the solution surface. The markup of the offline channel has a greater impact than buy-online-pickup in-store markup.

Technology in fashion retail: exploring the nexus of in-store technology, customer experience, and store image

ABSTRACT This research aims to shed light on the complex interplay between in-store retail technologies, shopping experience, and store image in the context of fashion retail outlets. The SOR (Stimulus-Organism-Response) based Bitner’s model has been selected as the theoretical foundation of the present study. A total number of 245 customers from retail fashion outlets of Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi regions of India were sampled using convenience sampling. The hypotheses were tested using the technique of Structural Equation Modelling. Findings indicate that in-store retail technology positively influences customers’ experience (cognitive, affective, social, relative advantage component), which in turn positively impacts store image. The construct ‘customer experience’ was found to significantly mediate the relationship between ‘in-store technology’ and ‘store image’. Using Bitner’s model as theoretical foundation, the findings of the study provide useful insight that in-store technology is a crucial determinant for building a better store image through enhanced customer experience, which could be seen as a significant contribution to the extant literature.

Influences of Gender, Age and Income Differences on Consumers’ Purchase Items

This paper studies whether gender, age and income differences matter for in-store purchases of selected non-durable and durable consumer goods in the Southwest region of the State of Louisiana. Primary data are collected by face-to-face interviewing of randomly selected adult population within the age groups 15 years to 64 years, and above. Using the collected primary data for categorical variables, -tests are implemented for six separate null hypotheses of statistical independence between/among variables of interest. The results reveal that only gender difference matters the most for in-store purchases of both non-durable and durable goods in the region. Age and income differences to have no significant influences on such purchases. As the findings suggest, the regional in-store retailers should focus more on female shoppers to promote sales of non-durable goods. At the same time, they should focus more on male shoppers for promotion of sales of durable goods in the region. Due cautions are in order for any kind of generalization of the findings of this study, given the extreme regional characteristics of the primary data. Key Words: Retail Sales, In-Store, Non-Durable Goods, Durable Goods, Shoppers, Age, Gender, Income JEL Classifications: D10, D11, D12

The Effects of Poor Fluid Milk Experience on Store Choice and Customer Loyalty in Online and In-Store Retail Channels

Dairy producers work extensively to ensure quality, but there is limited information on how poor experience with milk affects consumer choice. This study uses an online survey of 725 US consumers to assess how a poor experience with milk affects purchase behavior in different channels. We examine the relationship between product experience and purchase behavior and find that a poor experience is associated with a greater likelihood of switching stores and with lower net promoter scores, suggesting that having high quality milk may improve customer loyalty. This work highlights the important role that perishable food quality plays in retail settings.

Трансформація комунікаційної політики для забезпечення резильєнтності підприємств роздрібної торгівлі

The communication policy of a trade enterprise always depends on the general goals of the enterprise, but it is impossible to consider the communications of a trade enterprise as a permanent component. Communication policy is a moving thing, it is constantly influenced by internal and external factors, which gives impetus to the company’s marketers to constantly adjust it to modern market requirements. The aim of the article is to determine the resilience of marketing strategies of trade enterprises in relation to communication and advertising activities under the influence of macro factors. We include the following macro factors: the COVID-19 pandemic and the full-scale military aggression of the russian federation from 24.02.2022 onward. We analyzed the relevant literature and found that the impact of general macro factors on the marketing strategy of trade enterprises is mostly incomprehensible and unpredictable, which requires new approaches to marketing activities. In particular, modern open sources and scientific literature do not sufficiently examine the methods and technologies of retailers in the communication strategy under the influence of stress and crisis. The study of contemporary behavior in the communication policy of trade enterprises in the market, including the growth of online commerce, has led to a shift in emphasis to digital advertising, which promotes sales via the Internet. Advertisers are actively working to promote products and services that can be purchased online. The pandemic has created many uncertainties, and advertisers have proven to be more flexible and ready to adapt quickly to changes in economic and social conditions. Particular attention should be paid to the advertising activities of trade enterprises during the wartime, that can become a significant challenge and require a careful approach. The warime creates its own unique challenges for businesses and marketers, and it is important to consider ethical and social aspects in advertising campaigns. We have summarized the aspects of the influence of external factors on the advertising activities of trade enterprises during the wartime. Since most retail sales still take place offline, trade marketers are reviewing the in-store experience, trying to combine the reach of physical retail with the involvement of digital channels, actively implementing in-store media communication. An effective in-store retail media strategy isn’t as simple as adding advertising around the store. This strategy requires technology to collect and analyze customer data, including where the customer went to in the store (particular departments), how much time they spent and what they did in there. It is necessary to thoroughly work out a map of buyer behavior. In the course of the study, the key components of advertising technologies in stores were identified, which should be considered in order to collect high-quality marketing information on consumer behavior, and subsequently – to convey advertising information to them at a specific point of sale. It is concluded that in the future, it will be extremely important for stores to apply a seamless omnichannel customer experience at the point of sale. Numerous studies demonstrate the positive impact of technology in retail on the customer journey to the store, as well as the customer journey in the store, from product selection to payment for purchase. Further development of communication strategies of retail trade enterprises envisages the use of modern technologies, the involvement of artificial intelligence and the improvement of customer service methods in trading floors.

