Identification of innovative technologies for store-based retailing - An evaluation of the status quo and of future retail practices

Novel technologies and application scenarios for store-based retailing are available in a large variety. The retailers' strategic focus and willingness to invest in these innovations is unclear to a certain point. This research paper aims to identify and evaluate technologies and application scenarios for brick-and-mortar retailing from Austrian retailing businesses' perspective. Beside a literature review to get an overview of retail technologies and their fields of application, semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to ascertain the status quo and to survey the relevance of technology use in store based retailing, as well as to assess its potential in the future. Qualitative data analysis has been processed, followed by an expert workshop with interdisciplinary retail technology and retailing experts to objectively validate the primary research findings.