| 1. |
- Hagberg, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Nordic retail research : An introduction
- 2012
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Ingår i: Nordic Retail Research: Emerging Diversity. - : BAS Publishers. - 9789172463110 ; , s. 19-32
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A presentation of retailing in the Nordic countries together with an introduction to the anthology and the co-authors.
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| 2. |
- Ericsson, Dag, et al.
(författare)
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Value Innovation and Demand Chain Management : keys to future success in the fashion industry
- 2012
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Ingår i: Nordic Textile Journal. - : CTF. - 1404-2487. ; 1, s. 83-90
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Value innovation is a key in developing competitive advantage in most industries. Value innovation is both related to the physical products and accompanying value-adding services. Logistics has evolved from an order qualifier – that is a necessity – to an order winner. Increased focus on the consumer and co-creation with the consumer as a vital partner lead to alignments and rethinking of the channel structure. The supply chain evolves into a demand chain! Deeper knowledge about the why, how, and when of consumer buying behaviour is a main ingredient in demand chain thinking, and the starting point in designing and developing segmented demand chains in the fashion market. These chains are built on partnership and trust oriented relationships. The game of power is increasingly replaced by the game of trust. This is a necessity when the competition shifts from rivalry between companies to rivalry between chains. In this position paper we discuss visions of the fashion future, and how to develop innovative concepts that deliver added value to the consumer. The “old school” of distribution economy, and the concept of convenience, are the basic theoretical grounds, and we argue that innovations could be reached when investing in consumer insights and closer relationships in the demand chain.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Lindberg, Ulla, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Consumer perception and behavior in the retail foodscape – A study of chilled groceries
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. - : Elsevier BV. - 0969-6989 .- 1873-1384. ; 40, s. 1-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the retail grocery business, new competitors such as pure e-commerce players are growing fast, and, in order to compete, ‘brick and mortar’ stores such as supermarkets need to become more professional at providing excellent customer service, and to use the physical servicescape as the main competitive advantages. However, supermarkets also face a challenge to offer consumers high quality products while at the same time providing a pleasant and functional servicescape. Products like groceries often need to be stored in cabinets due to strict regulations and in order to maintain correct temperatures. Some of these cabinets have doors which make them more energy-efficient (Evans et al., 2007 ; Faramarzi et al., 2002), reduces costs, and contributes to grocery quality, but it can also affect the perceived servicescape, and risk a negative impact on sales (Waide, 2014; Kauffeld, 2015). For example, moisture from the atmosphere that condenses on the inside of the door glass (Fricke and Bansal, 2015) may make the cabinets less transparent, and doors can obstruct consumers from passing by. Thus, having chilled groceries in cabinets with doors can be both beneficial and problematic. However, no studies have been conducted on how open (no doors) or closed (with doors) cabinets for chilled groceries impact consumer perception and behavior. Hence, the purpose of the study is to contribute to an understanding of how consumers behave and what they perceive when shopping chilled groceries from cabinets with doors and without doors in the supermarket.Based on a qualitative research approach, combining in-store observations and focus group interviews, and focusing on Bitner's (1992) three environmental variables in the servicescape, i.e. (1) ambient condition, (2) space and functions, and (3) signs, symbols and artifacts, the study investigates the question: do open or closed cabinets for chilled groceries in the supermarket impact consumer perception and behavior, and if so, how?Our results indicate that consumers’ behavior and perceptions of the foodscape differ when there are doors or no doors on the cabinets. The paper thereby contributes to servicescape research by focusing on a particular part of supermarkets – the foodscape for chilled groceries–and by enhancing the understanding of environmental variables in the servicescape. The results further show how doors lead to different forms of approach or avoidance behavior in terms of accessibility and that consumers’ vision, olfaction and tactility all influence consumers’ perceptions of freshness and cleanliness in relation to doors or no doors. Our results also have practical implications for retailers who are designing new stores or considering changes in existing store layouts.