More than meets the eye: In-store retail experiences with augmented reality smart glasses

Augmented reality smart glasses (ARSGs) promise to enhance consumer experiences and decision-making when deployed as in-store retail technologies. However, research to date has not studied in-store use cases; instead, it has focused primarily on consumers' potential adoption of these devices for everyday use. Nor have prior studies compared ARSG uses with the now-common use of AR on touchscreen devices. The current research addresses these knowledge gaps by examining whether ARSGs outperform AR on touchscreen devices in the context of in-store retail experiences. Testing with an actual retail application (n = 308) shows that ARSGs are superior to AR on touchscreen devices for evoking consumers’ perceptions of immersion and mental intangibility. Furthermore, this superiority leads consumers to evaluate their shopping experiences more positively in terms of their decision comfort, satisfaction, and ease of evaluation, with significantly positive effects on their purchase intentions. These results highlight the relevance of implementing ARSGs in-store and provide retailers with recommendations for effective ARSG strategies.

Policy Opportunities and Legal Considerations to Reform SNAP-Authorized Food Retail Environments.

There is an invigorated national interest in nutrition security, with emphasis on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) playing a key role. To support healthy food purchasing, several strategies have emerged to modify the food retail environment. However, the legal feasibility of several such policy options has not been established. Research was conducted using Lexis+ to evaluate statutes, regulations, and case law to determine the legal feasibility of requiring retail-based SNAP signage and nutrition disclosures, healthy endcaps and checkout aisles, and tying advertising restrictions to the licensing of SNAP retailers. US in-store and online food retail retailers. Legal feasibility. Requiring retailers that designate certain foods or locations as SNAP-eligible to consistently do so in all SNAP-eligible pages/locations is likely feasible. If properly drafted to focus on the nutritional quality of food, healthy checkout and endcap restrictions are legally feasible. It is of unclear legal feasibility to require retailers (especially in-store) to disclose nutrition-related labeling, shelf tags, or nonfactual symbols indicating the relative healthfulness of products. Restricting or banning advertising is not legally feasible even if the government ties the restrictions to retail licensing requirements. Entities seeking to support healthy food retail should not seek to restrict advertising or compel retailers to convey messages against their interests. The government can license retailers and require them to abide by laws and other requirements that do not violate their constitutional rights. The government can also use its own speech through public service announcements, billboards, and transit advertising to encourage healthy food consumption for all shoppers including those who use SNAP. Additional research is warranted into online retail practices to evaluate variations in online checkout pages and to determine whether online retailers treat SNAP participants differently from non-SNAP participants.

How do customers meet their needs in in-store and online fashion shopping? A comparative study based on the jobs-to-be-done theory

Understanding customer needs is key for fashion retailers to stay competitive and innovative. Surprisingly, however, extant literature mainly explores customer needs in terms of a garment and its attributes rather than viewing shopping as a problem-solving process to meet customer needs. Moreover, these studies fail to address how customers meet their needs in-store (ISFR) and online fashion retailing (OFR). To fill this research gap, we empirically investigate customers' personal and social needs and how they can be met through the jobs-to-be-done theory. Findings reveal that, beyond the purchase of a garment, customer needs can be fulfilled through different ways, such as smart technology or a person's high interaction with social others in ISFR and the online shop experience or a social linkage without social interaction in OFR. Additionally, our findings offer potential service innovations for fashion retailing managers.

