Retail Sales Research Articles

Development of financial performance of food retailers as an attribute behind the increase of food insecurity in selected Central and Eastern European Countries

Food insecurity is not a new phenomenon even in leading European economies, but this complex problem area is facing new global challenges. This article traces the research gap in addressing food insecurity by focusing on the role of food retail chains in the former “Eastern Bloc” in light of unprecedented food price inflation and the resulting scale of demand for the services of food banks. Through empirical analysis of secondary financial corporate data, a low level of their profitability in the period of 2011–2019 was revealed, which preceded the synchronicity of two unexpected global economic downturns. Specifically, Return on Sales for food retailers located in the Czech Republic and Hungary was generally below 2%, offset by higher Total Asset Turnover figures, consistent with the need to extend the volume of goods for sale. Development in profitability in selected newer EU member states is just as significantly similar to the situation in Ukraine. The mutual interaction of factors of economic size and the country of residence of business was analyzed regarding a possible influence on their financial performance. This study concluded that the presence of unresolved market distortions can both lead to increased food insecurity and, paradoxically, contribute to increased food waste. AcknowledgmentThe authors are thankful to the Internal Grant Agency of Mendel University in Brno for financial support to carry out this research as the partial output of the project No. IGA-PEF-TP-23-015 “Zajišťování výživových potřeb obyvatelstva vzhledem k aktuálním výzvám v oblasti regenerativních přístupů při vykonávání hospodářských činností podniků agropotravinářského komplexu se zaměřením na roli tuzemských potravinových bank”.

The memory concept behind deep neural network models: An application in time series forecasting in the e-Commerce sector

A good command of computational and statistical tools has proven advantageous when modelling and forecasting time series. According to recent literature, neural networks with long memory (e.g., Short-Term Long Memory) are a promising option in deep learning methods. However, only some works also consider the computational cost of these architectures compared to simpler architectures (e.g., Multilayer Perceptron). This work aims to provide insight into the memory performance of some Deep Neural Network architectures and their computational complexity. Another goal is to evaluate whether choosing more complex architectures with higher computational costs is justified. Error metrics are then used to assess the forecasting models' performance and computational cost. Two-time series related to e-commerce retail sales in the US were selected: (i) sales volume; (ii) e-commerce sales as a percentage of total sales. Although there are changes in data dynamics in both series, other existing characteristics lead to different conclusions. "Long memory" allows for significantly better forecasts in one-time series. In the other time series, this is not the case.

Small-Scale Juicing of Florida-Grown 'UFSun' Peaches

Peaches are a promising option for the Florida agricultural industry with plenty of revenue streams including fresh market, U-pick, and retail sales, as well as alternatives in the juicing and fermentation industries. This publication discusses a 2018 case study completed on a Florida peach cultivar. ‘UFSun’ were harvested, processed into juice, and analyzed for sugar content, juice yield, and general economic feasibility. UF/IFAS has bred peach cultivars that grow commercially in tropical and subtropical climates such as Florida’s and are harvest-ready two months before the rest of the United States, offering competitive advantages. Unfortunately, their small size renders them less profitable in fresh markets compared to larger non-Florida cultivars. Knowing the processing characteristics of Florida peaches provides valuable information for peach farmers who are considering using their peaches for juicing, fermentation, and similar purposes.

