Case Article—The RealPro Customer Benefits Program: Rekindling Shopper Loyalty Through a Subscription Service

In this case study, students combine data-based insights with strategic considerations to make fundamental business decisions at the German grocery retail chain Real. In response to dwindling numbers of customers and reduced revenues, Real developed the RealPro customer benefits program to achieve a quick turnaround. For a fixed annual fee, RealPro members receive substantial and permanent discounts of 20% on nonpromoted items from a broad range of food categories. Students employ data analytics methods to extract insights from the provided data set, which contains point-of-sale information from the actual market test of RealPro. Based on these insights, decisions concerning the rollout and design of the RealPro program must be made. We provide data analysis solutions in both Excel and R to analyze 75 thousand customer transactions. In the case extension, students can apply the difference-in-differences method and two covariate balancing algorithms for in-depth statistical analyses. For this purpose, we provide an additional unbalanced data set with 83 thousand transactions, on which the students can test and analyze propensity score matching and entropy balancing models.

Differential impact of the Canadian point-of-sale tobacco display bans on quit attempts and smoking cessation outcomes by sex, income and education: longitudinal findings from the ITC Canada Survey

SignificanceThis study examines the differential effects of Canadian point-of-sale (POS) tobacco display bans across provinces on quit attempts and smoking cessation, by sex, education and income.MethodsWe analysed survey data from five waves (waves 4–8) of the International Tobacco Control Canada Survey, a population-based, longitudinal survey, where provinces implemented display bans between 2004 and 2010. Primary outcomes were quit attempts and successful cessation. We used generalised estimating equation Poisson regression models to estimate associations between living in a province with or without a POS ban (with a 24-month threshold) and smoking outcomes. We tested whether these associations varied by sex, education and income by including interaction terms.ResultsAcross survey waves, the percentage of participants in provinces with POS bans established for more than 24 months increased from 5.0% to 95.8%. There was no association between POS bans and quit attempts for provinces with bans in place for 0–24 months or more than 24 months, respectively (adjusted relative risk (aRR)=0.99, 95% CI: 0.89 to 1.10; 1.03, 95% CI: 0.88 to 1.20). However, we found a differential impact of POS bans on quit attempts by sex, whereby bans were more effective for women than men for bans of 0–24 months. Participants living in a province with a POS ban for at least 24 months had a higher chance of successful cessation (aRR=1.49; 95% CI: 1.08 to 2.05) compared with those in a province without a ban. We found no differences in the association between POS bans and quit attempts or cessation by education or income, and no differences by sex for cessation.ConclusionPOS bans are associated with increased smoking cessation overall and more quit attempts among women than men.

Design of a parklet for the handcraft artisians comunity development

The artisan is a representative of Mexican culture, his techniques for making handicrafts passed down from generation to generation and their craftsmanship tells the story of his past. Over the years, they have become a vulnerable group, since their only livelihood is the creation of handicrafts, in many cases devalued. This project is focused on a specific artisan community that is concentrated in the Indigenous Craft Development Center (in its Spanish acronym, CEDAI) located in the city of Querétaro, Mexico whose intervention is pertinent since, despite being a fixed point of sale, the influx of this space is low, indicative of reduced sales. The objective of this work is the design of a parklet outside of the CEDAI making use of social methodologies to provoke a greater influx of people. Constructivism and phenomenology being the pillars of the project, and the Design thinking as the development guide which suggests the steps to carry out the product design. This work is an example of how the use of social methodologies in conjunction with design methodologies are the guide for the construction of urban elements that are sustainable.

Implementasi Sistem Informasi Point Of Sale Pada PT Maggot Indonesia Lestari Berbasis Web

PT Maggot Indonesia Lestari adalah sebuah perusahaan yang bergerak pada bidang produksi dan distribusi ternak, mulai dari ternak maggot, lele sampai ayam petelur omega 3. Sebagai sarana pembukuan, perusahaan PT Maggot Indonesia Lestari menggunakan buku untuk mencatat semua transaksi. Point of Sales atau disingkat sebagai POS merupakan sebuah perangkat lunak yang melakukan pencatatan akan pembukuan atau transaksi jual beli yang terjadi pada perusahaan. Sistem POS yang dibuat untuk dapat melakukan beberapa hal, antara lain adalah sistem tersebut dapat mencatat pengeluaran dan pemasukan barang serta melakukan deduksi jumlah barang pada stok. Selain itu, sistem juga merekam vendor yang bekerjasama dengan perusahaan. Sistem POS yang dibuat diharapkan dapat mengelola data secara cepat dan tepat, aplikasi dapat digunakan dengan mudah oleh pemilik, dan efisiensi waktu dalam melakukan pembukuan. Kata kunci: Sistem, stok, barang, penjualan

