CUshop: A Simulated Shopping Environment Fostering Consumer-Centric Packaging Design & Testing

Consumer product packaging provides product damage protection, extends product shelf life, and communicates product usage instructions to the consumer. Its collective contribution to the waste stream is notorious, but its role in product salability is much less understood. Consumers now make the majority of product purchase decisions while present at the shelf, and since they do it very quickly (within 5-8 seconds), and do not appear to adhere to strong brand loyalty as was once more common, packaging (and more specifically, its aesthetics and contrast with its competitors) plays a dominant role in the decision-making process. It is difficult, however, to measure and predict the effectiveness of package design via empirical consumer response testing, and even more challenging to seamlessly integrate consumer response measures into the package design process. The key to meaningful measurement of consumer behavior in the package design process is immersion of the consumer in a convincing environment that elicits natural shopping behavior. While an actual retail store offers the most realistic environment, controlling experimental conditions in this setting is problematic. An artificial simulation of such an environment is desirable for reasons of efficiency, cost, and flexibility. CUshop, a unique laboratory mixing physical store elements with those akin to virtual reality simulation, is introduced. The laboratory has been created with the goal of priming participants into a shopping context, or shopping frame of mind, prompting realistic consumer behavior that can be measured and studied via objective forms of measurement (e.g., eye tracking)

Impact of E-Business on Business Association

The said research paper involves a study of the impact of Electronic Commerce on Business. The research study has highlighted the Management Information Systems, Finance and Accounting, Marketing and Computer Sciences of E-Commerce on Business. E-commerce is a way of conducting business over the Internet. Though it is a relatively new concept, it has the potential to alter the traditional form of economic activities. Already it affects such large sectors as communications, finance and retail trade and holds promises in areas such as education, health and government. The largest effects may be associated not with many of the impacts that command the most attention but with less visible, but potentially more pervasive, effects on routine business activities. The integration of Electronic Commerce and Business will bring a renaissance in marketing function. As it present opportunities to get close to the customer to bring the customer inside the company, to explore new product ideas and pretest them against real customers

A new approach to retailing for successful competition in the new smart scenario

Purpose- This study develops the idea of smart retailing, exemplified in innovative, technology-enriched retail services as part of service-oriented strategies. In particular, the aim is to provide a new integrated framework to understand the emerging retail scenario based on the smart usage of technologies to improve retail service and develop innovation management strategies. This framework will provide a comprehensive understanding the basic forms of smart retailing as the current competitive scenario. Design/ Methodology/approach- As a viewpoint, this paper employs an interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon the actual challenges in retailing, to propose a new perspective, the smart retailing one, to describe the new competitive scenario and formulates an emerging research agenda. Findings- The present paper contributes to research on innovation and technology management for retailing by examining the key dimensions of smart retailing, which aims to enhancing retail service quality and retailers’ performance. Originality- The paper explains how current retailing is moving to a smart perspective, and how retail management should be adapted to successfully perform in the current service-dominant logic scenario, as a consequence of increasing consumer involvement in service co-production and the rapid growth of digital technologies

Online Shoppers’ Priority Attributes in Egypt

E-commerce and online shopping have been among the world\u27s fast-growing trends in the past few years. Each year the number of e-commerce deals grows enormously. Furthermore, the tendency will continue because many people are constricted by work and household duties. Simultaneously, the Internet saves much time and allows having a full shopping experience from the comfort of one\u27s home. With the improvement of technology and the continuous progression in web development, retailers are not only seeking e-commerce to expand their sales, but the trend of full online retailing with no physical existence is becoming widespread. Given the expansion, it is becoming challenging for e-retailers to maintain their customers since consumers can easily compare the platforms and pick to place their orders at the platform that best meets their needs. To prevent this fast customer turnover, it is important to consider the consumers\u27 preferences when online shopping to meet their needs better and locate their investments accordingly. This study holds a new perspective in presenting the service business\u27s packaging by materializing the e-commerce business as an example. The author develops a model that guides in enhancing online platforms\u27 efficiency based on online shoppers\u27 preferences and priority attributes. These attributes are considered the packaging elements that augment the main business aspects summarized in the 7 Ps marketing mix module. In the context of interpreting the marketing orientation theory, the study measures consumers\u27 priority attributes, summarized in the E-SERVPACK Model, in online shopping in four different product categories. Results revealed that the highest and lowest priority attributes are common across all four categories, yet the importance level differs from one category to another. It is advised that e-retailers consider developing their platforms and allocate their budgets based on their target consumers\u27 preferences and the business\u27s product type