Risk management for barter exchange policy under retail industry

Nowadays, barter exchange has become growingly popular in the national and global industries as an alternative to excessive inventory transfers. Many companies exchange their surplus products on barter platforms for products they need without using money. In a traditional supply chain, the retailer holds unsold products that hinder the supply chain's profitability from reaching its maximum level. This paper solves this issue by proposing a stochastic model of two players (single manufacturer, single retailer) with trade-credit (delayed payment) and barter exchange policy under a supply chain management. In this work, to entice the retailer and increase sales, the manufacturer grants a credit payment facility to the retailer on the items ordered for a specified period, and the manufacturer does not charge any interest on the outstanding amount during this credit period. The concept of a credit period raises the possibility of default risk. In this case, some interest is charged. Several investments are made here to diminish setup and ordering costs and improve the product quality of the system. This work focuses on the flexible production to manage the demand uncertainty and the marginal reduction technology to lessen carbon emissions that occur during the production and inventory holding. In contrast, a retailer can exchange unsold items in the barter market for its required products, which is extensively discussed in this study. Finally, the maximum profit is assessed in terms of credit period, investments, quality improvement, and production rate. The result numerically and graphically proves a huge impact of the barter platform for any business industry on overstock transfers, conserving cash, managing unpredictable demand, and reaching the maximum profit. Moreover, the significant finding is observed in the proposed work that the idea of the flexible production, barter exchange policy, and several investments increase the system profit up to 50.55%.

Effective Factors on the Tendency of Street-Working Children to Substance Retail Sales: A Case Study of Ilam and Kermanshah Provinces

Effective Factors on the Tendency of Street-Working Children to Substance Retail Sales: A Case Study of Ilam and Kermanshah Provinces

EWT‐SMOTE to improve default prediction performance in imbalanced data: Analysis of Chinese data

AbstractThis study aims to solve the imbalanced sample problem in default prediction. We calculate the classification contribution score of each default customer by the entropy weight technique (EWT) for order of preference by similarity to the ideal solution and construct a default prediction model according to several models. Our proposed EWT‐synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) method significantly improves the prediction accuracy of several typical default prediction models and reduces type II error. We find that the indicators “net cash flow from operating activities,” “Engel coefficient,” “basic earnings per share,” and “total social retail sales” significantly influence default prediction of Chinese listed companies.

Detection of virulence genes of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from raw beef for retail sale in the markets of Ulaanbaatar city, Mongolia

BackgroundStaphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a highly virulent pathogen that causes food-borne illness, food poisoning, skin and soft tissue infections, abscesses, mastitis, and bacteremia. It is common for meat and meat products to become contaminated with S. aureus due to dirty hands, food storage conditions, food production processes, and unhygienic conditions, causing food poisoning. Therefore, we aimed to isolate S. aureus strain from the raw beef and reveal virulence genes and antibiotic resistance profile from isolated S. aureus strains.MethodsIn this study, 100 samples of raw beef were collected from 4 major market stalls in Ulaanbaatar city, Mongolia. S. aureus was detected according to the ISO 6888–1:2021 standard, and the nucA gene encoding the species-specific thermonuclease was amplified and confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In the strains of S. aureus isolated from the samples, the genes encoding the virulence factors including sea, sed, tsst, eta, etb, and mecA were amplified by multiplex PCR. These genes are encoded staphylococcal enterotoxin A, enterotoxin D, toxic shock syndrome toxin, exotoxin A, exotoxin B and penicillin-binding protein PBP 2A, respectively. Antibiotic sensitivity test was performed by the Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method. The Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute guidelines as CLSI M100-S27 was used for analysis of the data.ResultsThirty-five percent of our samples were detected contaminated with of the S. aureus strains. Subsequently, antibiotic resistance was observed in the S. aureus contaminated samples. Among our samples, the highest rates of resistance were determined against ampicillin (97.1%), oxacillin (88.6%), and penicillin (88.6%), respectively. Three genes including mecA, sea, and tsst from six virulence genes were detected in 17% of S. aureus strain-contaminated samples by multiplex PCR. The sed, etb and eta genes were detected in the 2.9%, 11.4% and 5.7% of our samples, respectively.ConclusionThe results show that S. aureus related contamination is high in the raw beef for retail sale and prevalent S. aureus strains are resistant to all antibiotics used. Also, our results have demonstrated that there is a high risk for food poisoning caused by antibiotic resistant S. aureus in the raw beef and it may establish public health issues. Genes encoding for both heat-resistant and nonresistant toxicity factors were detected in the antibiotic resistant S. aureus strains and shown the highly pathogenic. Finally, our study is ensuring to need proper hygienic conditions during beef’s preparation and sale.

