Online shopping behavior in offline retail stores : strategic value for companies?

In a world where e-tailing and traditional in-store shopping live together and complement each other in several shopping activities (Chu, et. al, 2010), little is known about the possibility of an emerging reality in which online and offline shopping merge into one single phenomenon. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore whether consumers are willing to engage in a shopping behavior inside retail stores in a way that is similar to the one they have when shopping online. Additionally, it sheds light on the strategic value the online-offline shopping holds. To accomplish these objectives, a smartphone shopping scenario is designed to represent a situation that enables consumers to perform in-store shopping tasks in a digital manner, mixing and enhancing the features and benefits of e-tailing with traditional retail store experience. Moreover, a research model, that includes preliminary assumptions and eleven hypotheses to be tested, is designed to fundament the research methodology used. Based on this research model and the smartphone shopping scenario, a survey is conducted in order to collect empirical data on customer’s appraisal of the online-offline shopping process as well as their availability to permit recording their shopping data obtained after performing shopping tasks via smartphone. Furthermore, to access the strategic value of the online-offline shopping process, Resource-based View theory is used in order to identify the existence of possible sources of sustainable competitive advantage. The findings from the research show that respondents value the characteristics of the online-offline shopping process as well as they are willing to permit recording their own shopping data so that they are able to benefit from a contextual personalized shopping experience while shopping in traditional retail stores. The dissertation concludes that because customers value the characteristics of the online-offline shopping process they have a strong motivation to engage in an online-offline shopping behavior. Moreover, since they are willing to trade their shopping privacy for a contextual personalized shopping experience, it is plausible to admit that a strategy based on contextual personalization has potential to be strategic for retail companies. In fact, to generate such a strategy, the customer knowledge generated in the process is argued to be a firm resource that, combined with dynamic capabilities to leverage its utility in providing a contextual personalization experience, is considered to be a source of sustainable competitive advantage meaning the online-offline process has potential to be strategic to retail firms

ARShopping: In-Store Shopping Decision Support Through Augmented Reality and Immersive Visualization

Online shopping gives customers boundless options to choose from, backed by extensive product details and customer reviews, all from the comfort of home; yet, no amount of detailed, online information can outweigh the instant gratification and hands-on understanding of a product that is provided by physical stores. However, making purchasing decisions in physical stores can be challenging due to a large number of similar alternatives and limited accessibility of the relevant product information (e.g., features, ratings, and reviews). In this work, we present ARShopping: a web-based prototype to visually communicate detailed product information from an online setting on portable smart devices (e.g., phones, tablets, glasses), within the physical space at the point of purchase. This prototype uses augmented reality (AR) to identify products and display detailed information to help consumers make purchasing decisions that fulfill their needs while decreasing the decision-making time. In particular, we use a data fusion algorithm to improve the precision of the product detection; we then integrate AR visualizations into the scene to facilitate comparisons across multiple products and features. We designed our prototype based on interviews with 14 participants to better understand the utility and ease of use of the prototype.Comment: VIS 2022 Short Paper; 5 page

AN INTERNET OF THINGS–BASED APPROACH TO INNOVATE CANTEEN STORES DEPARTMENT’S RETAIL OPERATIONS

In a competitive business environment, retail organizations in the Western world are capitalizing on technological tools and solutions to enhance customer experience and boost sales. Specifically, retailers that adopt Internet of Things (IoT) technologies improve customer experience and achieve cost savings. Yet such innovation is rare outside the Western world. Hence, early adopters of IoT technologies in retail operations in Pakistan could gain a competitive advantage. This study aims to create a deeper understanding of how Pakistan-based Canteen Stores Department (CSD), a retail chain mainly serving service members and their families, can use IoT technologies to significantly modernize and improve its operations and distinguish itself from competitors. To do so, this study conducts a qualitative analysis of scholarly articles on the relevant technologies and on IoT-based products offered by commercial companies. The authors also include findings from discussions with CSD customers and management. The results of the study indicate CSD can use IoT technologies to optimize store layout, offer interactive in-store mapping, automate checkout systems, implement smart shelving and digital price tagging, improve in-store promotions, enhance customer relationship management, and modernize distribution, transportation, and warehousing. The study also offers CSD management guidance on how to implement IoT technologies into retail operations at one location as a pilot.Outstanding ThesisLieutenant Commander, Pakistan NavyWing Commander, Pakistan Air ForceLieutenant Colonel, Pakistan ArmyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Designing In-Store Navigation Systems in Physical Retail

