The future of grocery stores : Omnichannel and AI technologies and Next-Generation Brick-and-Mortar Grocery Stores

In recent years the grocery retail industry has been experiencing tremendous change, driven mainly by advances in technology. Traditional brick-and-mortar grocery stores are under threat from industry disruptors who incorporate new technologies into their business models and operate with online channels. Therefore, this paper introduces omnichannel and artificial intelligence (AI) use cases as factors influencing the future success of brick-and-mortar grocery stores. To identify critical drivers for success, semi-structured expert interviews were conducted to discover how grocers can implement an omnichannel strategy and combine various AI technologies to remain competitive. Furthermore, a customer survey tested the acceptance of specific use cases and scrutinized the resulting increase or decrease in shopping frequency due to omnichannel in conjunction with AI. The analysis indicates an upcoming change in the grocery industry. A move towards a combination of an online and offline world is rising. Moreover, use cases like online shopping, personalized prices and offers, and cashier-free checkouts have the highest potential to increase the points-of-delight by consumers while grocery shopping. Therefore, grocers must adopt an omnichannel strategy and incorporate several AI-driven technologies to increase profits and remain competitive.Nos últimos anos, a indústria retalhista de mercearia tem vindo a sofrer mudanças tremendas, impulsionadas principalmente pelos avanços da tecnologia. As mercearias tradicionais de tijolo e cimento estão ameaçadas pelos disruptores da indústria que incorporam novas tecnologias nos seus modelos de negócio e operam com canais em linha. Por conseguinte, este documento introduz casos de uso omnichannel e de inteligência social (AI) como factores que influenciam o sucesso futuro das mercearias de tijolo e de marfim. Para identificar factores críticos para o sucesso, foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas com peritos para descobrir como os merceeiros podem implementar uma estratégia de omnichannel e com-bine várias tecnologias de AI para se manterem competitivos. Além disso, um inquérito aos clientes testou a aceitação de casos específicos de uso e examinou o aumento ou diminuição da frequência de compras resultante devido ao omnichannel em conjunto com a AI. A análise indica uma próxima mudança na indústria de mercearia. Está a aumentar uma tendência para uma combinação de um mundo online e offline. Além disso, casos de utilização como as compras online, preços e ofertas personalizadas, e caixas sem caixa têm o potencial mais elevado para aumentar os pontos de venda dos consumidores enquanto fazem compras de mercearia. Por conseguinte, os merceeiros devem adoptar uma estratégia omnichannel e incorporar várias tecnologias impulsionadas pela AI para aumentar os lucros e permanecer competitivos

Understanding perceived shopping effectiveness with omnichannel: A MOA theory perspective

Customers’ shopping effectiveness is a critical factor in encouraging customers to stay with the firms, the knowledge regarding how to provide shopping effectiveness in an omnichannel retailing environment remains underexplored. Thus, this study draws on Motivation-Opportunity-Ability theory (MOA) and examines MOA factors affecting customers’ perceived shopping effectiveness, which in turn influences customers’ omnichannel usage continuance intention. The expected findings may suggest that the opportunity factor, channel integration quality encompassing channel-service configuration, content consistency, process consistency, and assurance quality, positively influences customers’ percieved shopping effectiveness. Furthermore, the motivation factors such as relative advantage, perceived ease of use, personalized incentives, flow, and enjoyment, have positive effects on customers’ perceived shopping effectiveness. In addition, ability factors encompassing technology readiness and self efficacy are expected to influence perceived shopping effectiveness. As a result, perceived shopping effectiveness positively influences omnichannel usage continuance intention. These findings enhance the literature on the shopping values and channel integration quality in an omnichannel retailing environment. These findings also offer insightful implications for omnichannel retailers in terms of creating and managing customers’ shopping effectivess in the post-COVID period

Adoption and Impact of QR-codes in an Omnichannel Customer Experience; The Perspective of Consumer Electronics

Physical retailers are struggling to compete against digital players. Providing a positive omnichannel customer experience instore has become a vigorous strategy to stay competitive in today’s retail environment. QR-codes can offer a wide variety of digital information almost instantaneously. Retailers of consumer electronics are suggested to benefit from this easy access to information by responding to consumers need for interactive and personalized experiences. QR-codes are especially suitable in the prepurchase stage of the customer journey, in which consumers consider and evaluate products. Moreover, QR-codes has had a revival due to its potential during the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this, there is still an ongoing discussion about the adoption of QR-codes and a lack of empirical insight on the impact of QR-codes on the omnichannel customer experience as well as a lack of studies that take a holistic approach to investigate QR-codes in a consumer electronics setting. The objective of this study was therefore to fill this knowledge gap by answering the following research questions: (1) why consumers adopt or resist QR-codes, and (2) which QR-code information and features provides experiential value and influences purchase intention in consumer electronics. In answering the first question, a theoretical framework was developed, which extends the Technology Acceptance Model with functional and physiological barriers from the Innovation Resistance Theory, as well as potential moderating factors like age, gender, and personal innovativeness. One or more hypotheses for each construct were based on extensive literature review, and the framework was tested in a cross-sectional survey study. In answering the second question, an experiential value and purchase intention framework was built upon theories on customer experience. Based on literature regarding omnichannel behavior, QRcodes, and shopper-facing technology, it was assumed that more digitalized and personalized information and features were preferred by consumers. This assumption was tested using conjoint analysis. The findings from the cross-sectional survey shows that QR-code adoption is primarily driven by perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, compatibility, and age. The findings from the conjoint analysis generally indicate that less digitalized and personalized information and features can add experiential value and that more digitalized and personalized trigger purchase intention. Features such as personalized reviews should especially be consider by retailers as this was important across both experiential value and purchase intention. In conclusion, retailers should focus on both utilitarian and hedonic benefits of QR-codes and ensure that the touchpoints fit with consumers’ shopping behavior and age. Retailers must also be aware that there are differences in the preferences for what can create experiential value and purchase intention, and they should carefully consider the purpose for which QR-codes are implemented and allow this to guide them in what information and features they apply

