The main aspects of choosing the enterprises' operating strategy

Retail trade occupies an important place in the economy of Ukraine, ensuring the sale of manufactured goods to end consumers. For retailers, it is important to achieve timeliness and reliability of services to meet customer needs, which can be achieved through the formation of operational strategy. The purpose of the article is to form a methodological approach to the development of operational strategy of retail enterprises, which is based on the requirements of corporate strategy, selected in accordance with the stage of the life cycle of the industry. The development of this methodological approach was carried out on the basis of Hill's model and system approach. As a result, a logical scheme of the process of developing an operational strategy is presented, which is specified by the list of input and output information. In order to determine the stage of the life cycle of the market of retail services in Ukraine, the eponymous concept of Porter was applied and the analysis was carried out according to the criteria: consumers and their behaviour, sales costs, changes in services, the nature of competition, profitability and found that the retail services market is growing. The method of observation, comparative and analytical method was used for the analysis, the Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI) was calculated on the basis of the data of the largest retail trade enterprises of Ukraine. As a result, it was found that the market of retail services in Ukraine is growing. With this in mind, an operational strategy for Ukrainian retailers has been proposed, which should aim to ensure the flexibility and variability of the operating system. The defined general direction of the operational strategy will allow to establish the content of decisions on the choice of operational processes, as well as the infrastructure to support them.

Barriers and Factors Affecting E-commerce Utilization of Thai Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Food and Beverage and Retail Services

E-commerce is deemed as the next potential source of growth for Thailand, but small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are still behind in their utilization of e-commerce. This article uses the decision-makers, technological, organizational and environmental (DTOE) framework to examine the key e-commerce barriers and determinants in e-commerce utilization by Thai SMEs based on a survey of retail and food and beverage (F&B) service establishments in metropolitan Bangkok. This study aims to fill the research gap by examining the types of barriers that hinder e-commerce utilization by Thai SMEs in the F&B and retail services, as well as their key determinants. Unlike e-commerce adoption, e-commerce utilization can capture the full range of e-commerce engagement. The survey’s findings indicate that organizational barriers significantly inhibit e-commerce utilization. Estimations from the structural equation modelling (SEM) show that exports, e-commerce tools, government support, and internal and external e-commerce platforms can enhance e-commerce utilization. In addition, business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce can increase the exports of Thai SMEs, while older entrepreneurs and SMEs tend to neglect e-commerce. Evidence-based policy implications and suggestions are also discussed in this study to enhance e-commerce utilization for Thai SMEs.

Concerns and coping strategies of older adult Veterans in Canada at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic, including associated public health measures such as travel restrictions, cancellation of elective surgeries, and the closure of public spaces and retail services (full list available at: https://github.com/jajsmith/COVID-19NonPharmaceuticalInterventions ), has resulted in risks to the health and well-being of Veterans, including disruptions to healthcare, loss of income, social isolation, and viral infection and mortality. Although a few studies are ongoing to better understand who may be at greatest risk, little is known about how Veterans experienced the pandemic and what coping strategies they employed at the outset. This infographic summarizes national cross-sectional survey responses collected from 210 Veterans aged 55 years and older who participated in the Canadian COVID-19 Coping Study between May-June 2020 (Women’s College Hospital Research Ethics Board REB # 2020-0045-E). The average age of Veterans who participated was 72 years; 29% were female, 93% completed the survey in English and 84% were retired. This population is older and more likely to be female than the gen-eral Veteran population.4 None of the Veterans included in this study had been diagnosed with COVID-19 at the time of study. A total of 11% had a family member or friend with a diagnosis or symptoms, and less than 5% had a family member or friend hospitalized, or who died as a result of COVID-19.

