Retail Stores Research Articles

Does gambling expenditure have any effect on crime?

Australians spend more per capita on gambling than any other country in the world. Electronic gaming machines (EGM) expenditure accounts for almost 90% of this expenditure. No study to date has conducted a rigorous longitudinal analysis of the relationship between gambling expenditure and crime. This study aimed to estimate the short-and long-run relationship between gambling expenditure and crime. Longitudinal analysis using panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) modelling. Recorded property and violent crimes committed in New South Wales (NSW), Australia,between 28 December 2015 and 5 January 2020. Monthly gross EGM expenditure profit, broken down by Local Government Area (LGA). Monthly recorded rates of assault, break enter and steal (dwelling), break enter and steal (non-dwelling), break enter and steal (total), motor vehicle theft, stealing from a motor vehicle, stealing from a retail store, stealing from the person, stealing (total) and fraud. Each 10% increase in gambling expenditure in NSW is associated with annual: 7.4% increase in assaults, 10.5% increase in break and enter (dwelling) offences; 10.3% increase in break and enter (non-dwelling) offences; 11% increase in motor vehicle theft offences; 8.2% increase in stealing from motor vehicle offences; and 7.4% increase in fraud offences. Electronic gaming expenditure appears to be positively associated with property and violent crime in New South Wales, Australia.

Measuring Vietnamese Retail Service Quality: The Retail Service Quality Scale (RSQS) Validation and Application

Vietnam’s retail market has been viewed as one of the most attractive retail markets in the world with a high annual growth rate (Deloitte, 2019; World Bank, 2023). However, Vietnamese retailers have been perceived to lack a comprehensive understanding of both customer’s expectations and the quality of services delivered to customers. Therefore, it is imperative that academics and Vietnamese retail store management endeavor to develop the most suitable scale to measure and then to improve retail service quality. This paper examines the well-constructed scale, the Retail Service Quality Scale (RSQS) in the Vietnamese retail sector. With 618 customers’ responses, the retail service quality at the two stores were comprehensively measured and, the RSQS reliability and validation is confirmed in the Vietnamese retail context. Consequently, the weak points and dimensions in service quality perceived of each stores are identified, that can be considered as the firm basis for improving service quality in Vietnamese retail stores.

Smart technologies for retailing: who, what, where and why

PurposeThe retail landscape is dramatically changing due to a series of socio-economic and technological challenges, which can be faced through the adoption of smart technologies. Accordingly, a significant number of publications in this field have been produced, albeit with fragmented results. Therefore, this paper aims at both providing a clear and organised overview of the main smart technologies for physical retailing, in terms of application fields and expected impact, while identifying the major shortcomings and future research avenues.Design/methodology/approachThe research conducts a systematic review of the literature concerning the assimilation of smart technologies within physical retail environments, resulting in the analysis of 103 papers published from 2005 to 2023. The review highlights (1) the main smart technologies employed in retail stores, (2) their application area and (3) the beneficiaries of their adoption. Accordingly, these three aspects are initially assessed independently and then examined in combination.FindingsThe analysis presents a comprehensive list of 16 key technologies (what) that can support a wide range of processes, spanning from back-end functions to front-end activities, also enabling the connection with online channels (where), catering several and different benefits (why) to both customers and retailers (who). Besides, the research points out many uncovered topics that could be addressed by the academic community.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, the review is the first one in the literature offering a thorough and organised overview of the different available technologies for in-store application and their impact on physical retail processes.

Analyzing Customer Satisfaction: An Empirical Study on the Services Provided by Large Format Retail Stores in Tier-III Cities of India

Analyzing Customer Satisfaction: An Empirical Study on the Services Provided by Large Format Retail Stores in Tier-III Cities of India

Participatory decision-making, job satisfaction and employees’ innovative work behavior among small retail stores

Participatory decision-making, job satisfaction and employees’ innovative work behavior among small retail stores