Macroeconomic Predictions Using Payments Data and Machine Learning

This paper assesses the usefulness of comprehensive payments data for macroeconomic predictions in Canada. Specifically, we evaluate which type of payments data are useful, when they are useful, why they are useful, and whether machine learning (ML) models enhance their predictive value. We find payments data with a factor model can help improve accuracy up to 25% in predicting GDP, retail, and wholesale sales; and nonlinear ML models can further improve the accuracy up to 20%. Furthermore, we find the retail payments data are more useful than the data from the wholesale system; and they add more value during crisis and at the nowcasting horizon due to the timeliness. The contribution of the payments data and ML models is small and linear during low and normal economic growth periods. However, their contribution is large, asymmetrical, and nonlinear during crises such as COVID-19. Moreover, we propose a cross-validation approach to mitigate overfitting and use tools to overcome interpretability in the ML models to improve their effectiveness for policy use.

The Influence of Urbanization and Environmental Factors on the Financial Performance of Retail and Automotive Industries in China

This study probes the intersection of urbanization, environmental degradation, and corporate performance in China’s retail and automotive sectors. Utilizing data from 23 regions spanning 2000–2022, the research elucidates the impacts of urban growth, infrastructure development, and particulate matter 2.5 pollution (PM2.5) on these industries. The study uses panel data from 2000 to 2022 and the corresponding analytical random effect model, along with pre- and post-estimation tests for the main results. The findings reveal that while urban population growth bolsters retail sales, it adversely affects the automotive industry. Urban infrastructure does not influence conventional sectors, yet it negatively impacts online retail sales. PM2.5 pollution depresses retail and automotive sales but boosts online sales, underscoring the rising environmental consciousness among consumers. The urban population significantly moderates the relationship between PM2.5 pollution and sales across sectors, hinting at unique consumption patterns in populated urban areas. This study provides critical insights for policymakers aiming for sustainable economic growth, and encourages further research with more region-specific factors and extended time frames.

Analisis Strategi Pemasaran Dalam Meningkatkan Volume Penjualan Pada Koperasi Pegawai Republik Indonesia (KPRI) “Bung” LLDIKTI Wilayah IX

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which marketing strategy analysis affects sales volume. Koperasi Pegawai Republik Indonesia (KPRI) which is engaged in retail sales and savings and loans is the subject of this research. In this study, a sample of ten people was selected, and the data were analyzed using basic linear regression analysis. Data were collected using a questionnaire. The data analysis method uses hypothesis testing and basic linear regression analysis tools. Based on the research results, the marketing strategy variable (X) simultaneously has a positive and negligible effect on sales volume (Y), which means that if the marketing strategy is not effective, the sales volume will not increase.

More than Machines: The Role of the Future Retail Salesperson in Enhancing the Customer Experience

Retail sales has consistently faced threats by technology throughout history, with the recent advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) posing the most recent challenge. It is often said that because of new technologies, retail salespeople will disappear. In this article, we challenge this assertion by arguing that humans and technology each possess unique strengths and weaknesses, and that each works to affect the customer experience in distinct ways. Specifically, AI elevates the baseline customer experience by improving service consistency, operational efficiency, and multitasking capabilities, thereby “raising the floor” of the customer experience while human salespeople, possessing unique strengths in building customer relationships, showcasing adaptive creativity, and adhering to ethical considerations, expand the upper limits of potential customer experiences thereby “raising the ceiling” of the customer experience. We propose a synergistic future where AI and human salespeople complement each other, with human potential ultimately prevailing in delivering a superior customer experience that can be approximated, but not fully replicated by AI. Building upon this premise, we present real-world examples of retailers that embody these synergies, and we advocate and assess these instances through the lens of the “seven Cs” representing core customer experience needs: (1) curation, (2) customization, (3) community, (4) cost, (5) customer retailtainment, (6) convenience, and (7) category expertise. Finally, we discuss managerial considerations and propose directions for future research.