Understanding consumer behavior in an evolving context: from single channel to omnichannel use

La presente tesis doctoral tiene como principal objetivo avanzar en el conocimiento del comportamiento del consumidor en el actual contexto, caracterizado por el uso de múltiples canales durante todo el proceso de decisión de compra. Dicho objetivo general se desagrega en cuatro objetivos específicos que, a partir de cuatro investigaciones independientes, buscan entender desde diferentes enfoques teóricos y empíricos dicha cuestión. Para testar empíricamente las propuestas realizadas en cada una de las investigaciones, la tesis se sirve principalmente dos metodologías de investigación, la encuesta y el diseño experimental. Las cuatro investigaciones ofrecen resultados que enriquecen la literatura del comportamiento del consumidor. Los hallazgos de esta tesis doctoral también se traducen en distintas implicaciones para las empresas en el actual contexto cambiante. Particularmente, los resultados ayudan a los profesionales del marketing a adoptar estrategias útiles tanto en el contexto de compra móvil como en el contexto de compra omnicanal

Omnichannel Development within the Pakistani Fashion Retail

We examined the omnichannel Development within the Pakistani Fashion Retail and observed both Retailer and Consumer perspective in our study to see the development and Potential of Omnichannel. We selected 25 retailers (of which 22 are using multi-channels) and 224 shoppers who used more than one channel for purchasing fashion products, (due to some model fitness error we reduced our final sample size to 205 respondents). We used UTAUT2 model with 2 more predictors (perceived security and Personal innovativeness) which we found effected in purchase intention of consumer from some previous literature.  As per Retailer Perspective we found that we are at an extremely early stage of omnichannel. Organizations are slowly transforming but some retailers are still under threat because of associated risks with changing their business models. Omnichannel loyalty service was found to be the weakest in current development due to profitability factors for organization which seem more important, and retailers also need to focus on data and analytics & IT structure to improve omnichannel journey. As per consumer perspective, the survey results show that the security is the main concern for the shoppers in Pakistan, it restricts shopper to provide their personal information to retailers also factors of social influence and hedonic motivation not found positively influenced in our model but habit and personal innovativeness found the key factors for omnichannel development also performance and effort expectancy founds positively influenced in the development of omnichannel. By summarizing both perspective we finally conclude (Fig. 26) that retailers should integrated their all channels in a way which gives consumer totally unified and seamless shopping experience and hit their purchase intention in a positive way which support omnichannel development in Pakistan Fashion Retail Industry. Keywords: Omnichannel, Integration, Purchase intention, transforming, loyalty services, data and analytics, Security, Effort Expectancy, Habit, Personal Innovativeness DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/54-06 Publication date:March 31st 201

The relative impact of QR codes on omnichannel customer experience and purchase intention

This study explores the relative impact of quick response (QR) codes in an omnichannel customer situation. A conjoint experiment was conducted where participants (n=53) assigned scores to stimuli cards according to experience and purchase intention in a shopping scenario. The main finding from the conjoint analysis showed that creating a positive experience does not necessarily require highly digitalized and personalized QR-code information and features. However, a balance is needed as it was discovered that the opposite was evident for purchase intention. Retailers and researchers must therefore be aware that there might be differences in what type of QR-code information and features create experiential value and what triggers purchase intention. These findings highlight the complexities of the customer experience (CX) and suggest that it is important to carefully consider the purpose for which QR codes are implemented.publishedVersio

Omnichannelling and the Predominance of Big Retailers in the Post-Covid Era

none3noThe Covid 19 pandemic has profoundly affected the competitive context of retail companies. Multiple changes have occurred both in consumer behaviour, in retail strategy and marketing channels. The article aims to highlight the areas in which the major changes have occurred and identify some trends that characterize retail channels. In particular, the pandemic has accelerated the use of digital technology in the processes of physical purchase and distribution of retail products, favouring new forms of integration between physical and online channels (so-called omniachannelling). Many brick&mortar stores have closed down, others have modified their original logistic functions in favor of the new digital integrated ones, with a smaller number of point of sales assuming the connotation of flagship stores with greater force. Some cases confirm the acceleration that took place towards the integration and redefinition of the roles of physical and online channels. The biggest retailers empower their predominance in the global market. Smaller operators could renew their role by shaping new forms of collaboration to survive.openFabio Fortuna, Mario Risso, Fabio MussoFortuna, Fabio; Risso, Mario; Musso, Fabi

Mobile Commerce and Consumers’ Online Purchase Orientation in Poland, Croatia and Serbia

As an innovative approach to retail, mobile commerce develops rapidly during last decade. It brings new challenges and opportunities in front of retailers who have to adapt their business strategies to new generation shoppers. With a good understanding of the shoppers’ online purchase intention, retailers are able to develop effective online strategies to attract new and keep loyal web-shopping customers. The purpose of this paper is to explain the online shopping orientation in the context of country of origin. There is a limited number of such research in Central and Eastern Europe, so there is a lack of knowledge about young consumers from this region and their attitude as mobile technology users. The article is based on the research conducted in Poland, Croatia and Serbia where 454 young non randomly selected respondents answered online survey questions. The research hypotheses were tested using correlation and non-parametric statistics. Differences between observed countries suggest that there is a necessity to adapt approach concerning online retailing even at the market with similar characteristics. Therefore, creators of marketing and sales strategies of online and omnichannel companies should consider this fact when planning business strategies. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p