The microbial contaminants of plant-based meat analogues from the retail market

The aim of the study was to analyse the key microbial contaminants of plant-based meat analogues (PBMA) from retail. A total of 43 samples of PBMAs (12 frozen/31 chilled) in the “ready-to-cook” category, such as hamburgers, meatballs or breaded imitation steaks were purchased in retail stores in the Czech Republic in summer (n = 21) and autumn 2022 (n = 22). The detected indicator bacteria (total viable count, lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, yeasts, moulds) had relatively low values in the analysed PBMA samples and only rarely reached levels of 7 log CFU/g. E. coli, STEC and coagulase-positive staphylococci were not detected by isolation from plates in any of analysed samples. Mannitol positive Bacillus spp. were isolated from almost half of the analysed samples of the PBMA. B. cereus sensu lato was isolated from 3 samples by isolation from plates, and after enrichment in 35 samples (81 %). Clostridium perfringens could not be detected by isolation from plates, nevertheless after multiplication, it was detected in 21 % of samples. Analyses of PBMA samples revealed considerable variability in microbial quality. The presence of spore-forming bacteria with the potential to cause foodborne diseases is alarming. However, to evaluate the risks, further research focused on the possibilities of growth under different conditions of culinary treatment and preservation is needed.

Optimizing omnichannel retailer inventory replenishment using vehicle capacity-sharing with demand uncertainties and service level requirements

This study explores an inventory replenishment problem for an omnichannel retailer selling a product with demand uncertainties and service level requirements in different channels through a capacity-sharing strategy. The omnichannel retailer allows customers to order products online and then pick them up in retail stores. The capacity-sharing strategy is considered to reduce travel costs when the omnichannel retailer delivers products in different channels. With the capacity-sharing strategy, some products can be transferred from the online delivery vehicle to the retail store delivery vehicle. The expectation and the bounds on the online route travel cost of the capacity-sharing strategy are determined, based on which the capacity-sharing rules are established. Optimization models and a solution procedure are developed to solve the omnichannel retailer inventory replenishment problem. To ensure adequate performance, service level requirements are considered when making delivery decisions. Numerical experiments using randomly generated and artificial instances are performed to verify the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed optimization models and the solution procedure. The results show that the proposed models and solution procedure can effectively reduce travel costs, and can provide effective schedule and delivery quantity decision support for omnichannel retailers.

Retail assortment under demand shocks: Evidence from the US yogurt market

AbstractDespite extensive research on retailers' price responses to demand shocks, much less is known about their non‐price responses. Using heterogeneity in timing, location, and magnitude of income and wealth shocks associated with the 2008 Great Recession, we explore how US retail stores adjusted product offerings under local demand shocks. We find that stores offer fewer products and varieties besides lowering prices. Using a structural demand model, we quantify the net welfare impact of the price and assortment adjustments. On average, the consumer welfare losses from variety reduction more than offset the welfare gains from price reductions.

Classified Spatial Clustering and Influencing Factors of New Retail Stores: A Case Study of Freshippo in Shanghai

The diversified innovative strategies adopted by the new retail format in urban spaces have significantly driven retail transformation and innovation. The combination of online platforms and physical stores provides a substantial advantage in market competition. This paper takes “Freshippo”, a typical representative of China’s new retail, as an example. Based on multi-source data and using tools such as GIS spatial analysis, statistical analysis, and geographical detectors, this study comprehensively examines the spatial clustering characteristics and influencing factors of Freshippo physical stores in Shanghai. The findings show that Freshippo has significantly expanded in the Shanghai fresh food market by innovatively opening various types of stores. However, there are substantial differences in the proportions of different types of stores, with 94% of the stores having online retail capabilities. Each offline store in the new retail format presents a multi-level “complementary” spatial distribution feature across the urban space, with distinctive clusters in the urban central districts, urban periphery areas, and outer suburban districts. The radiation range of logistics and distribution services exhibits characteristics of “central agglomeration and multi-point distribution”, providing residents with diverse and accurate services. Additionally, the comparison of multiple model results shows that the location selection of various types of new retail stores is significantly influenced by multiple factors, especially the nonlinear amplification effect of factor interactions on store agglomeration. These findings provide an important scientific reference for understanding the development of new retail formats and offer new ideas that promote the transformation and innovation of the retail industry, thereby achieving sustainable development.