In or out? A field observational study on the placement of entertaining robots in retailing

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the role of the placement (i.e. location) of humanoid service robots (HSRs) for entertainment applications in retailing by inspecting a multitude of performance metrics along the point-of-sale conversion funnel.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted using unobtrusive observations at a Belgian chocolate store. In total, 42 h of video observation material was collected and analyzed, with an even spread over three conditions: (1) an HSR placed outside, (2) an HSR inside the store and (3) a control condition (no robot stimuli). All passersby and their interactions with the robot and the store were systematically coded and compared.FindingsThe study found that the better placement of HSRs (inside or outside the store) is contingent on the goals the retailer prioritizes. When the goal is to create awareness and interest toward the store, the HSR should be placed outside, as it has double the stopping power. To induce consumers to enter the store, placement of the HSR inside the store is the better option. Ultimately, however, in terms of the number of transactions and total amount spent, outside placement of the HSR outperforms inside placement.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was not able to verify the internal emotional/cognitive state of the passersby, as the method relied on unobtrusive camera observations. A longitudinal research design would be desirable to exclude potential bias due to the novelty effect.Originality/valueWhile research on robots in retail services is emerging, this study is the first to provide insights on how retailers can decide on the placement of robots inside or outside the store, depending on the particular goals they are aiming to reach at the point of purchase.

The Long Game

This paper brings a new perspective to knowledge by focusing on the application and exploitation of big data in two UK companies providing, respectively, online and branch retail services. The companies innovatively exploited the data that were generated by new internet technologies to improve business performance. The findings from both case study examples show that benefits do not come simply by adopting technology, but when people think creatively to exploit the potential benefits of ITC. The conclusion drawn is that the realisation of the 'universal benefits' of technological innovation does occur, but not necessarily until the hype has subsided. The paper demonstrates that there is opportunity to create sustainable competitive advantage through the application of ITC although the social, technological, and human challenges of managing technology have to be appreciated and managed. These implications need to be appreciated and if true long-term advantage is to be achieved.

Optimal pricing strategy in uncertain dual distribution channel with retail services

Purpose The aim of this paper is to study the optimal pricing decision in a supply chain with a dual distribution channel in a centralized and decentralized decision-making systems and investigate the economic impact of retail services on pricing behaviors with respect to the power structures. Design/methodology/approach To reach the equilibrium behavior of decision-makers, two-stage optimization, the Stackelberg game and the Bertrand–Nash game have been used. Also, to explore the effect of environmental uncertainty on the behavior of decision-maker, demand functions are characterized as an uncertain price dependent, service dependent and channel dependent. Decision parameters are based on experts’ belief degree, in the sense of uncertainty theory initiated by Liu (2007). Findings Obtained results reveal that the retail services have a strategic role in the centralized supply chain and the decentralized supply chain with dominant manufacturer, while both the supply chain and the consumer suffer from higher environmental indeterminacy. Research limitations/implications This study is based on possible scenarios of dual distribution system only. Further research is recommended to investigate the applicability of the authors framework in different distribution systems. Practical implications The study findings are believed to be valuable for supply chains and organizations about to make a strategic decision on price of their good/service. Originality/value The paper contributes to the scarce literature on Uncertainty Theory initiated by Liu (2007), and combination of it with Game Theory for pricing in distribution system of supply chains. The study also contributes by investigating impact of non-price competitive factor (level of service) on pricing strategy.

THE INFLUENCE OF RETAIL SERVICES AND SELLING BEHAVIORS ON CUSTOMER’S SATISFACTION, TRUST AND LOYALTY INTENTIONS IN RETAIL INDUSTRY OF PAKISTAN

This study examines the impact of retail services quality and selling behavior on customers’ satisfaction, trust, and store loyalty in case of high involvement products such as consumer electronics/home appliances in the context of Pakistan. The data was collected from 377 customers who completed the survey online. Respondents were particularly asked if they had any experience of buying such items recently and keeping in mind the purchase experience, rate the scale items accordingly. Factor analysis and multiple regression analysis were used for model testing. The study results show that store service quality and selling orientation strategy both have a significant impact on customer satisfaction, trust and store loyalty intentions. The study also involves the mediation analysis, satisfaction‐trust serving as mediator factor between two IVs (service quality and selling behaviors) and DV (store loyalty intentions). Results show that services quality and selling behaviour both have significant influence on store loyalty intentions. Further, satisfaction‐trust mediates the relationship between variables. The indirect path is significant which proves that satisfaction‐trust mediate the relationship between store attributes and consumer buying behaviour. The study has significant implications for multiple retail channels that can incorporate retail service quality and selling behaviour strategy (relational selling & consultative selling) to differentiate the retail brand services. Retailers of high involvement products category heavily relying on the selling skills and behaviour of salesperson/employee, can benefit from the study to implement retail brand positioning strategy.