The Retail Industry’s Impact of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots and Augmented-Reality Applications: An examination of trust and satisfaction of the Youth Vietnamese online shopping

As competition in the retail industry heats up, businesses are increasingly resorting to kinds of artificial intelligence (AI) to differentiate themselves. E-commerce firms are combining technologies such as AI chatbots and augmented reality applications (ARA), which have established themselves as prominent customer service solutions in the practitioner area. However, little is known about consumers’ views and participation with developing technologies when they are implemented in a retail setting. A theory-based study model was developed to elucidate the motivational factors required for effective decision-making in this environment. The proposed model was supported by empirical testing conducted as a field study.

Role of Internet of Things (IoT) in Retail Business and Enabling Smart Retailing Experiences

Internet of Things (IoT) is anticipated to be one of the primary megatrends up in innovation. Integrated with the current and upcoming mobility of digital gadgets, it offers ground to applications in numerous domains, including retail. The capability of sensors for setting applicable, customized, real-time, and intuitive communication with buyers and customers is considered to be a driving force of traffic and exchange, a facilitator of development along the way to elevate their purchasing experience. Simultaneously, IoT can serve to further develop relationships and foundations for more viable retail business and digital store management. Currently, digitally savvy customers expect an Omnichannel experience at each touchpoint. They need to track down the ideal data at the perfect time at the right location. Location-based innovation in a retail setting identifies the way that users take to arrive at specific areas of a retail store and helps upgrade the shopping experience. This is the reason the Internet of Things (IoT) is beginning to take the online business to a higher level, and will probably disrupt the conventional retail processes on a significant scale in the coming time. This paper surveys and arranges the most common applications of IoT and solutions for successful marketing at retail from the point of retailers and customers as well as from the point of manufacturers confronting framework or communication-related issues. We propose a model that demonstrates the potential that IoT has as compared to standard industry practices of retail to drive business results and gain an upper hand. In this paper, we’ve likewise talked about the new developments and new techniques for the organizations to accomplish competitive advantage brought about by the uses cases of IoT, particularly in the field of mobile sensors. Such developments are likely the most prominent factor in the coming years to make progress in the advanced economy.

Consumer Entitlement Behaviour in Confucian Culture: Empirical Findings in the Vietnamese Retail Setting

The study integrated the stimuli–organism-response (SOR) framework and the social exchange theory to explain the mechanism of consumer entitlement (CE) behavior in the retail context of Confucian culture. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were combined in this study in the form of two focus groups and a survey questionnaire (n = 465) administered in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, under the supervision of the Ho Chi Minh City Statistical Office. The results revealed that government regulation, store fairness and preferential treatment belong to stimuli dimensions that trigger CE behavior through organisms, such as trust, commitment and perceived quality. The study’s findings give empirical support to retailers to understand and look for the right strategy for controlling CE behavior in a Confucian-culture context.

Impact of Packaging Film and Beef Trimmings on Ground Beef Shelf Life

Fresh beef storage in the retail setting can be presented in a variety of packaging methods, and identifying an alternative such as vacuum packaging to current traditional methods could potentially increase shelf life and reduce meat waste. The objective of this study was to identify the influence of packaging film and lean trimming sources on fresh ground beef surface color during a simulated retail display period. There were no differences (p > 0.05) in surface color redness (a*), yellowness (b*), chroma, or hue angle regardless of packaging film or lean trimmings. However, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were greater (p < 0.05) for packages containing a greater percentage of CULL beef trimmings regardless of packaging film. In addition, pH values of ground beef packages did not differ (p > 0.05) among packaging film or lean trimming blends. Visual color did not differ (p > 0.05) throughout the simulated retail display period regardless of beef trimmings or packaging film. Microbial spoilage organisms were greater (p < 0.05) after the simulated display period. These results suggest that ground beef presented in a simulated retail setting using an alternative packaging platform, such as vacuum packaging, is plausible.

Consumer and Food Product Determinants of Food Wasting: A Case Study on Chicken Meat

Food wastage is an environmental concern worldwide, particularly regarding households. This study aims to identify household food wasting segments and to assess the relationship between both consumer and food product determinants and the identified segments. Data were collected through a consumer survey of several packaged chicken products (n = 256; 2019) in a retail setting in Belgium. Of the participants, 36% reported never wasting any chicken meat. The average waste percentages were small, 1.1–3.1%, depending on the packaged product, although they were not significantly different between products. Participants with low levels of self-reported chicken waste were significantly older, without children and/or unemployed. Moreover, their households scored better for household routines and skills. They also agreed more to intend not to waste food, experienced a stronger injunctive norm and perceived consumer effectiveness. Additionally, lower chicken product wastage was discovered for households purchasing organic products and products with both a lower food convenience grade and shorter shelf life. Some relationships between household wastage and food product determinants contrast with expectations based on literature. The cause can be that some determinants are more related to food wasting (e.g., when participants buy organic products) than others (e.g., the products’ shelf life).