Customer loyalty: A refined conceptualization, measurement, and model

The study advances Oliver's (1999) theoretical conceptualization of the loyalty phases construct. Based on this conceptualization, a reliable and valid scale of customer loyalty is developed and tested. The results demonstrate that consumer loyalty can be operationalized as a series of four, discriminate phases and that firms can experience significant gains in outcome behaviors as consumers' level of loyalty reaches each of the four phases. The research model is tested across two service industries: (1) hair salon/barber shops (N = 206) and (2) retail stores (N = 202). Because the primary goal of this research is to assess the incremental impact of each higher order loyalty phase on the two outcome variables, a series of regression analyses were conducted for each outcome variable (Advocacy and Share-of-wallet) in each industry sample. The results confirm the operationalization of consumer loyalty as a series of four discriminate phases and provides insight into the process by which consumers' loyalty transforms through these four phases into specific outcome behaviors (advocacy and share-of-wallet).

Evaluation of Circular Srategies and their Effectiveness in Fashion SMEs in Ghana

Circular economy strategies may appear practical for business but are complex in application. Country-specific situations, taking into consideration the cultural dimensions, aid the practicality of such strategies. As part of a longitudinal research, this study sought to identify and evaluate circular strategies that could be integrated into selected fashion SMEs in Ghana. An in-depth qualitative case study was adopted to engage nineteen owner-designers of SMEs through interviews and observations. The owner-designers must have formal businesses, have been running their retail stores during the last decade and operate within the two major cities in Ghana where population growth supports economic activities. Life extension strategies were adopted for the study. The indications were that the majority of owner-designers of fashion SMEs, although practicing some circular strategies unknowingly, were not motivated to formally integrate the practice into their businesses. Cost, time, labour and consumer attitudes and behaviour were factors considered to undermine the effectiveness of adopting and implementing circular strategies in these firms. Creation of awareness of circular strategies and models for their implementation are needed to enable practitioners to imbibe circular economy principles in fashion SMEs in Ghana.

Effect of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) experiences on customer engagement and purchase behavior in retail stores

This review paper explores the impact of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies on customer engagement and purchasing behavior in retail settings. As immersive technologies continue to evolve, AR and VR are increasingly employed to enhance the shopping experience, offering interactive and personalized engagements that traditional retail cannot match. Through a comprehensive analysis of recent literature, the paper highlights how AR applications, such as virtual try-ons and interactive product displays, significantly enhance customer engagement by providing novel and enriched shopping experiences. Similarly, VR facilitates virtual store visits and immersive product interactions, leading to higher levels of customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. The paper discusses key metrics for evaluating engagement and purchase behavior changes, including increased dwell time, higher conversion rates, and enhanced customer satisfaction. Additionally, the review identifies challenges, such as technological integration and user adaptation, which may impede the full potential of AR and VR in retail. The findings underscore the transformative potential of AR and VR in reshaping the retail landscape by bridging the gap between digital and physical shopping environments, thus driving more informed purchasing decisions and fostering deeper customer connections. Future research directions are suggested to address the limitations and further investigate the long-term impacts of these technologies on consumer behavior.

Development of a POS System with Computer Vision for Automated Retail Checkout

A Point-of-Sale (POS) is a computerized system of hardware and software utilized by businesses to complete sales transactions. In conventional POS setups, cashiers manually scan individual product barcodes, before processing the totals. This manual procedure is laborious and often leads to long queues and waiting times, especially during peak hours, ultimately affecting customer experience and retention. This work seeks to automate the product scanning procedure with a computer vision approach, thereby expediting the sales process. An efficient YOLOv4 object detection model was trained on a custom dataset of common products found in Malaysian retail stores. 550 images were initially acquired and split 80:20 into training and validation groups; further augmentation tripled the size of the training group to 1,320 images. Training was conducted for 10,000 epochs, at 0.0013 learning rate. During training, the model achieved 99.19% mAP, 87.42% average IoU, and a 0.40 average loss. Subsequently, the model was deployed on a low-power single-board computer running a transaction notification program. To evaluate its performance, 10 instances of shopping carts with random product combinations were processed using the system. The system autonomously identified and quantified all products through its video feed, generating itemized bills in real-time. Fixed with a 0.9 confidence threshold, the system yielded a 98% average accuracy across all object classes. On average, transactions, from product detection to delivering the itemized bill to the system administrator, were processed in just 14 seconds. This POS system holds potential for integration with unmanned stores, offering a seamless shopping experience.