A Study of Walmarts Mix Marketing Strategy and Customer Satisfaction in China

With the continuous development of society, people's needs are more and more diversified, customers' requirements for products are higher and higher, and the speed of product updates is faster and faster. Walmart entered the Chinese market early and has been accounting for half of the country's retail sales. However, with the growth of competitors and the rise of state-owned enterprises, Walmart has faced severe challenges in recent years. Facing the fierce competition, Walmart must implement some sales strategies to better attract customers, occupy a larger share of the Chinese market, and obtain higher profits. Customer satisfaction is an important indicator that affects the company's future development. Therefore, in this paper, by conducting a questionnaire survey as well as 4P and SWOT analysis, the author further explores the impact of Walmarts marketing mix strategy on customer satisfaction in China and summarizes the advantages and disadvantages in the development of Walmart in China, thereby understanding the preferences and needs of customers and customizing the corresponding marketing strategy. The paper draws a conclusion that reform can help Walmart better maintain and expand its advantages as well as correct its disadvantages.

Appropriation of Information Systems for Keeping Records of the Implementation Process in Retail Trade

Relevance. The modern economy requires a constant increase in the competitiveness of economic entities by reducing uncertainty and minimizing possible risks. As a result, the trading business should be a well-coordinated mechanism aimed at effective management. One of the criteria for effective management is the implementation of competent sales accounting, for the automation of which there are a number of information systems. The purpose of the study is to identify promising aspects of the implementation of information systems aimed at automating the accounting of the sales (sales) process in retail trade. Objectives: a brief overview of information systems as separate specialized programs used to manage sales in retail; development of recommendations for the implementation of software products in non-automated outlets; presentation of the results of automation of business processes through the introduction of information systems. Methodology. In this study, methods of comparative analysis, synthesis, generalization, economic and statistical, as well as graphical methods of information processing were used. Results. The study made it possible to identify promising aspects of the implementation of information systems to automate the accounting of the sales (sales) process in retail trade. The list of relevant information systems of the studied notional area is demonstrated. Recommendations were developed for the implementation of information systems that implement the accounting of retail sales to non-automated outlets. Also, in the course of the work, prospects for the implementation of information ERP systems, in particular, individually configured, taking into account the specifics and features of the company's business processes, were identified. The calculation of the economic efficiency of a pharmacy institution that implements retail trade through the introduction of an information system is presented, as a result of which the importance of automating the accounting of the sales (sales) process is emphasized. Conclusions. Outdated technologies in enterprises significantly complicate the digital transformation of business, despite the variety of ready-made information systems in the subject area under study. The introduction of such systems requires a significant restructuring of organizational changes, business processes, including the adaptation of the accounting system.

PECULIARITIES OF DRUG SUPPLY IN THE COMPULSORY HEALTH INSURANCE SYSTEM

Objectives. This study underscores the significance of pharmaceutical production in Azerbaijan, primarily emphasizing its potential to enhance healthcare services. Materials and Methods. A total of 956 individuals undergoing treatment voluntarily participated in our survey. The methodology predominantly involved individualized questionnaires. In the city of Mingechevir, out of 566 participants, 96 visited a pharmacy once a month, 102 visited 2-3 times a month, 147 visited 4 times a month, and 221 rarely visited a pharmacy. Among the respondents, 33% could afford medicines from their pensions, 17% by using expences from relatives, and 11% from other sources, while 39% purchased medicines from their monthly salaries. In the Yevlakh district, out of 390 participants, 140 visited a pharmacy once a month, 90 visited 2-3 times a month, 35 visited 4 times a month, and 25 rarely visited a pharmacy. Here, 33% could buy medicines using their pensions, 17% by using expences from relatives, 11% by using expences from other sources, and 39% from their monthly salaries. Results. Medical professionals, upon patient examination, prescribe necessary medications, with insurance companies covering the expenses. Patients can acquire their prescribed medications at any pharmacy for free through electronic prescriptions. The electronic prescription system incorporates measures to monitor medication distribution, enforce updated legal regulations, and establish an informational resource that tracks the turnover, wholesale, and retail sales of manufactured and imported goods that require labelling. The prescription is designed to include only the active substance of the drug. Conclusions. We advocate the necessity of enhancing medical care to improve medication provision for the population. Moreover, we emphasize the need to empower pharmacists in the organization of pharmaceutical services. Within the compulsory medical insurance program, there should be a careful selection of medicines, including the compilation of a comprehensive medication list, while ensuring strict adherence to quality standards.

