A Study on the Ethical Implementation of Radio Frequncy Identification Technology in Retail

Long checkout lines at the grocery store can be very frustrating. Thanks to point-of-sale technology though, those lines aren\u27t nearly as long as they could be. Point-of-sale technologies have been developed and implemented worldwide to help reduce the amount of time it takes a consumer to pay for products at the cash register. These technologies have also aided retailers and manufacturers in achieving higher levels of efficiency. Bar codes, for example, were first developed to decrease the amount of time required to purchase an item, improve the tracking of inventory, accelerate the acquisition of important statistical data, and facilitate market research. Now, retail store owners have their eyes on a more modem and advanced point-of-sale technology- radio frequency identification (RFID). Unlike manually scanning a bar code, this recently developed point-of-sale technology uses a tiny chip to wirelessly transmit data to a reader computer. RFID promises greater efficiency in retail than the bar code with respect to purchase time, inventory tracking capability, collection of important statistical data, and valuable market research. All of this could add up to greater profits for retail businesses, cheaper prices for consumers, and less time spent standing in line at the checkout. Although these promises sound beneficial, the use of RFID technology might also create privacy concerns for consumers. Many American consumers are not aware of the vast amount of personal data businesses gather on their customers, or what exactly they do with it. RFID technology will increase the retailer\u27s ability to gather and store personal information on consumers. This raises the possibility for invasion of consumer privacy Therefore, this research paper was initiated to answer the question of whether or not radio frequency identification technology has the potential to invade consumer privacy rights. The aim of this research was to study how to ethically implement RFID technology into retail in a way that protects consumers against the invasion of their privacy. It first looked at Universal Product Code technology in the development of today\u27s bar codes. Then, it defined radio frequency identification technology. It discussed the importance of carefully examining this, as well as any, new technology and centered on the controversy that surrounds RFID. It examined privacy and security concerns for the retail consumer and explored the value of a consumer\u27s personal information. It also focused on the debate over restrictions, current laws on consumer privacy, and proposed legislation on RFID technology. From this study, the researcher deduced that RFID technology had the potential to invade consumer privacy rights. It was also found that a consumer\u27s personal, identifiable information was protected under the Constitution as private property. It was concluded that a set of protective guidelines was necessary for the security of a consumer\u27s personal, identifiable information. Therefore, a proposed plan for ethically implementing radio frequency identification technology into a retail business was created. This plan included a Consumer Bill of Rights for Radio Frequency Identification Tagging, Technology Awareness Policy, and Point-of-Sale Protection Progra

How will integrator perceptions affect the adoption of radio frequency identification technology

Purpose - This study aims to assess the perceptions of leading Australian integrators within the RFID (radio frequency identification) Industry about the future of the industry and barriers to more widespread adoption of the technology.Methodology/approach - Five leading Australian integrators presently working within the RFID Industry were interviewed.Findings - We find that the interviewed managers were realistic and circumspect about the industry’s future and potential supply chain savings, which can be contrasted with the “hype” evident in the commercial literature (for example, AIMRFID Connections, 2003).Research implications - Understanding integrators’ current perceptions about the industry will help vendors and integrators to develop applications that will be more likely to gain widespread acceptance in the future.Originality/value - This paper provides a unique insight into the perceptions of leading Australian RFID suppliers and integrators regarding the future of the industry and barriers to more widespread adoption of the technology

Retail Inventory Control Strategies

Despite using computerized merchandise control systems in retail, the rate of stockouts has remained stagnant. The inability to satisfy customer needs has caused a loss of 4% in potential revenue and resulted in dissatisfied customers. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore cost-effective inventory control strategies used by discount retail managers. The conceptual framework that grounded the study was chaos theory, which helped identify why some business leaders rely on forecasting techniques or other cost-effective strategies as an attempt to prevent stockouts. The target population was comprised of discount retail managers located throughout northeast Jacksonville, Florida. Purposeful sampling led to selecting 6 retail managers who successfully demonstrated cost-effective inventory control strategies for mitigating stockouts. Data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews, company websites, and company documents. Analysis included using nodes to identify similar words and axial-coding to categorize the nodes into themes. Transcript evaluation, member checking, and methodological triangulation strengthened the credibility of the findings. Five themes emerged: (a) internal stockout reduction strategies, (b) external stockout reduction strategies, (c) replenishment system strategies, (d) inventory optimization strategies, and (e) best practices for inventory control. This study may contribute to positive social change by improving inventory management, which may reduce demand fluctuations in the supply chain and reduce logistics costs in the transportation of freight thereby leading to improved customer satisfaction

Spies!