Competitive sustainable processes and pricing decisions in omnichannel closed-up supply chains under different channel power structures

In recent years, omnichannel retailing and remanufacturing issues have rapidly emerged in the closed-loop supply chain (CLSC). The omnichannel is a combination of online and in-store retailing, and it affects supply chain relationships and channel power structures by changing value creation processes. It allows consumers a hybrid shopping experience where they can order products online and pick them up in the store or test in-store and buy online (TSBO). Despite this practice, no studies exist on CLSC considering omnichannel retailing under different channel power structures. We investigate the TSBO retailing strategy and its impact on CLSC profit considering price competition between manufacturer and remanufacturer under Manufacturer Stackelberg (MS), Retailer Stackelberg (RS), Vertical Nash (VN), and cooperation (CO) models game settings. In this paper, mathematical models are developed to drive the optimal solution. A two-part tariff coordination mechanism (i.e., IS model) is also used to integrate all supply chain members. The proposed models examine the environmental and social welfare benefits of adopting green innovation products and remanufacturing processes in omnichannel retailing. A numerical study is carried out to illustrate the proposed models' application. The results show that the IS model can synchronize the economic, environmental, and social aspects leading to significant increases in performance. Total supply chain profit under the CO model is the highest. The manufacturer and remanufacturer generate higher profits in the MS model, whereas the retailer makes higher profits in the RS and VN models. When a manufacturer only wants to increase profit with green processes and is not concerned about omnichannel processes, more resources must be allocated for green innovation.

Exploring Online and In-Store Purchase Willingness: Associations With the Big Five Personality Traits, Trust, and Need for Touch.

Nowadays, customers can utilize both online and in-store retail channels. Consequently, it is crucial for retailers to understand the possible drivers of retail channel selection, including customers’ personalities, degrees of trust, and product touch preferences. Unfortunately, current omnichannel research only scarcely addresses the effects of personality, trust, and desire to touch a product before purchasing it on willingness to purchase and how those effects vary between online and in-store shopping. Thus, we conducted an exploratory study. Our analysis of survey data (N = 1,208)—which controls for respondents’ age, gender, and education—reveals that across both the willingness to purchase in-store and online, a higher level of e-vendor trust is a significant, positive predictor. However, we also identify several channel-related differences, including that Trust Propensity, as well as the Big Five traits of Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness are significantly positively related to in-store, but not online, purchase willingness. We also find that Instrumental Need for Touch (defined as goal-motivated touch of a product) is positively related to in-store, but negatively related to online, purchase willingness. Finally, we highlight opportunities for future research and discuss how retail managers might enhance customer experiences in their physical and online stores.

Analysing the spatial impacts of retail accessibility for e-shoppers’ groups

Amidst the growing interest in enhancing the academic understanding of the relationships between e-shopping and transport, a key element remains underexplored – the impact of e-shopping on spatial accessibility to in-store retail. The paper studies variations in multimodal accessibility to in-store retail between e-shopper groups and the associated spatial effects. The research is based on a face-to-face questionnaire, administered in the city of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid Metropolitan Area, Spain), which provides data on socio-economic characteristics, e-shopping habits, and travel time preferences to reach in-store retail. Clustering techniques serve to identify three e-shopper groups: occasional e-shoppers with a car, infrequent e-shoppers with a car, and frequent e-shoppers without a car. A comparison of e-shopper distance-decay functions to reach in-store retail is made, revealing significant differences between the three e-shopper groups for car and public transport for any time interval. However, for walking such differences are limited to time intervals between 10 and 40 minutes. Distance-decay functions are processed through a gravity-based model, identifying three main multimodal accessibility places: highly resistant places to e-shopping, moderately resistant places, and vulnerable places. Places that are highly resistant to e-shopping are mainly located in the city centre, while vulnerable places are mostly found in the city’s periphery. The paper closes with concluding remarks on policymaking and a few pathways for future research.

Investigating the Influences of Range of Products and Promotional Offers in the Retail Store on Shoppers’ Satisfaction- Towards Excellence in In-store Retail

Investigating the Influences of Range of Products and Promotional Offers in the Retail Store on Shoppers’ Satisfaction- Towards Excellence in In-store Retail

Retail Format Usage: Pre-COVID-19 Benchmark Data, Pandemic Practice, and Emergent Influence

