Development of a classification framework for technology based retail services: a retailers’ perspective

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to identify different types of technology-based retail services (TBRS) for brick and mortar environments and analyze them by developing a framework that can be used to classify TBRS in respect of their dimensions, categories and category elements. The research design is twofold. First, this study conducts a systematic literature review to identify a relevant body of various TBRS in scientific literature. Second, it uses grounded theory as a method to analyze the identified TBRS from part one, in order to expose TBRS classification dimensions for developing a classification framework. This study identified 35 TBRS from 124 peer-reviewed articles, published worldwide between 2003 and 2019. It shows that TBRS can be classified along four dimensions: (1) participant issues, (2) technology issues, (3) information issues, and (4) intended purposes. The findings indicate that the majority of TBRS has technology-generated customer contact and is a fixed in-store totem with a low task complexity. Most TBRS enhance customer experience or improve store management. This study addresses a significant and on-going change in retailing. It provides insights into the TBRS market and offers an analytical classification framework to take TBRS to pieces, showing their elements and purposes. The framework can both guide future research and aid retail practitioners in analyzing TBRS.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital transformation
• retail technology
• smart retailing
• smart technology
• technology based retail services

Acknowledgments

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes

1. An early version of this literature review has been presented at the European Association for Research on Services (RESER) 2016 conference in Naples, Italy.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stefan Wolpert

Stefan Wolpert is a research associate at the Fraunhofer IIS - Center for Applied Research on Supply Chain Services SCS in Nuremberg, Germany. He was educated at the Open University of London, the Cooperative State University of Heidenheim, the Tongji University of Shanghai and the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. His formal education includes a BA in Business Administration, a German Diploma in Business Information Systems and a German Diploma in Business Administration. Stefan conducts research in the field of digitalization and service development with primary research interests in technology-based retail services in brick and mortar retail environments. He is responsible for the research field »Retail Science« at Fraunhofer IIS/SCS.

Angela Roth

Angela Roth is a professor at the Institute of Information Systems at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg. Since 2011 she also runs the Open Service Lab, which initiates and fosters joint projects on service innovation and service systems in the region of Nuremberg. Her research focus is on open innovation and service innovation amongst others in retail contexts. Additionally, she is looking at the phenomena of digital transformation. In this vein, she is leading a couple of joint projects with companies from different branches, other universities and Fraunhofer.