How Complete Are Tobacco Sales Data? Assessing the Comprehensiveness of US Tobacco Product Retail Sales Data Through Comparisons to Excise Tax Collections.

Sales data analyses are increasingly used to guide tobacco regulatory science. However, such data do not cover specialist retailers like vape shops or tobacconists. Understanding the extent of the cigarette and electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) markets covered by sales data is critical to establishing such analyses' generalizability and potential biases. Using retail sales data from Information Resources Incorporated (IRI) and Nielsen, we conduct tax gap analyses comparing states' cigarette and ENDS tax revenue to tax collection estimates based on retail sales data. For the 23 US states in both retail sales datasets, cigarette tax gap analyses were conducted for each year from 2018 to 2020. Four (Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington) of those 23 states levied per-unit ENDS taxes and provided monthly tax revenue data covering January 2018 to October 2021, where we conducted monthly tax gap analyses for both cigarettes and ENDS. Across states covered by both sales datasets, annual mean cigarette sales in IRI and Nielsen account for 92.3% (95% CI = 88.3% to 96.2%) and 84.0% (95% CI = 79.3% to 88.7%) of state cigarette tax revenue, respectively. Monthly average coverage rates for ENDS sales were lower, ranging from 42.3% to 86.1% for IRI and 43.6% to 88.5% for Nielsen, but remained stable over time. IRI and Nielsen sales data capture almost the entire US cigarette market and a substantial but lower portion of the US ENDS market. With proper care to address shortcomings, sales data analyses can capture changes in the US market for these tobacco products. Policy evaluations and analyses using e-cigarette and cigarette sales data are often criticized because these data do not cover online sales or sales by specialty retailers like tobacconists. Cigarette sales data consistently cover nearly 90% of taxed sales, while e-cigarette sales data cover around 50% of taxed volumes. Retail sales data capture nearly all cigarette sales and a substantial portion of ENDS sales with relatively stable rates of coverage over time, supporting their continued use in tobacco surveillance and policy evaluation work.

Anta Sports International Acquisition Battle: From Nothing to Something and From Small to Big Metamorphosis

Under the impact of the three-year epidemic, China's total retail sales of consumer goods declined and consumers' propensity to consume continued to weaken, but sales in the sporting goods industry continued to grow steadily, with growth rates exceeding those of total retail sales of consumer goods. Chinese consumers are more resilient in their consumption of sporting goods, and after China's opening up, the proportion of Chinese people participating in outdoor sports has increased dramatically, creating greater demand in the market. In this context, the high-end outdoor sports brand beginning of the fire. However, in this the biggest winner is behind the Anta, a local Chinese brand acquired Finland's high-end sporting goods brand Amer Sports, and successfully turned a loss into profit. As matter of fact, such an opportunity Anta not only seized once, this paper focuses on the analysis of Anta's acquisition of FILA and Anta's acquisition of Amer Sports two classic cases, explored Anta through cross-border mergers and acquisitions to achieve the metamorphosis from scratch, from small to large, for other popular clothing brands to reshape the product grade, expand the share of the international market to provide experience and reference.

VIABILITY OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC INVOICE IN MYPIMES OF CIUDAD DEL ESTE

This research work focuses on the Feasibility of the Implementation of Electronic Billing in MYPIMES of Ciudad del Este. The general objective is to analyze the level of viability of the implementation of electronic invoicing in MYPIMES, conducting surveys to know the opinion of each of the managers or owners, if they are aware of electronic invoicing and will have the necessary resources to implement the electronic billing. To achieve this objective, a quantitative approach was used, with a population of 20 small and medium-sized companies in the field of retail sales in pantries, corresponding to km 8 Barrio San Pedro, km 7 Barrio Ciudad Nueva and km 6/5 Barrio San Isidro, from Ciudad del Este. A survey of closed questions was applied to collect the necessary data.The results of this research will provide valuable information on the possibility of introducing electronic invoicing in MYPIMES in the area, which could have a significant impact on the financial and administrative management of these companies.