Background: COVID-19 brought revolutionary change in consumer retail format behavior. Pre-pandemic, multiple retail formats were available, and consumers showed evidence of preference for particular formats. Then, the disruptions caused by store closures and stay-at-home mandates altered consumer behavior substantially.
 Aims of the Study: The purpose of this work is to report the results of research on consumer preferences for retail formats as a benchmark for examination of changes in consumer usage of retail formats wrought by COVID-19 and projection of emergent post-pandemic behaviors. Pre-COVID-19, variety in retail formats proliferated. 
 Methodology Employed: Survey methodology captured preferences, practices, and recommendations related to use of retail formats. Research questions included: a) Which retail formats do consumers prefer? b) Which digital tools do consumers use to make purchases? c) Does delivery mode and/or product type influence retail format preference? d) Does retail format influence impulse purchasing behavior? e) Do consumers mix retail formats when making product purchases? and f) What will be the implications of COVID-19 for retail format preference?
 Results: Consumers reported differences in preferences for online, in-store, catalogue, and phone retail formats. Product type influenced consumer retail format preferences. Retail format influenced impulse purchase behaviors. Consumers used smart phones, laptops, desktops, tablets, email, discussion boards, social media, and social networks as purchasing tools.
 Conclusions: This study investigated pre-pandemic consumer preferences and usage variables related to retail format. It provides benchmarks for examination of changes resultant from the massive retail disruptions of mandatory store closures and stay-at-home mandates. It further provides a framework for projections of emergent, post-pandemic behaviors.
 Recommendations: The authors recommend further investigation of consumer retail format use during and subsequent to the height of the pandemic. Comparison of consumer usage pre- and post-pandemic can provide valuable input to retail planning.

E-shoppers and multimodal accessibility to in-store retail: An analysis of spatial and social effects

Amidst the growing interest in enhancing the academic understanding of the relationships between e-shopping and transport, a key element remains underexplored – the impact of e-shopping on spatial accessibility to in-store retail. The paper studies variations in multimodal accessibility to in-store retail between e-shopper groups and the associated spatial effects. The research is based on a face-to-face questionnaire, administered in the city of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid Metropolitan Area, Spain), which provides data on socio-economic characteristics, e-shopping habits, and travel time preferences to reach in-store retail. Clustering techniques serve to identify three e-shopper groups: occasional e-shoppers with a car, infrequent e-shoppers with a car, and frequent e-shoppers without a car. A comparison of e-shopper distance-decay functions to reach in-store retail is made, revealing significant differences between the three e-shopper groups for car and public transport for any time interval. However, for walking such differences are limited to time intervals between 10 and 40 min. Distance-decay functions are processed through a gravity-based model, identifying five categories of multimodal accessibility places that provide information on how in-store retail locations may be affected by e-shopping habits. The paper closes with concluding remarks on policy-making and a few pathways for future research.

Effects of characteristics of in-store retail technology on customer citizenship behavior

This paper investigates the effect of the characteristics of in-store retail technology on customer citizenship behavior (CCB) by adapting the job demands-resources theory, and explores how customer education moderates these relationships. Survey responses from 196 retail shoppers show that perceived complexity and perceived risk lead to customer exhaustion, resulting in decreasing CCB; while perceived advantage and perceived compatibility lead to customer engagement, resulting in increasing CCB. All these paths were found to be moderated by customer education. Managers could use the characteristics of in-store technology to increase CCB in their retail stores.

Small retailers in/out of the crisis in Germany – Re-inventing Retailing

The year 2020 required many changes in all areas of life as a result of the Covid-pandemic. Both privately and professionally, we had to deal with new challenges. The economy in Germany and especially the in-store retail sector was affected severely by the lock-downs. Small retail businesses are especially threatened because of their low financial reserves and many insolvencies are imminent. This is very dramatic because, on the one hand, many livelihoods are directly linked to these small retailers. On the other hand about 94% of the sectors are currently so called micro or small enterprises with less than 10 or 50 employees and an annual turnover under 2 or 10 million euros. These “local shops” are a characteristic of city centers and important for the economic stability and diversity of the country. To support these businesses, the state has introduced various direct financial aids and indirect ones such as short-time work or guarantees. Regardless of the difficulties associated with applying for and receiving aid, it is also the responsibility of retailers to use change management skills to develop their own solutions. Covid has now dramatically shown where unused potential exists, e.g. through the implementation of multi-channel or hybrid business models. As dramatic as the situation is, it should also be used as an opportunity to increase innovative skills and to take a purposeful approach to the transformative process.

