Retail Technology Research Articles

Management Implications: Repurchase Decisions in the Retail Technology Supply Chain in the Retail Industry in Digital Retail Companies

This study aims to find out how digital retail companies retain their customers by being active as registered partners who continue to make repurchases. Understanding partner’s positive perceptions is key in improving repurchase decisions. Marketing Strategy, Service Quality and situational factors are studied to understand the strengthening of these positive perceptions. Attitude Towards Norm is known as one of the predictors in influencing purchasing decisions so that the relationship between these variables is also studied in this study. This research method is quantitative. Data obtained from an online questionnaire of 384 respondents. Descriptive analysis was conducted to determine the demographic background of the respondents. Associative analysis was carried out to identify the relationship between Marketing Activities, Service Quality, Attitude Towards Norm, Social Influence and Repurchasing Decision. The results show that all the effects of exogenous variables are found to be significant, except that Service Quality does not directly have a significant effect on Repurchase Decision.

Data-driven market effectiveness: The role of a sustained customer analytics capability in business operations

This study's objective is to investigate how a business can achieve data-driven market effectiveness through the sustained application of a customer analytics capability to its operations. Despite the abundance of literature on retail technology management, empirical evidence on the effectiveness of a customer analytics capability in promoting sustainable market performance within retail business operations remains scarce. This study presents a model of a sustained customer analytics capability in the context of competitive, data-rich retail business processes, drawing on grounded market orientation capability theory. The study employs a taxonomy of explanation and prediction from an epistemological perspective, employing predominantly positivist methods, where data analysis validates the conceptual customer analytics capability and its sustained critical outcomes. In addition, the study discusses the significant contributions of its findings regarding the acceleration of retail business operational performance in a big data environment and also provides future research directions to resolve any limitations of the current study.

Adopting retail technology in crises: integrating TAM and prospect theory perspectives

PurposeThis paper combines prospect theory (PT) and the technology acceptance model (TAM) proposing that technology anxiety (TA), risk averseness (RA), concern and resistance to use inhibit technology acceptance, while trust, social influence (SI) and compatibility are enablers to technology acceptance, particularly in the context of consumer adoption of retail technologies during crises.Design/methodology/approachA review of PT and TAM literature was conducted to develop a model which considers the impact of inhibitors and enablers on retail technology acceptance.FindingsThis investigation establishes a theoretical model of mid-crisis retail technology adoption behavior that can be tested quantitatively. Several propositions regarding relationships between proposed inhibitors, enablers and TAM are presented, as well as implications for future research.Originality/valueThis investigation further integrates PT and TAM, proposing that PT is an appropriate framework to investigate inhibitors and enablers of retail technology acceptance during crises.

The social determinants to adopting digital grocery retail technology

The social determinants to adopting digital grocery retail technology

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.

The social determinants to adopting digital grocery retail technology

The social determinants to adopting digital grocery retail technology

Exploring the Role of Omnichannel Retailing Technologies: Future Research Directions

Technological advances allow the development of an omnichannel strategy to create a seamless experience for customers. This study has adopted a systematic literature review approach to examine, synthesise and extend a body of literature in the area of omnichannel retailing and the role of technology, taking into account both retailers’ and customers’ perspectives. We review 499 research papers to highlight the evolution of omnichannel research with a special focus on technology usage. After extracting the key theoretical foundations underpinning technology-empowered omnichannel retailing, we synthesise the empirical findings and identify emerging topics from the customer perspective including customer value, customer experience, showrooming and web rooming and customer privacy concerns as well as the key themes from the retailer perspective consisting of channel integration, personalisation and resource challenges. Based on the knowledge from the theoretical and empirical insights, we develop three important future research areas to inspire further studies in this domain.