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| 5. |
- Sundström, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Convenience and E-retail Consumers in China and Sweden
- 2012
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The dream of 1,3 billion customers has now entered the online phase. After a slow start, the number of online shoppers in China has started to accelerate. The estimates are that there are some 450 million Internet users in China today (Muncaster, 2012; Xinhua, 2012, BCG 2011) but the estimates of the number of online shoppers range from 150 million (Kearney, 2012) to the recent estimates made by PWC of that indicates that 70% of the Chinese internet users are also shopping online. Considering that the growing middle class is expected to reach 800 million by 2015 and the recently revealed plans to subsidise high-speed Internet access also in rural areas , the Boston Consulting Group projects that China will be able to surpass the US to become the largest e-commerce market in the world by that same time, which might lead to wonder if retailers are missing China’s e-commerce boom. Like always, in order to avoid missing a market opportunity, the need for knowledge about the why, how, and when of consumer buying behavior is a main ingredient. We believe the first question of “why” (Chinese consumers sometimes buy from the Internet) is a good starting point. In a survey made by the Acquity Group that covered 1000 respondents in 150 Chinese cities three main reasons for why Chinese engage in e-commerce was outlined (Indvik, 2012) namely greater product selection, the ability to compare prices and, finally, convenience. However, the meaning of convenience in the context of e-commerce contains different meanings. Previous studies made in Sweden have shown that a convenient e-commerce purchase differs according to the buying situation and customer motives. Sometimes e-customers want to save time and energy, sometimes they search for a greater supply of products, and sometimes they want to be anonymous (Sundström, 2007). The objective in this paper is thus to make an initial study in order to create an understanding of how Chinese e-commerce customers perceive the concept of convenience. The empirical data presented is collected with a qualitative approach, using drawings which are analyzed. The sample comes from both Chinese and Swedish consumers based on the mission to “draw a picture of how they thought of the Internet store in terms of convenience”. The methodology using drawings come from the design field (Yi-Luien Do et al., 2000) and from the field of psychiatry (Wojaczynska-Stanek et al., 2008). To supplement the drawings group interviews with Chinese consumers. The convenience illustrations are analysed with the help of a theoretical framework based on prior academic literature on retail store convenience, and existing literature on e-convenience, benefits of convenience, convenience in the context of technological innovations, and convenient decision making. Results indicate that great product selection and the possibility to compare prices were important to the Chinese consumers but that the time factor was of outmost important both to female and male respondents. Considering the traffic in central cities and the distance between home/workplace to the shops are time consuming. The structure of the retail market also makes shopping time consuming since the traditional markets are often divided by industry, which means that you buy cloths in one area and consumer technology in another. It also shows how shopping online is a more social occurrence since the respondents gather up around the computer to buy together and to discuss the purchase. The paper ends with a discussion on how knowledge about consumer-convenience could contribute when performing empirical studies focusing on how consumers perceive the use of self-service-technologies in a Chinese retail setting.
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| 6. |
- Anita, Radon, et al.
(författare)
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Adding Value through In-store Self-Service Technology in Retailing
- 2016
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- IntroductionTechnology-facilitated transactions have become an increasing part of retail encounters and customers, in some instances, are interacting with technology more than firm employees to create service encounters. Acceptance and adaption of new technology in store is dependent on several factors such as personality. Previous studies (Demirkan & Spohrer, 2014) suggest that product information and search process in store can be supported with the help of digital technology. It is suggested the infusion of technology can enhance service encounters by making them more expedient and efficient and thus, satisfying (Bitner, Ostrom, and Meuter 2002; Meuter et al. 2000). Giebelhausen et.al. (2014) suggest that the interplay between frontline technology use and service encounter evaluations may be more complex than it seems, and it is also suggested that technology-enriched retail environments affects relations between consumers, employees, and retailers (Pantano, and Migliarese, 2014).Academic literature has very much focused on the interpersonal dynamics of service-encounters (Bettencourt and Gwinner 1996; Bitner, Booms, and Tetreault 1990; Fischer, Gainer, and Bristor 1997; Goodwin 1996; Hartline and Ferrell 1996) that has extensively been explored, but to a lesser extent has research investigated customer interactions with technological interfaces (Bitner, Brown, and Meuter 2000; Dabholkar 1996). In their extensive exploration of a wide range of SSTs Meuter et.al. (2000) called for further research examining what motivates people to use an SST, how people would go about learning their role as it relates to interacting with an SST, and also what factors that limit perceived ability to interact with SSTs.