This article comprises two distinct components. First is the delineation of a typology that encompasses the various approaches by which marketers can track the behavior of an individual in the marketplace. A total of 17 broad approaches were identified. Associated with each technique is the issue of whether personal information is being extracted via the tracking process, whether consumers’ involvement is voluntary, and – if voluntary – what action was required on the part of the consumer. The 17 approaches are far from reflecting a homogeneous approach to the data gathering process. The second part of the study focused on two specific techniques: Shopkick and shopperception. But these techniques merely represent opposite ends of a continuum in that Shopkick is purely voluntary whereas shopperception is involuntary, and consumers are likely unaware that their behavior is being monitored. A sample of 307 respondents indicated reasons why each approach might be acceptable, and why each might not be. Comparing results from two independent samples, it was found that consumers consider Shopkick to be considerably more ethical than Shopperception. The implication is that surveillance techniques that are voluntary, transparent, rely on consumer involvement, and provide tangible benefits to the consumer are viewed as less invasive and more acceptable than are the more surreptitious alternatives for observing consumers in the marketplace

Consumer concerns towards privacy: An empirical study

The purpose of the study was to determine consumer attitudes toward privacy and the influence of demographic factors on these attitudes. The study also sought to determine the willingness of participants to disclose selected individual information items and determine the awareness and acceptance level of technological innovations such as radio frequency identifiers (RFID) as they relate to privacy. A quantitative instrument was developed and a convenience sample of university students (N=203) was tested. Results showed that educational background played a role in the way participants perceived the applications of RFID

Exploratory analysis of Internet of Things (IoT): revolutionizing the grocery retail industry

This dissertation has investigated the consequences of implementing Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in grocery retailing by analyzing customers' perceptions of eight prominent technologies. The objective was to investigate and explore to what degree implementing these technologies would impact the customer experience. Based on secondary research, this thesis focuses on eight prominent technologies that presumably will encounter an increasing utilization in the visible future; Self-Scanning, Smart Robots, Smart Shelves, Smart Shopping Cart, Smart Fridge, Just Walk Out, Personalized Promotion/Pricing, and Mobile Apps. The technology distribution varies across different stages in the customer journey, and research indicates that IoT has the most significant impact in the pre-purchase stage. A comprehensive exploratory survey was conducted through Amazon mTurk with a wide range of respondents (n=204), giving valuable insight into demographic differences' influence on each technology perception. The investigation uncovered vast differences in several areas such as age, attitude, and privacy. Among other findings, the age segment 35-44 is more confident towards IoT technology than the age segment 55+, and shoppers with a positive attitude towards grocery shopping have higher confidence towards the technologies than shoppers with a negative attitude. On a widespread basis, the findings revealed that all eight technologies would positively affect customer experience to a certain level. Keywords: Internet of Things, Grocery Retailing, Customer Journey, Customer Experience, Autonomous Retail

Impact of a Fashion fTRACE App on the perception of sustainability

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the consumers’ perception of sustainability and the application of a QR-code in stores with the focus on the information searching behavior regarding sustainable aspects. An online questionnaire was conducted with fashion students at Reutlingen University: in total, 65 students participated in the survey. Paired samples t-test and other statistical analyses were applied to test research questions. Apart from this, the research paper is based on a literature review. Furthermore, the decision was taken to use a projective method in the form of a dummy fashion fTRACE website. Key findings of the survey are that participants give sustainable aspects a higher importance with a QR-code than without one. Participants who prefer a product with detailed information experience a “positive shopping feeling” when provided with transparency via a QR-code. “Origin”, “production” and “quality” were rated of higher importance by those participants. These findings suggest that, transparency provided through the application of a QR-Code in stores influences the consumers’ perception of sustainability. Due to the small sample size of participants (65) in the study, findings of this research not generalizable to a larger population. This paper focused on the consumers’ information searching behavior regarding sustainable aspects, limiting its findings to impacts on perception of sustainability. Further research is therefore recommended

Perishable Food Waste Reduction Through Technological Implementation at the Retail Level of the Food Supply Chain

Food waste has become a disaster of global proportion that the world can no longer turn a blind eye to. This paper aims to reduce food waste at the retail level of the food supply chain by recommending and quantifying the effects of current technology that can be implemented in traditional supermarkets. This research recommends that retailers implement electronic shelf labels in stores and employ dynamic pricing of perishable products, leading to reduction of food waste. No prior research had considered the primary goal of reducing food waste while preserving retailer profit through technological implementation. This paper quantifies the effects of implementing this technology and provides economic justification of the required investment through the calculation of profitability metrics and discussion of environmental regulations retailers will soon have to abide by. Our results indicate, even in the most conservative of scenarios, that the payback period for full implementation of electronic shelf labels will be less than or slightly over one year and the return on investment is high in all situations discussed. Sensitivity analyses of labor costs, revenue, and profitability ratios are illustrated to provide a full breadth of these results