Retail rings of influence: Rethinking retail catchment analysis in the light of purchasing power

Catchment areas are vital indicators of purchasing power that significantly influence the retail sales of shopping malls. However, conventional models, typically provided by mall owners, often assume a fixed isochrone, neglecting the sensitivity of the catchment size on mall's positioning strategies and sizes. This study introduces a novel, flexible approach, leveraging the population and household incomes of administrative units as a proxy for purchasing power, thereby enabling a sensitivity analysis on adjustable catchment sizes. We develop a Python programme to geofence these units based on an adjustable isochrone radius. This pioneering research also applies principles from the species-energy relationship and niche specialisation theory to build a theoretical model of catchment areas, empirically testing it using Australian data. Our findings confirm that while purchasing power within varying catchment sizes exerts a positive influence on retail sales, the impact is less pronounced for larger malls due to their more generalised niche in attracting customers far away from the malls. This study sheds new light on the dynamic interplay between catchment area characteristics and mall performance, offering valuable insights for future research and retail strategy planning.

Associations between Adolescent Marijuana Use, Driving after Marijuana Use and Recreational Retail Sale in Colorado, USA

Objective We investigated associations between the retail distribution of recreational marijuana in Colorado and (i) past 30-day marijuana use and (ii) driving after marijuana use (DAMU) among a representative sample of public high school students using four waves of data from a state surveillance system. Methods Past 30-day marijuana use was assessed among all sampled students (n = 85,336). DAMU was assessed among students 15 years or older who indicated driving (n = 47,518). Modified Poisson regression with robust variance estimates was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) comparing the pre-distribution (2013) and post-distribution (2015, 2017, 2019) periods for marijuana-related behaviors. Frequency of behavioral engagement was assessed using a multinomial approach. Results An estimated 20.3% of students engaged in past 30-day marijuana use and 10.5% of student drivers engaged in DAMU. Retail distribution of recreational marijuana was not significantly associated with the prevalence of any marijuana use or DAMU. However, it was associated with 1.16 (95% CI: 1.04–1.29) times the prevalence of using marijuana one or two times in the last 30 days, 1.27 (1.03, 1.55) times the prevalence of DAMU one time, and 0.82 (0.69, 0.98) times the prevalence of DAMU six or more times. No significant associations were observed for the remaining frequency categories. Conclusions Approximately 1 in 10 students who drive reported DAMU. Varying prevalence in the frequency of past 30-day marijuana use and DAMU was observed following the retail distribution of recreational marijuana in Colorado. Care should be taken to properly educate adolescent drivers regarding the dangers of DAMU.

Legalization and retail availability of recreational marijuana and adolescent use in schools.

Legalization of use and retail sales of recreational marijuana in U.S. states and the associated potential increase in access to marijuana and normalization of its use by adults could lead to increased use by adolescents. Studies have found that states with legal recreational marijuana have higher rates of adolescent use and frequency of use compared to states without legal use. We examined changes in student office discipline referrals (ODRs) for substance use offenses in Oregon middle and high schools before and after the legalization of recreational marijuana relative to comparison schools in other states. We found that rates of substance use related ODRs in middle schools increased by 0.14 per 100 students (30% of the mean) with legalization relative to comparison schools. This increase was moderated by the presence of a marijuana outlet within one mile of the school. We found no statistically discernible changes in high school ODRs. Marijuana use in adolescence has been linked to negative health and social consequences, including academic problems, mental health issues, and impaired driving. Potential adverse impact on adolescents and investments in school-based prevention programs could be important considerations for policymakers and public health officials when evaluating marijuana legalization.