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value added by retail in-store self service technology for consumers. Important aspects of the SST interaction include the perceived service, the purchase intentions and interaction with the sales personnel.Experimental design and methodologyDepending on their complexity, certain products are perceived as more difficult to buy than others. Within a retailing context complexity dimensions regarding products is not so often heard of, however, many customers perceive products as difficult. This is due to the fact that consumption of the product is important and mistakes are often made. In a research program within the University of Borås and Swedish Institute for Innovative Retailing, the Academic environment gather retailers that strive to innovate and help raise customer perceived value in the fixed store setting. While significant investments in innovative technology systems such as self-scanning, mobile platforms or digital payment methods, continue to transform the customer’s experience it also help retailers being more effective. One of the Swedish retailers (a large retail chain within home textiles) wanted to develop a new tool for customers in store, helping them to decide on what product to buy. The system developer connected to the research institute programmed an IT-pilot designed to help customers decide the right product, with the help of a decision tree-model. Products chosen to be a part of the decision tree were pillows and duvets/covers. For most people this may sound like an easy product to choose, but studies made within SIIR contradict this opinion, showing that these kind of products are perceived as very difficult to decide upon. You need to know how your pillow must be in terms of filling, material, size etc. You also need to know how warm your cover should be compared to how you sleep at night and how the temperature is in your bedroom among other things. The IT-pilot was programmed into a touch-screen based self-service computer station, and the layout was made according to the retailer’s format and colour.The overall design of the field study was a structured three day in-store experiment with a touch-screen based self-service device aiming for three groups of respondents. These were 1) loyalty card members 2) voluntary participants in the SIIR survey registry and 3) Walk-in customers. The respondent were either assigned to the SST-based IT-pilot, or the sales clerk, to simulate a purchase in a real retail environment. When the respondents had selected and located the chosen merchandise the mock purchase was interrupted, and the structured interviews were conducted. The IT-pilot was a computer with touch screen, where a software prototype of a SST-program was installed. The customers made choices on the screen and the software gave them appropriate recommendations based on a hierarchy of choices the customer made on the touch screen. The IT-pilot was placed centered on a wall, by duvets and pillows. When the customer had gotten a recommendation from the IT-pilot they searched for the item of preference in the store, without help from sales personnel. The simulated purchase was concluded and the respondents were asked questions from a questionnaire with different design depending on whether the respondent had experienced a SST-encounter or a sales clerk encounter. Two research assistants, collecting the data and reporting it to the researchers in the study, performed the questionnaires. The research design was experimental in the sense that the respondent never actually performed a real purchase; they were invited and asked to participate in a fictional purchase, going through the different phases in the purchasing process. Total sample in the experiment was 78 customers contributing to the data set.ResultsThe average respondent in the study was a woman 47.1 years-old. Two respondents were male, thus reflecting the age and sex of the store’s targeted segment. Most respondents were relatively frequent visitors to the retail chain. 