Immersive Technologies in Virtual Companions: A Systematic Literature Review

The emergence of virtual companions is transforming the evolution of intelligent systems that effortlessly cater to the unique requirements of users. These advanced systems not only take into account the user present capabilities, preferences, and needs but also possess the capability to adapt dynamically to changes in the environment, as well as fluctuations in the users emotional state or behavior. A virtual companion is an intelligent software or application that offers support, assistance, and companionship across various aspects of users lives. Various enabling technologies are involved in building virtual companion, among these, Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR) are emerging as transformative tools. While their potential for use in virtual companions or digital assistants is promising, their applications in these domains remain relatively unexplored. To address this gap, a systematic review was conducted to investigate the applications of VR, AR, and MR immersive technologies in the development of virtual companions. A comprehensive search across PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar yielded 28 relevant articles out of a pool of 644. The review revealed that immersive technologies, particularly VR and AR, play a significant role in creating digital assistants, offering a wide range of applications that brings various facilities in the individuals life in areas such as addressing social isolation, enhancing cognitive abilities and dementia care, facilitating education, and more. Additionally, AR and MR hold potential for enhancing Quality of life (QoL) within the context of virtual companion technology. The findings of this review provide a valuable foundation for further research in this evolving field

Big Data and the Internet of Things

Advances in sensing and computing capabilities are making it possible to embed increasing computing power in small devices. This has enabled the sensing devices not just to passively capture data at very high resolution but also to take sophisticated actions in response. Combined with advances in communication, this is resulting in an ecosystem of highly interconnected devices referred to as the Internet of Things - IoT. In conjunction, the advances in machine learning have allowed building models on this ever increasing amounts of data. Consequently, devices all the way from heavy assets such as aircraft engines to wearables such as health monitors can all now not only generate massive amounts of data but can draw back on aggregate analytics to "improve" their performance over time. Big data analytics has been identified as a key enabler for the IoT. In this chapter, we discuss various avenues of the IoT where big data analytics either is already making a significant impact or is on the cusp of doing so. We also discuss social implications and areas of concern.Comment: 33 pages. draft of upcoming book chapter in Japkowicz and Stefanowski (eds.) Big Data Analysis: New algorithms for a new society, Springer Series on Studies in Big Data, to appea

A new approach to retailing for successful competition in the new smart scenario

Purpose- This study develops the idea of smart retailing, exemplified in innovative, technology-enriched retail services as part of service-oriented strategies. In particular, the aim is to provide a new integrated framework to understand the emerging retail scenario based on the smart usage of technologies to improve retail service and develop innovation management strategies. This framework will provide a comprehensive understanding the basic forms of smart retailing as the current competitive scenario. Design/ Methodology/approach- As a viewpoint, this paper employs an interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon the actual challenges in retailing, to propose a new perspective, the smart retailing one, to describe the new competitive scenario and formulates an emerging research agenda. Findings- The present paper contributes to research on innovation and technology management for retailing by examining the key dimensions of smart retailing, which aims to enhancing retail service quality and retailers’ performance. Originality- The paper explains how current retailing is moving to a smart perspective, and how retail management should be adapted to successfully perform in the current service-dominant logic scenario, as a consequence of increasing consumer involvement in service co-production and the rapid growth of digital technologies