Factors affecting consumer attitude and loyalty: evidence from a Philippine chain of fast-food restaurants’ smart retailing technology

PurposeThis study aims to explore the influence of perceived value, enjoyment and novelty of fast-food chains’ smart retailing technology (SRT) on Filipino consumers’ attitude and loyalty.Design/methodology/approachPurposive sampling was used in identifying the respondents (N = 343). The participants were composed of consumers of the leading fast-food chains in the Philippines, where SRT using self-service ordering kiosks is being implemented. The hypotheses were explored using partial least squares path modeling, and predictive-causal was the study’s research design.FindingsThe results reveal that, among the factors, perceived enjoyment substantially contributes to the formation of favorable consumers’ attitude toward SRT. Moreover, perceived value was found to have a moderate effect on attitude while perceived novelty showed small impact. In terms of consumers’ attitude and loyalty, the two variables were found to have large positive and significant relationship. The moderation analysis shows that consumers’ attitude toward SRT has medium indirect effect on the relationship between perceived enjoyment and loyalty, while there is small indirect influence on the links between perceived value and loyalty, and between perceived novelty and loyalty.Originality/valueAs more and more fast-food establishments are adopting the use of SRT via self-ordering kiosks, the present study is the only study in the Philippine context that explores how perceived value, enjoyment and novelty affect consumers’ attitude and loyalty.

EXAMINING PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS SMART RETAIL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE RETAIL SECTOR

This study was carried out to investigate the relationships between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived novelty on attitudes toward using smart retail technologies. Smart retail technologies (SRT) presented a fresh opportunity to investigate the breadth and depth of retail knowledge, which has the potential to enhance the traditional shopping experience. Since there is still an incomplete landscape regarding the development of smart retail technologies in Malaysia, the researchers aimed to approach the shoppers in Penang, Malaysia who had experiences with using smart retail technologies. Using the mall intercept sampling technique, the study received a total of 115 respondents. SmartPLS 3.0 was the data analysis tool applied in this study. In the measurement model, the reliability analysis showed that each variable has 0.7 Alpha, indicating high reliability. Overall, the results indicated that perceived usefulness and perceived novelty have a relationship with shoppers’ attitudes toward smart retailing technologies. This study contributes important implications for both academicians and industry players.

Smartly Packaged

Smartly Packaged

Innovative technologies in retail

Innovative technologies in retail

Improving Convenience or Saving Face? An Empirical Analysis of the Use of Facial Recognition Payment Technology in Retail

Facial recognition payment technology (FR) has the potential to disrupt the offline retailing industry by automating the payment process. However, some firms that adopted FR payment technology have experienced only moderate success, and many customers have expressed frustration using FR payment technology. By utilizing data sets from three retail chains, we find that customers are less likely to use FR payment technology during self-checkouts when more customers are in line behind them, waiting and watching (the social presence effect), and when more preceding customers use the other payment technology (the herding effect). These findings imply that (1) the design of FR technology can be improved to alleviate the social presence effect (such as adding a privacy screen filter or beautify the appearance of the consumer’s image), and (2) monetary incentives may be used to attract more users by leveraging the herding effect.

The effects of augmented reality on consumer responses in mobile shopping: The moderating role of task complexity

Augmented reality (AR) solutions help facilitate consumers' direct examinations, enhancing their shopping experiences in the digital commerce context. This study examines consumer responses to AR in mobile shopping. It investigates the relationships among perceived media richness, interactivity, telepresence, utilitarian and hedonic values, and behavioral intentions. Furthermore, it explores whether these relationships differ depending on consumers’ perceived task complexity. A total of 279 mobile application users participated in the online survey. The participants were guided to answer an online questionnaire after utilizing an AR mobile application to purchase a jewelry product. The findings reveal that media richness and interactivity positively influence telepresence, and telepresence increases behavioral intentions through perceived utilitarian and hedonic values. The effect of interactivity on telepresence and the impact of telepresence on utilitarian value are higher for consumers with low task complexity perception. By contrast, the impact of telepresence on hedonic value is higher for consumers with high task complexity perception. The results suggest practical implications for mobile retailers that apply advanced AR technology in retailing.