75.6 of the population visit a store one to two times every month, indicating an interest in the category. Less than 4% were highly infrequent visitors. Some used the internet regularly, but mobile platforms were seldom used, indicating a low internet maturity in the population.When asked how they perceived the importance of personal service, a majority of the respondents claimed it was high. However, the willingness to pay for better service was low. The self-stated computer literacy was high but their experience and willingness to use the internet retail options was low. The respondents were reluctant to try the SST-device, or at least hesitating, however, when educated they wanted to test the service. When asked which service was the best, the sales clerk or the SST, they preferred pre-purchase information sources such as employee encounters, and signs (including hang tags).The expected service level at the fixed store setting was high or very high before the experiments were carried out. Both the sales clerk and the SST, proving that both SST and sales personal delivered customer perceived value, fulfilled these expectations. The service experience, information quality and the match with preference were very good with the sales clerk. The SST received a somewhat lower rating compared to the personal encounter. The likelihood that the subject would actually purchase the product was slightly higher for the respondents who received service from sales personnel.Even if the recommended product is a good match for the customers’ preferences, we cannot conclude that there will be a purchase to finalize the sale. The product may not be important enough, or it can be difficult to find in the store. The product category in our experiment was considered very important by both the group serviced by the sales clerk and the SST group. However, those serviced by the sales clerk stated it was easier to locate the shelf where the recommended item was located, and to locate it n the shelf, than the group serviced byDiscussion and ConclusionsThe study shows that customers perceive the SST as both simple and logical with a good layout and as a good basis for decision making. This is in line with previous research that suggests that customers can perceive an added value if SST is present in-store. Given the results it is also indicated that acceptance for SST such as the IT-pilot in this case is dependent upon both outcome and expectations. Customers in this study, who are customers of the home textile company that was the setting require high service but are not willing to pay for the higher service level. Their focus is on value for them personally as customers (i.e. price and service related to price), more than the ultimate shopping experience. It was also revealed that the SST-based IT-pilot used in this study was best utilized when used in combination with personal selling and was most appreciated when the store was very busy. This indicating that consumers appreciate having the option of customizing their own service experience given the variables of time, access to sales personnel and readiness and willingness to use SST devices. Further research should view the combination of SST and personal service in order to view consumer choice of medium for service encounters, particularly when purchasing so called complex products. Methodologically further research should view the results when a SST device is placed in-store and respondents are not invited to an experiment but interview after having used the device uninitiated by researchers.ReferencesBettencourt, Lance and Kevin Gwinner (1996), “Customization of the Service Experience:The Role of the Frontline Employee,” International Journal in Services Industry Management, 7 (2), 2–20.Bitner, MJ. and Mary Stanfield Tetreault (1990), “The Service Encounter: DiagnosingFavorable and Unfavorable Incidents,” Journal of Marketing, 54 (January), 71–84.Bitner M.J., Brown S.W., Meuter M.L., (2000) Technology Infusion in Service Encounters,Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 28, n. 1, pp. 138-149.Bitner M.J., Ostrom A.L., Meuter M.L., (2002) Implemen
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| 7. |
- Balkow, Jenny, et al.
(författare)
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Produktinformation i butiken
- 2014
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Det här är en studie om konsumenters behov av produktinformation i butik. Vi har testat konsumenters kännedom om QR-koder och deras intention att vilja använda QR-koder i fysiska butiker. Rapporten redogör för resultaten från intervjuer av butikskunder samt ett experiment där respondenterna har fått scanna en QR-kod med fördjupad produktinformation. De viktigaste resultat som framkommit är: • Kännedomen om QR-koder som fenomen är hög, men användningen eller benägenheten att använda dem i fysiska butiker är låg • I de fall då konsumenter kan tänka sig att använda QR-koder i butik anser åldersgruppen 12-40 år att man kan göra det om man får relevant och fördjupad produktinformation. Konsumenter över 40 år kan bara tänka sig att använda QR-koder om man får en rabatt eller prissänkning. Utifrån dessa resultat har följande kunskaper erhållits • Det finns en potential i att erbjuda kunder produktinformation i butik med hjälp av digital teknik. Främst därför att det ger ett kundvärde men också för att det underlättar för butiksmedarbetare när det är mycket kunder i butiken. • Att erbjuda digitala informationsverktyg kräver dock att konsumenterna ”undervisas” i hur man gör samt erhåller ett verkligt värde i form av trovärdig och konsumentnyttig information. • I ett övergångsskede kan konsumenter erbjudas någon form av rabatt eller prissänkning för att få dem att börja använda informationskanalen.