Pengaruh Persepsi CSR terhadap Reputasi Perusahaan, Minat Beli, dan Kepuasan Pelanggan

This research aims to examine the effect of CSR perceptions on customer satisfaction, company reputation and purchase intentions, the influence of customer satisfaction on company reputation and purchase intentions, the influence of customer satisfaction in mediating the relationship between CSR perceptions and company reputation, and the influence of customer satisfaction in mediating the relationship between CSR perceptions and purchase intention. The sample from this research consisted of 200 consumers of Alfamart and Indomaret retail stores in Batam City. Data was collected by distributing questionnaires. The data analysis technique used is multiple regression analysis and Sobel test to test the influence of intervening variables. The research results show that CSR perceptions positively influence customer satisfaction, company reputation and purchase intentions. Customer satisfaction positively influences company reputation as well as purchase intentions. Customer satisfaction indirectly influences the relationship between CSR perceptions of company reputation and purchase intentions. Suggestions for further is research will be able to provide a wider range of respondents by covering fields other than retail to obtain more general information

STRATEGI BISNIS RITEL DALAM MEMPERTAHANKAN PERSAINGAN YANG KOMPETITIF KEPADA PEMILIK TOKO RITEL

ABSTRACT This research activity was conducted for retail store owners in Natar Village, South Lampung Regency. The outcomes of this activity are: 1) Increased knowledge and insights of the participants in maintaining retail businesses in the face of competitive challenges, 2) Enhanced participant knowledge in business management, where owners must be able to separate roles in financial management, operational management, human resource management, and marketing management to ensure their businesses remain sustainable, 3) Improved participant knowledge in online marketing, enabling direct delivery of goods to stores, 4) Continuation of this activity, fostering a partnership principle between the outreach team and the retail store owners. The activity was carried out through the following stages: 1) Selection of community outreach participants, specifically retail business owners in Natar Village, South Lampung Regency, 2) Presentation of outreach materials on strategies to sustain retail businesses in a competitive environment, 3) Conducting evaluations. The evaluations were done by: pre-outreach, conducting a Q&A session to assess each participant's initial knowledge of the retail business; post-outreach, conducting another Q&A session on the same material. By comparing the results, it will be determined whether there is an increase in participant knowledge about retail business management and its scope. Keywords: strategy, retail business, competitive environment

Identification of meat adulteration in minced meat samples labeled as beef and mutton in Tehran stores using duplex PCR.

Food fraud and profiteering are becoming increasingly common in the meat industry. Therefore, it is essential to identify such practices to prevent consumer deception and maintain food safety. This study aimed to determine the contents of minced meat samples labeled as beef and mutton in retail stores across Tehran province, Iran, to identify instances of meat adulteration. To this end, this study randomly collected 300 minced meat samples labeled as beef and mutton from Tehran stores over 4 years (2018-2022) and analyzed them using duplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results revealed that more than 95% of the samples only contained beef, while only 5% of the samples matched the label and contained a mixture of beef and mutton. This discrepancy between the label and actual contents could be attributed to the price difference between beef and mutton, providing a financial incentive for producers to maximize profits. Given the potential for meat adulteration, increased monitoring of meat products is necessary, including detailed tests such as PCR, which is a fast, easy, sensitive, specific, and highly effective method for detecting meat adulteration. The findings of this study can assist in developing effective strategies to prevent meat adulteration and maintain consumer confidence in the meat industry.