Omnichannel as a driver of digitalization: evidence from the emerging market in the fashion industry

PurposeThe aim of the study presented in this paper is to investigate the interrelationships among technologies in retail, webrooming and showrooming purchase intentions and customer experience.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted in the fashion industry in three fashion groups: LPP, CCC and Inditex, which declare to use omnichannel solutions in their supply chains. The study focusses on 825 customers drawn from the emerging market in Poland. The research follows the partial least squares path model procedure.FindingsBased on the study, it was concluded that out-store technologies are positively associated with omnichannel purchase intentions and also positively associated with cognitive and affective customer experience. This study proves that the boundary between traditional and online stores is beginning to blur, and thanks to new technologies, customers can experience traditional shopping resembling online shopping, and vice-versa.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the results provide several major contributions to theory and implications for practitioners, the study still demonstrates some methodological constraints. More specifically, although the study employs a relatively large research sample of 825 shoppers, it still focusses only on a selected group of customers in three fashion groups, LPP, CCC and Inditex, and is limited to investigating a particular type of customer experience solely in the fashion industry.Originality/valueThe results of this study not only verify the theoretical concepts and assumptions of technologies supporting omnichannel retail but also offer a practical roadmap for creating omnichannel solutions providing the best customer experience.

Utilitarian and/or hedonic shopping – consumer motivation to purchase in smart stores

PurposeRecently, smart retail technology has emerged as an innovative technology that can improve consumer motivation and behavior in smart stores. Although prior studies have investigated factors influencing the adoption of smart retail technology, to the authors’ knowledge, no previous work has investigated the determinants of purchase intentions. The ultimate goal for retailers should be shopping, not technology adoption. However, traditional brick-and-mortar stores and theories focus on investing in utilitarian factors to attract customers. This study proposes that hedonic motivation should also play an important role, as new technologies may arouse customer curiosity and increase pleasant experiences. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore utilitarian and hedonic motivations that promote customers' purchase; intentions in smart stores. Specifically, the authors address the research questions: (1) What are the constituents of utilitarian motivation? (2) What are the constituents of hedonic motivation? (3) What are the factors that influence customers' purchase intentions? By answering the questions, the findings help retailers understand how to motivate customers to make purchases in smart stores.Design/methodology/approachTo investigate consumer motivation and purchase intentions, the customers who made purchases in smart stores were invited to participate in the questionnaire survey. This study collected 307 data in smart retail settings. Partial least squares (PLS) software was used to assess the reliability, validity and the paths and significance of all hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that perceived ease of use directly and indirectly influences purchase intentions through utilitarian and hedonic motivations. Utilitarian motivation is a formative second-order construct comprised of merchandise price, merchandise quality, location convenience, speed of shopping and product recommendation. Hedonic motivation is a reflective second-order construct composed of control, curiosity, joy, focused immersion and temporal dissociation. The findings provide insights into the successful implementation of smart retail technology and offer retailers to better understand consumer motivation and purchase intentions in smart stores.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine how consumer motivation influences purchase intentions in smart stores. This study posits and verifies the extended hedonic system acceptance model (HSAM) to explain consumer motivation for shopping in smart retail settings. This study also models the original first-order utilitarian and hedonic constructs as second-order formative and reflective constructs, respectively. Utilitarian motivation regarding functional benefits is developed based on the 5Ps of marketing and situational factors, while hedonic motivation regarding pleasant experiences is proposed based on cognitive absorption.

Predicting the Antecedents of Quality of Life from the Use of Smart Technologies in Supermarket Retail: An in-depth Investigation Using Artificial Neural Networks

This article aims to identify the determining factors for advances in smart technologies in supermarket retail that influence citizens’ quality of life in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. We developed a theoretical model using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) from a sample of 469 users of smart technologies in supermarket retail. In contrast, a multivariate Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) approach organized the input data to an artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict factors of importance to the quality of life. Based on the results, this study revealed that the coexistence of the proposed predictive variables is analyzed to understand the quality of life using smart technologies and analyzing the users through generational classification. Subjective safety proved to be the construct with the most important predictive power of data analysis, and, at the same time, it is one of the main concerns of consumers.

Determining the Antecedents of Quality of Life Factors from the Use of Smart Technologies in Supermarket Retail

This study aims to identify the determining factors of the advances of smart technologies in supermarket retail that influence citizens’ quality of life during the COVID-19 crisis. Thus, this research aims to identify and analyze crucial factors that influence users’ quality of life who shopped in Brazilian supermarkets, primarily from smart technologies, employing Covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM) to collect data from 469 users of smart technologies in supermarket retail. The study provided support to observe that, in a way, a large part of the respondents felt good, and their expectations were met when assessing smart technology services in supermarket retail and will continue using them, even after the pandemic. Finally, the proposed model showed consistency and can be applied for future research.