A Digital Currency Architecture for Privacy and Owner-Custodianship

Objective: to present the new approach to perform monetary transactions with digital currency.Methods: abstract-logical, analytical methods.Results: in recent years, electronic retail payment mechanisms, especially e-commerce and card payments at the point of sale, have increasingly replaced cash in many developed countries. As a result, societies are losing a critical public retail payment option, and retail consumers are losing important rights associated with using cash. To address this concern, we propose an approach to digital currency that would allow people without banking relationships to transact electronically and privately, including both e-commerce purchases and point-of-sale purchases that are required to be cashless.The article shows the advantages of cash payments compared to non-cash ones and defines the possibility to transform these advantages into the central bank digital currencies. The disputable issues of commercial banks development under the spread of digital currencies are discussed. The architecture of digital currencies is described, including distributed ledgers technology. It was shown that, for the digital currency to function effectively, it is necessary to include the privacy of end-users into its architecture; measures to achieve that are determined.Scientific novelty: the approached proposed in the article should be used to develop the digital currencies infrastructure. It should be government-backed, privately-operated and ensure that every transaction is registered by a bank or money services business, relying upon non-custodial wallets backed by privacy-enhancing technology, such as blind signatures or zero-knowledge proofs, to ensure that transaction counterparties are not revealed. This approach can also facilitate more efficient and transparent clearing, settlement, and management of systemic risk. We argue that our system can restore and preserve the salient features of cash, including privacy, owner-custodianship, fungibility, and accessibility, while also preserving fractional reserve banking and the existing two-tiered banking system.Practical significance: the proposed approach can be applied in the practical organization of perform monetary transactions using digital currencies.The article was first published in English language by Future Internet. For more information please contact the editorial office.For original publication: Goodell G., Al-Nakib H. D., Tasca P. A Digital Currency Architecture for Privacy and Owner-Custodianship, Future Internet, 2021, 13, 130. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi13050130Publication URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/13/5/130

Nexus Between Financial Innovation and Financial Intermediation in Nigeria’s Banking Sector

This study evaluated the relationship between financial innovation and financial intermediation in Nigeria. It seems that banks in Nigeria may have a problem of deposit-loan mismatch and losing customers to start-ups given increasing cost of deposits attributable to disruptive practice arising from financial innovations. The specific objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between financial innovation (value of the automated teller machine, internet banking, mobile banking, point of sale transactions) and financial intermediation (commercial banks deposit mobilization) in Nigeria for the period 2009–2018. This study was anchored on the financial innovation theory of Joseph Schumpeter, which states that technology creates opportunities for new profits and super profits as a result of increased investment by banks or financial institutions on products of innovation. The ordinary least square was used to estimate the parameters. The data used were extracted from the Central Bank of Nigeria statistical bulletin. The results showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between financial innovation (value of Automated Teller Machine) and financial intermediation (commercial banks deposit mobilization) in Nigeria; there is a positive but no significant relationship between financial innovation (internet banking) and financial intermediation (commercial banks deposit mobilization) in Nigeria; there is a positive but no significant relationship between financial innovation (mobile banking) and financial intermediation (commercial banks deposit mobilization) in Nigeria; and there is no positive and significant relationship between financial innovation (point of sale transactions) and financial intermediation (commercial banks deposit mobilization) in Nigeria. The f-test result showed that financial innovations proxies jointly related significantly to commercial banks’ deposits. The work concludes that financial innovations contributed to commercial banks’ deposits in Nigeria. The researchers recommended among others that banks should improve on the security of transactions done on their platforms, continue to improve and partner with start-ups in technological infrastructure, improve on power and network stability, deploy more innovative products, and improve on the efficiency of bank staff by regular training.

Reconfigure the apparel retail stores with interactive technologies

Purpose The omni-channel strategy provides a holistic experience during shopping by integrating online and offline channel services. In this digitalized realm, customers are more dependent on online elements for shopping. However, physical stores are still their first choice for apparel shopping. The introduction of interactive technology is one of the key elements to provide an online experience in the physical store. The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of interactive technologies on purchase intention and its role. Design/methodology/approach This study has been conducted in Delhi using 573 customers who are using interactive technologies for shopping. A self-developed questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data was analysed using structural equation modelling through smart partial least square 3. Findings The results show that 46% change in purchase intention was due to mobile point of sale/digital wallet, tablet/i-pad/digital signage, smartphone and click and collect/ship from store technology. However, there was no impact of the smart mirror and in-store Wi-Fi technology on purchase intention. Originality/value This study focuses on various technologies which provide online experience at physical stores. This study offers new insights for the theoretical and business framework of omni-channel brands. These technologies could be used as key performance indicators of omni-channel retailing in future.

Quantifying the Accessibility of Sustainable Seafood in Southeast Queensland, Australia

Seafood is a nutritious source of protein for billions of people around the world and is generally more sustainable than other animal-based protein sources. As the human population grows, seafood will continue to play an important role in feeding the world. The sustainability of seafood products differs, depending on the species consumed, origin, and production/fishing method. Having access to sustainable seafood products is essential to ensure future generations can continue to consume seafood. We aimed to determine the accessibility of sustainable seafood products to consumers in southeast Queensland, Australia. We surveyed 52,447 fresh, cooked, and processed (packaged) seafood products across southeast Queensland from 2110 establishments (restaurants, supermarket, takeaway shops). We investigated the species, origin and catch method of seafood products and used this information to determine their sustainability according to the Good Fish Guide developed by the Australian Marine Conservation Society. We found enough information to determine the level of sustainability for 36% (n= 18,709) of surveyed products: 4.9% were sustainable, 4.1% were classified as ‘Eat Less’, and 27% were classified as ‘Say No’. The 64% (n=33,737) of products that we could not assess was due to the lack of information at point of sale (16%) or the product was not included in the Good Fish Guide (48%). The top three most accessible sustainable products were Australian farmed barramundi, oysters and prawns. The three most common products to ‘Say No’ were Australian farmed Atlantic salmon, imported prawns and basa. We found that 44% (n= 12,040) of products listed in the Good Fish Guide were lacking origin information. Improving the labelling of species, origin, and catch method of seafood products at the point of sale, especially detailed information about a product’s origin, is essential to improving the accessibility of sustainable seafood.