Combining walking accessiblity measures to map spatial inequalities

ABSTRACT Evaluating spatial inequalities using a single walking accessibility measure is quite challenging. In response, the paper proposes combining two accessibility measures (real and potential) to provide additional insights into the identification and mapping of spatial inequalities. The municipality of Getafe in the Madrid Metropolitan Area, Spain serves as a case study. A questionnaire, administered via face-to-face interviews, recorded the resident’s walking preferences for reaching in-store retail. A gravity-based model was used to calculate real and potential accessibilities, which were combined to map four accessibility places that originate spatial inequalities: advantageous, moderately advantageous, moderately disadvantageous, and disadvantageous. The results suggest that potential accessibility values are higher than real accessibility values, and the final map shows the city centre residents (mostly seniors) benefit from the advantageous accessibility places. Disadvantageous places are mainly found in the city’s periphery, where younger people live.

Diet Quality and Food Prices Modify Associations between Genetic Susceptibility to Obesity and Adiposity Outcomes.

The role of the retail food environment in obesity risk is unclear, which may be due in part to the lack of consideration of individual differences in the responsivity to food cues. This cross-sectional investigation geo-temporally linked the CARTaGENE biobank (including genetic, dietary, lifestyle, and anthropometric data) with in-store retail food environment data to examine interactions between a polygenic risk score (PRS) for obesity and (1) diet quality (n = 6807) and (2) in-store retail food measures (n = 3718). The outcomes included adiposity-related measures and diet quality assessed using the 2010 Canadian-adapted Healthy Eating Index. A vegetable:soft drink ratio was constructed for each retail measure to assess the relative healthfulness of exposures. Generalized linear models adjusted for individual and neighborhood socio-demographic factors were used to evaluate main and interactive effects. Diet quality significantly modified the association between polygenic risk of obesity and body mass index, waist circumference, and body fat percent. A significant interaction was also observed between PRS and regular price of vegetables in relation to soft drinks on waist circumference. These results replicate previous reports of diet moderating polygenic risk of obesity and suggest that prices of low vs. high-energy density foods are an intervention target to address population obesity rates.

Food choice in the e-commerce era

PurposeThis study associated consumers' food choice motives and socio-demographic characteristics with their attitudes and consumptions towards food shopping with four e-commerce modes: business-to-consumer (B2C), online-to-offline delivery (O2O Delivery), online-to-offline in-store (O2O In-store) and New Retail. It also explored consumer preferences for specific food categories within the four e-commerce modes.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was administered to 954 participants from three Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Descriptive analysis and linear regression were used in the data analysis.FindingsThe following food choice motives (FCMs) and socio-demographic characteristics had a significant effect on food e-commerce attitudes and/or consumption, with some or all of the four e-commerce modes: Taste Appeal, Value for Money, Safety Concerns, Quality Concerns, Processed Convenience, Purchase Convenience, Others' Reviews, City, Gender, Household Size, Age, Income, Occupation and Marital Status. Consumers also have different consumption preferences for food categories in the four e-commerce modes.Originality/valueThis is the first study to associate consumer FCMs and socio-demographics with their e-commerce attitudes and consumption regarding food in four e-commerce modes: B2C, O2O Delivery, O2O In-store and New Retail.

Interaction of DRD2/ANKK1 Taq1A Genotype with in-Store Retail Food Environment Exposures on Diet Quality in a Cohort of Quebec Adults

Background/Aims: Gene-environment interactions may be relevant for nutrition outcomes. This study assessed the interaction between DRD2/ANKK1 Taq1A genotype and exposures to in-store retail food environment on diet quality. Methods: CARTaGENE biobank data (n = 3,532) were linked to provincial food retail data. The Canadian adaptation of the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-C) was calculated from food frequency questionnaires. Generalized linear models adjusted for sociodemographic factors, anthropometrics, and energy intake were used to assess interactions between the Taq1A variant and retail food measures. Results: A significant inverse interaction was observed between Taq1A and ice cream store displays on HEI-C score (estimate: –15.46 [95% confidence interval (CI): –24.83, –6.10], p = 0.0012) where, among allele carriers, increasing exposure to ice cream displays was associated with a lower HEI-C score as compared to allele carriers with a lower exposure. A significant positive interaction between Taq1A and price of vegetables was also observed, where, among allele carriers, increasing exposure to a higher price was associated with a higher HEI-C score compared to allele carriers with exposure to a lower price (estimate: 2.46 [95% CI: 0.78, 4.14], p = 0.0041). The opposite pattern was observed among non-carriers. Conclusions: DRD2/ANKK1 Taq1A is associated with adaptive responses to ice cream displays and vegetable prices, suggesting a differential susceptibility to retail environment food cues.