Physical retail faces the challenge of remaining attractive to customers in the age of e-commerce. In-store navigation systems are one way to mitigate this issue. These software systems allow customers to be navigated through the retail store. We derive design requirements (DRs) for in-store navigation systems based on eight interviews with customers and employees of furniture stores. We illustrate the implementation of the DRs in a conceptual prototype designed with the platform “Hololink.” Initial evaluation results (n = 20) show that customers perceive such a solution for physical retail as mainly positive. We contribute to research and practice by showing how to design in-store navigation systems

Exploiting fashion x-commerce through the empowerment of voice in the fashion virtual reality arena. Integrating voice assistant and virtual reality technologies for fashion communication

The ongoing development of eXtended Reality (XR) technologies is supporting a rapid increase of their performances along with a progressive decrease of their costs, making them more and more attractive for a large class of consumers. As a result, their widespread use is expected within the next few years. This may foster new opportunities for e-commerce strategies, giving birth to an XR-based commerce (x-commerce) ecosystem. With respect to web and mobile-based shopping experiences, x-commerce could more easily support brick-and-mortar store-like experiences. One interesting and consolidated one amounts to the interactions among customers and shop assistants inside fashion stores. In this work, we concentrate on such aspects with the design and implementation of an XR-based shopping experience, where vocal dialogues with an Amazon Alexa virtual assistant are supported, to experiment with a more natural and familiar contact with the store environment. To verify the validity of such an approach, we asked a group of fashion experts to try two different XR store experiences: with and without the voice assistant integration. The users are then asked to answer a questionnaire to rate their experiences. The results support the hypothesis that vocal interactions may contribute to increasing the acceptance and comfortable perception of XR-based fashion shopping

Accessible and Engaging Web Application for Increasing Customer Base and Purchasing Rate of Goods within the Retail Industry

People generally prefer to shop online as it is more convenient and time-saving. Therefore, it makes sense for any type of business owner to use the internet to sell their goods. In order to increase the overall customer base as well as increase the purchasing rate of an average customer, there are many elements that need to be factored into an online clothing store application that will help improve customer satisfaction and aid in making the online store application successful. However, the process can be improved much further by implementing more advanced features which are not so common in competitive applications such as smart recommendations and providing more ways to visualize the items such as Augmented Reality and 3D models to visualize how the clothes would look on someone. The goal of this research is to discover how to incorporate such technologies and build a clothing store application that will improve the rate of customer purchasing and increase the overall customer satisfaction. 

A Model of Adoption of AR-based Self-service Technologies: A two Country Comparison

Purpose This paper proposes a model that extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) by identifying factors that influence consumers' acceptance of augmented reality (AR) self-service technologies (AR-based SSTs) in the retail sector, resulting in the Augmented Reality in Retail Model (ARiR Model). Design/methodology/approach This study is based on an online questionnaire responded to by 284 makeup-using women from Nicaragua and the USA. It is based on an AR mobile app used to shop in retail stores. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling was used to validate the ARiR model and test the hypotheses. Findings Aesthetics and navigation are significant predictors of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use (PEOU), and self-efficacy also explains perceived ease of use. Technology readiness and the need for personal interaction were not found to be influencing factors. A cross-cultural comparison indicated that both countries have similar overall attitudes towards AR-based SSTs. Research limitations/implications This paper provides insights into the perceived value of, and motives for customer acceptance of, AR-based SSTs, which can serve as guidelines for their future implementation. Furthermore, it validates and confirms the application of the proposed ARiR model for technology acceptance in both developed and developing countries. Practical implications The paper provides new insights for retailers on the implementation of AR at the point of sale. Originality/value The model extends the original TAM to AR and introduces five new constructs: need for personal interaction, aesthetics, navigation, self-efficacy and technology readiness. It was tested in both a developing and a developed country

Consumer behavior in augmented shopping reality: A review, synthesis, and research agenda

The application of augmented reality (AR) is receiving great interest in e-commerce, m-commerce, and brick-and-mortar-retailing. A growing body of literature has explored several different facets of how consumers react to the upcoming augmented shopping reality. This systematic literature review summarizes the findings of 56 empirical papers that analyzed consumers’ experience with AR, acceptance of AR, and behavioral reactions to AR in various online and offline environments. The review synthesizes current knowledge and critically discusses the empirical studies conceptually and methodologically. Finally, the review outlines the theoretical basis as well as the independent, mediating, moderating, and dependent variables analyzed in previous AR research. Based on this synthesis, the paper develops an integrative framework model, which helps derive directives for future research on augmented shopping reality