AWARENESS, AGREEMENT, SATISFACTION AND FUTURE EXPECTATIONS ABOUT ADOPTION OF TECHNOLOGIES IN THE SELECTED RETAIL STORES OF GUJARAT STATE: FROM CUSTOMER’S VIEWPOINT

Indian retail industry has emerged as one of the most dynamic and fast-paced industries due to the entry of several new players. It accounts for over 10% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and around 8% of the employment. India is the world’s fifth-largest global destination in the retail space. India ranked 73rd in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's Business-to-Consumer (B2C) E-commerce Index 2019. The sizeable middle class and nearly unexplored retail market in India are the main enticing factors for international retail behemoths seeking to move into newer markets, which will help the Indian retail business grow more quickly. The urban Indian consumer's purchasing power is increasing, and branded goods in categories like apparel, cosmetics, footwear, watches, beverages, food, and even jewellery are gradually evolving into business and leisure that are well-liked by the urban Indian consumer. The retail sector in India is expected to reach a whopping US$ 2 trillion in value by 2032, according to a recent analysis by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Increasing purchasing power of consumers has led to growing demand in Indian retail sector. According to the Retailers Association of India (RAI), the retail industry achieved 96% of pre-COVID-19 sales in September 2021, driven by the rising demand from consumers in Indian retail space. And due to that India’s retail trading sector attracted US$ 4.11 billion FDIs between April 2000-June 2022. Online retail market in India is projected to reach US$ 350 billion by 2030 from an estimated US$ 55 billion in 2021, due to rising online shoppers in the country. Online penetration of retail is expected to reach 10.7% by 2024 versus 4.7% in 2019. The present study tries to study Awareness, Agreement, Satisfaction and future Expectations about adoption of Technologies in the selected Retail Stores from the viewpoint of Customer’s residing in Gujarat State. After research on Customers’, the study identified that Customers were least aware about Vending machine. Customers mainly preferred technology implementation because it “saves the time” & provides them “better customer service at an affordable price”. Customers were satisfied about various retailing technologies but they were still not satisfied by Credit Card security as it creates privacy issues in the mind of them.

Covid-19 and mobile payment in Belgium: Closing the digital divide or just for the young, social, and impulsive?

Experts and industry reports agree that the COVID-19 crisis spurred the adoption of new retail technologies, like mobile payment. However, empirical academic evidence that compares their adoption and usage before, during, and after the crisis remains scarce. So far, academic mobile payment research has focussed almost entirely on the different building blocks of technological acceptance models, like perceived usefulness and ease of use, and their role in explaining intention to use. We need to learn more about the profile of the actual user. In this Belgian study, we investigate the evolution in mobile adoption based on survey data from 2019 to 2020 (2019: N = 897; 2020: N = 895). We examine differences in the profile of mobile payers in terms of their socio-demographics, retail, and social media behaviours. The pandemic triggered a clear uplift in mobile payment users between 2019 to 2020. Nonetheless, striking differences in socio-demographic profile and retail patronage remain. Our data shows that there is still inequality in adoption, related to age and social grade. We also observe a clear association between general impulse buying tendency and mobile payment. The link between internet/online shopping and mobile payment is firmly established. Finally, mobile adoption is related to the use of Instagram and Facebook. Consequences for retailers, researchers and public officers are further discussed.

SMART TECHNOLOGIES DI SUPERMARKET RETAIL DAN PENGARUHNYA TERHADAP KUALITAS HIDUP MASYARAKAT SELAMA PANDEMI COVID-19

The presence of smart technology allows consumers to go to supermarkets and complete transactions without having to go to the supermarket. The competitive, innovation-driven retail industry includes an ever-evolving array of companies that are continually impacted by a highly diverse and dynamic environment. This research aims to propose the development of a model inidentifying essential services, the determinants influencing the technological advances offered by different smart technologies in supermarkets retail that affect the quality of life the community during the COVID-19 pandemi. The design/methodology used data collected using a questionnaire survey (n=308). The method used non-probability sampling with purposive sampling technique. The results of the study or findings provides a more complex view that engagement has an important role in influencing people's quality of life. If consumers return to old habits, new regulations, and procedures are likely to change the way people buy products and services with the advancement of smart technologies in supermarkets retail