Please do not disturb: the effect of Zero-Contact Marketing on Korean consumers' decision-making process

PurposeThis study examines the effectiveness of Zero-Contact Marketing that minimizes contact between employees and consumers in marketplaces by adopting an integrated research framework of motivation theory, servicescape model and the theory of reasoned action (TRA).Design/methodology/approachThis study randomly collected 314 respondents through an online survey in May 2020 in South Korea. Structural equation modeling (SEM) assessed the overall hypothetical research model.FindingsZero-Contact Marketing facilitates the positive impacts of Korean consumers' motivations (intrinsic and extrinsic) and service environment on their word-of-mouth (WOM) intention to spread information about a store offering Zero-Contact Marketing service and the store revisit intention. In addition, consumers' attitude toward Zero-Contact Marketing and shopping pleasure (SPL) has stronger impacts on consumers' WOM intention than they do on the store revisit intention.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of this study lies in that the survey participants responded only in South Korea, which may lead to biased results. To provide a more generalized insight, this study should be extended by considering consumers in other countries, since many consumers around the world tend to minimize face-to-face interaction and avoid unnecessary interruptions under the current pandemic.Practical implicationsBy minimizing the social interaction between employees and consumers, Zero-Contact Marketing may increase consumers' shopping satisfaction with free shopping moments and no disturbance, especially under the COVID-19 pandemic.Originality/valueThe findings provide theoretical contributions by empirically validating the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and service environment on consumers' internal and external responses in a Zero-Contact retail setting.

Estimating the Impact of “Humanizing” Customer Service Chatbots

In this work, we investigate how applying human-like characteristics to customer service chatbots can influence retail outcomes. This is an important managerial question as creating effective chatbot experiences through messaging platforms has proven difficult for organizations. Often, chatbot developers apply characteristics such as giving a chatbot a human name, adding humor, and so on, without knowing how these features influence end user behavior. Implementing a field experiment in collaboration with a dual channel clothing retailer based in the United States, we automate a used clothing buy-back process, such that individuals engage with the retailer's autonomous chatbot to describe the used clothes they wish to sell, obtain a cash offer, and (if they accept) print a shipping label to finalize the transaction. We provide evidence that, in this retail setting, anthropomorphism is beneficial for transaction outcomes, but that it also leads to significant increases in consumers’ sensitivity to the offer amount. We argue that the latter effect occurs because, as a chatbot becomes more human-like, consumers shift to a fairness evaluation or negotiating mindset.

Towards an Integrative Framework of Relationship Quality in a Retail Setting: Evidence from an Emerging Economy

Research question: This study aims to propose and empirically examine a relationship quality model in a grocery retail setting in Serbia. Motivation: Whereas relationship quality has been extensively studied in B2B settings and in developed economies, far less research attention has been devoted to the formation and effects of relationship quality in B2C exchange relations in developing economies. This especially holds true for Eastern Eupean emerging economies and the present research aims to fill this gap. Idea: Building upon previous research in service settings, this study proposes customer orientation as an antecedent to relationship quality, comprising relationship satisfaction, customer trust and commitment to a retailer, and attitudinal and behavioural loyalty as consequences of relationship quality. Data: The study has been performed on a convenience sample of 453 grocery retail customers in Serbia, by means of structured questionnaire. Tools: Upon supporting constructs’ validity, structural equation modelling (SEM) has been applied to examine the proposed relationships. Findings: The results of the study indicate significant direct impact of employees’ customer orientation on trust and relationship satisfaction. Commitment to a retailer and relationship satisfaction emerged as direct antecedents to attitudinal and behavioural loyalty, whereas trust emerged as an indirect determinant of loyalty constructs. In terms of total effect, relationship satisfaction emerged as the most influential determinant of both facets of customer loyalty. Contribution: The findings of the study which indicate significant indirect contribution of front-line employees’ customer orientation to attitudinal and behavioural loyalty of customers provide valuable insights for HR management of retail enterprises. In addition, by addressing relationship quality construct and its antecedents and effects in a B2C setting in thus far largely under-studied context, such as an emerging European economy, this study’s findings add to the growing body of knowledge on Relationship Marketing.

Local brand entry and incumbent variety response: evidence from the ice cream market

We investigate incumbent brands’ response to entry and increased competition in a large retail setting. We extend the nonprice competition and manufacturer stocking literatures by examining if incumbent brands increase quality, specifically increasing the number of varieties (product-line length), in response to entry of a new local brand in the ice cream market. We use the entry of a new, local, super-premium ice cream brand in a large supermarket chain as a quasi-natural experiment and empirically examine if incumbent ice cream brands increased the product-line length in stores carrying the new brand. Using Poisson difference-in-differences estimators, we find that incumbent brands increased the number of varieties offered by 0.9 (3 percent) after the new brand's entry, with most of the responses coming from super-premium ice cream, which increased the number of varieties offered by 2.9 (12 percent) product choices. These findings contribute new insights into quality changes, manufacturer stocking decisions, and nonprice competition associated with entry of a local brand into the food retail sector.

Capturing Stories of How Young Adults Experience Entry Into the Workforce: A Qualitative Research Protocol on Data Collection During the Ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic

Background: In present research protocol, the project entitled “A sustainable working life for young adults—leadership, learning, and insecurity” is presented and discussed. The study which aims to describe and analyze the expectations of young adults in the retail workforce in terms of leadership, learning and development and how these aspects can be understood from a health promotion perspective. The project is limited to young adults (18–28 years) employed in a retail setting. Methods: The project is based on qualitative data collected through focus group interviews and individual interviews made during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) in year 2020 what here will be reflected upon. Discussion: It is concluded data collection carried out during the ongoing spread of the coronavirus, may be significant to what interviewees highlighted in the interviews, but also to what was not discussed in the interviews. It may be the case that the increased focus on the coronavirus meant that other issues that are important to young adults as they establish themselves in the labor market were overshadowed.