Analysis of Product Sales in the Application of Data Mining with Naive Bayes Classification

H&F Shoe Store is a privately owned Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises retail store that sells merchandise. The owner serves customers directly and also acts as a cashier. In this store, the business owner is less aware of what types or categories of products are most in demand by customers, making sales operations less than optimal. Because of this, special expertise is needed to handle the problems in the retail store, namely data mining or Data Mining with the aim of digging up information related to sales problems, in this case the author will use the Classification method with the Naive Bayes algorithm. In this study, the author uses secondary data obtained from sales notebooks and re-collected into Microsoft Excel according to research needs. The data that has been collected on the software is 121 data which have 10 attributes, namely “Nama Produk”, “Size Produk”, “Kategori Produk”, “Jenis Produk”, “Gender Produk”, “Merek Produk”, “Stok Awal”, “Stok Terjual”, “Stok Sisa”, and “Penjualan”. The Naive Bayes Classifier method has successfully produced good results in classifying sales on a type or category of marketed products, the results obtained are in the form of product sales analysis and Naive Bayes model evaluation values. The results of the model evaluation values on the Confusion Matrix obtained are accuracy of 86.11%, recall of 84.62% and precision of 84.62%.

Bacterial and Genetic Features of Raw Retail Pork Meat: Integrative Analysis of Antibiotic Susceptibility, Whole-Genome Sequencing, and Metagenomics.

The global antibiotic resistance crisis, driven by overuse and misuse of antibiotics, is multifaceted. This study aimed to assess the microbiological and genetic characteristics of raw retail pork meat through various methods, including the isolation, antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST), whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of selected indicator bacteria, antibiotic residue testing, and metagenomic sequencing. Samples were purchased from 10 pre-selected retail stores in Gauteng, South Africa. The samples were aseptically separated, with portions sent to an external laboratory for isolating indicator bacteria and testing for antibiotic residues. Identification of the isolated bacteria was reconfirmed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). AST was performed using the Microscan Walkaway system (Beckman Coulter, Brea, CA, USA). WGS and metagenomic sequencing were performed using the Illumina NextSeq 550 instrument (San Diego, CA, USA). The isolated E. coli and E. faecalis exhibited minimal phenotypic resistance, with WGS revealing the presence of tetracycline resistance genes. Both the isolated bacteria and meat samples harboured tetracycline resistance genes and the antibiotic residue concentrations were within acceptable limits for human consumption. In the metagenomic context, most identified bacteria were of food/meat spoilage and environmental origin. The resistome analysis primarily indicated beta-lactam, tetracycline and multidrug resistance genes. Further research is needed to understand the broader implications of these findings on environmental health and antibiotic resistance.

Improving the sales process of profitable perishable goods: an inventory control strategy in a planned economy

PurposeThe purpose is to have appropriate planning for reducing costs during the procurement process and increasing profits during the sales period in a supply cycle at a retail store. To make the proposed model practical, efforts have been made to implement the existing constraints in a business environment and legal factors.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the objectives of this research, a mixed-methods approach was employed. Initially, sales data was collected, and industry experts were consulted to identify key products. A mathematical model and a particle swarm optimization algorithm were utilized for simulation and optimization. Furthermore, time series forecasting techniques were employed to estimate demand accurately.FindingsThe findings of this research emphasize the importance of considering all factors affecting costs simultaneously when utilizing tools to reduce costs during the planning period. It was observed that certain tools, which individually have a favorable effect on costs, may collectively result in an increase in costs over the examined period. This highlights the need for a comprehensive and integrated approach to planning.Research limitations/implicationsThe business environment and legal factors in each country are among the factors that affect the performance of retailers, which has received less attention in previous research. This research aimed to address this gap by considering various factors. However, it is important to note that the proposed model has been investigated in research in hypermarkets and is applicable, but it cannot be generalized to other retailers.Originality/valueApplicability and consideration of new limitations in simulation along with consideration of the complete process from buying to selling goods.

Global policy scan of commercial combustible tobacco product retailing regulations by WHO region

Background/aimsRegulatory schemes for tobacco retailing help restrict the supply and availability of smoked tobacco products. Tobacco retailer density and the proximity of tobacco outlets to youth spaces, such as schools,...