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| 8. |
- Brante, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Profession och vetenskap : idéer och strategier för ett professionslärosäte
- 2009
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Förord av Björn Brorström, Prorektor Högskolan i Borås Ett professionslärosäte bedriver utbildning och forskning på vetenskaplig grund. Vetenskapliga metoder tillämpas och framkomna resultat prövas för att säkra tillförlitlighet och relevans. Förmågan att problematisera, formulera frågor och välja lämpliga metoder för att besvara frågor är egenskaper för god forskning och utmärkande för en stark utbildnings- och forskningsmiljö. Vid ett professionslärosäte finns samtidigt en stark strävan efter att i utbildning och forskning ta till vara den kunskap och de erfarenheter som professioner besitter och därigenom säkra en hög grad av praktisk relevans. Växelverkan mellan teori och praktik och erfarenhetsutbyte mellan forskare och praktiker är ständigt pågående. Det finns ingen avslutning på processen utan den pågår utan avbrott. En nödvändig förutsättning för ett fruktbart samarbete är en ömsesidig respekt och vilja att stödja och ifrågasätta varandra. Forskaren måste vara beredd på kritik för bristen på praktisk relevans och professionsföreträdaren måste vara beredd på att förtrogenhetskunskapens lämplighet ifrågasätts. Det är en fråga om med- och mothåll från båda håll i syfte att långsiktigt utveckla teori och praktik. Det är en utmaning att utveckla, etablera och därefter kontinuerligt försvara och förbättra professionslärosätet. Ett led i utvecklingen är att inom ramen för Högskolan i Borås föra en debatt om innebörden av ett professionslärosäte och vad vi behöver göra för att förbättra verksamheten. På uppdrag av rektor Lena Nordholm har medarbetare vid Bibliotekshögskolan utvecklat och ansvarat för en seminarieserie benämnd Profession och vetenskap. Seminarierna spände över ett brett fält. En av många viktiga frågor som diskuterades flitigt var huruvida vi ska forska om professioner, i för eller med, eller kanske alltihop samtidigt. Bidragen publiceras nu i denna antologi som ges ut inom ramen för Högskolan i Borås rapportserie Vetenskap för profession. Rapporten Profession och vetenskap – idéer och strategier för ett professionslärosäte, som redigerats av universitetsadjunkt Maria Lindh, kommer att få stor betydelse inom lärosätet och i vårt samarbete med företrädare för näringsliv, kulturliv och offentlig verksamhet. Jag ser det som en intressant fortsättning att anordna ett antal seminarier med inbjudna representanter för professioner där artiklarna i denna rapport kan ligga till grund för erfarenhetsutbyte och diskussioner.
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| 9. |
- Egels-Zanden, Nicklas, et al.
(författare)
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Handelns digitalisering - Undran inför framtidens affärer
- 2016
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Samlingsverk (redaktörskap) (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Handeln har länge kretsat kring det personliga mötet där den fysiska butiken – affären – har spelat en betydande roll för hur affärer görs. När handeln nu digitaliseras väcks en rad frågor om hur framtidens affärer kommer att se ut. I boken problematiseras och diskuteras handelns digitalisering med utgångspunkt i den fysiska butiken. Vidare behandlas vad som skapar värde för affären och affärerna utifrån teman om konsumenter, format, varuflöden, transparens och organisering. Med exempel från bland annat ICA, IKEA och Nudie Jeans lyfter författarna fram funderingar och tolkningar om vad digitaliseringen innebär för handeln och framtidens affärer – i dubbel bemärkelse.
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| 10. |
- Forsgren, Olov, et al.
(författare)
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Experiences from setting up an Internet Shopping Collaboratory
- 2007
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Ingår i: Expanding the Knowledge Economy: Issues, Applications, Case Studies. Volume 4, Part 1.. - Amsterdam : IOS Press. - 9781586038014 ; , s. 850-857
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In today’s business there is a clear need to find innovative procedures regarding product- or service development where several stakeholders meet in the same arena. An unresolved quest, however, is how such an arena could be set up and which activities to perform. This paper describes experiences from establishing such an arena, called an Internet Shopping Collaboratory (ISC). The ISC assembled researchers, practitioners, consumers, and solution providers in refining ideas to new products aimed to a future e-market. The basic idea has been to apply a co-design approach. The paper outlines why the ISC project did not work and lessons that were learnt. In the paper we make equivalent comparisons from the characteristics of the evolving ISC to the Living Lab concept. A focus on content was found vital for getting the different stakeholders engaged in the collaboratory. The case described uses an ideal scenario technique and applies a co-design approach.
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