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PurposeService robots have increasingly been utilized in retail settings, yet empirical research on how frontline employees (FLEs) might deal with this new reality remains scarce. This mixed-methods study aims to examine how FLEs expect physical service robots to impact job characteristics and affect their job engagement and well-being.Design/methodology/approachFirst, explorative interviews (Study 1; N = 32) were conducted to investigate how FLEs currently experience job characteristics and how they believe robots might impact these job characteristics and job outcomes. Next, a survey (Study 2; N = 165) examined the relationship between job characteristics that retail FLEs expect to be impacted by robots and their own well-being and job engagement.FindingsWhile the overall expectations for working with robots are mixed, retail FLEs expect that working with robots can alleviate certain job demands, but robots cannot help to replenish their job resources. On the contrary, most retail FLEs expect the pains and gains associated with robots in the workspace to cancel each other out, leaving their job engagement and well-being unaffected. However, of the FLEs that do anticipate that robots might have some impact on their well-being and job engagement, the majority expect negative effects.Originality/valueThis study is unique in addressing the trade-off between expected benefits and costs inherent to job demands-resources (JD-R) theory while incorporating a transformative service research (TSR) lens. By integrating different streams of research to study retail FLEs' expectations about working with robots and focusing on robots' impact on job engagement and well-being, this study offers new insights for theory and practice.

Experts and industry reports agree that the COVID-19 crisis spurred the adoption of new retail technologies, like mobile payment. However, empirical academic evidence that compares their adoption and usage before, during, and after the crisis remains scarce. So far, academic mobile payment research has focussed almost entirely on the different building blocks of technological acceptance models, like perceived usefulness and ease of use, and their role in explaining intention to use. We need to learn more about the profile of the actual user. In this Belgian study, we investigate the evolution in mobile adoption based on survey data from 2019 to 2020 (2019: N = 897; 2020: N = 895). We examine differences in the profile of mobile payers in terms of their socio-demographics, retail, and social media behaviours. The pandemic triggered a clear uplift in mobile payment users between 2019 to 2020. Nonetheless, striking differences in socio-demographic profile and retail patronage remain. Our data shows that there is still inequality in adoption, related to age and social grade. We also observe a clear association between general impulse buying tendency and mobile payment. The link between internet/online shopping and mobile payment is firmly established. Finally, mobile adoption is related to the use of Instagram and Facebook. Consequences for retailers, researchers and public officers are further discussed.

The announcement of beacon technology in 2013 created a wave of excitement among pioneering retailers and marketing leaders, allowing them to send location-based messages to customers in-store. However, until present, the technology has not yet established a strong foothold in retailing. The present paper adopts a multi-method approach with the objective to 1) detail its main challenges in the market and 2) enlighten scholars and practitioners on smart use cases for in-store location-based marketing. The findings of the multiple data sources (i.e. review of academic and practitioner literature, in-depth interviews with retail technology experts and focus groups with consumers) allowed the authors to infer valid conclusions, along with recommendations for future research and actionable managerial advice.

Background: So far, research investigating the effect of Social network Sites (SNS) usage and addiction on life satisfaction has been inconclusive while the evidence on problematic use shows a negative effect. In the current study, we examine the effect of Facebook usage and duration on life satisfaction by introducing Facebook addiction (negative consequence of use) in concurrence with perceived emotional value (positive consequence of use) as mediators. Method: UK Facebook users (n=551, age M = 26.1, SD = 4.8, 51% Female), participated in a online survey about Facebook use scoring Facebook time spent (TS), Facebook Activity (FA), Facebook addiction (BFAS), Satisfaction with Life (SWLS), and perceived emotional value (PEV). Our PLS-model reveals an overall significant positive total effect of TS and FA on SWLS, whereas the effect of FA is mediated by the indirect paths than run via BFAS, PEV. The effect of TS is mediated by PEV and via FA itself. It shows that the direct significant negative effect of BFAS on SWLS is compensated by the direct significant positive effects of PEV on SWLS. Conclusions: Our finding supports the view that Facebook addiction resulting from Facebook usage influences well-being negatively, but that such an effect can be compensated by positive outcomes of Facebook usage like perceived emotional value.

This study explores the effect of customers motive attributions that is, the motives customers ascribe to a retailer for introducing interactive kiosks into the store, on their expectations of the technology and usage intentions. We study two types of motive attribution: (1) to self-serve the retailer's own economic goals or (2) to better serve customers' needs. Data were collected at a do-it-yourself retailer that recently installed interactive kiosks. Empirical results demonstrate that customer-serving motive attributions improve intention to use, both via expected performance and via expected enjoyment. Our findings also demonstrate that customers expect the interactive kiosk to be less enjoyable when attributing self-serving retailer motives. Managerial implications are discussed along with direction for future research.

A great deal of research has been carried out on adoption of mobile payments, focusing on user intentions. However, little is known about the actual users and what circumstances trigger mobile payment. Mobile payment is of particular interest to retailers, as it can facilitate and thus encourage finalization of the sales transaction. In this Belgian study (N = 1792, average age = 44.3, SD = 13.3, 49% female), we take a closer look at the profile of mobile payers in terms of their socio-demographics, frequency of patronizing convenience retail channels, and social media usage, and their underlying general impulsive buying tendency before and during the COVID-19 crisis. We observed a clear uplift in users between 2019 and 2020. We further find a higher occurrence of mobile payers among younger ages and those with a higher socio-economic profile. The link between internet/online shoppers and mobile payment adoption seems to be firmly established. Our data also indicate a higher incidence of mobile payment among petrol station shoppers but not for vending or newsagent shoppers, indicating that certain convenience stores seem more suitable contexts for using mobile payments than others. Furthermore, a clear positive association was observed between general impulse buying tendency and mobile payment incidence. Finally, higher mobile payment incidences can be found amongst Facebook and Instagram users, but not amongst Twitter and YouTube users. Understanding these differences can help retailers set their digital and commercial agendas and researchers in the field of mobile payment adoption to select appropriate moderators for their models.

This study investigates shopper behavior when interacting with an employee-robot team (vs. both actors in isolation), along the metrics of the POS conversion funnel. An unobtrusive field study was conducted using video observations, evenly spread over four conditions: (1) a control condition (i.e., no stimulus), (2) a frontline employee, (3) a humanoid service robot, and (4) an employee-robot team. The results indicate that the service robot was the better option to generate attention and stop passers-by, but in this condition the least amount of passers-by were lured into the store. While the frontline employee initiated the lowest amount of interactions, he could convert the highest number of passersby into actual buyers. The robot-employee team managed to encourage the highest number of passers-by to look at the store, but did not convert more of them into actual buyers than the robot on its own.

Two main types of value have been established in the retail literature: merchandise value based on the quality and price of a store's offerings and differentiation value based on the extent of atmospheric cues in the environment. However, it is not clear what happens when a store offers both types of value to a high degree. We investigate how offering a bargain (or price cut) affects consumer responses for high and low differentiation store environments. In two studies, using a simulated store environment in a behavioural laboratory, we find that the presence of bargains in a highly differentiated store environment negatively influences store affect and, in turn, approach behaviour. This effect, however, only holds true for low familiarity stores and can be explained by processing fluency theory. Consequently, retailers focusing on store environment differentiation should reconsider their use of bargains.

Photographs are commonly used in store atmospherics research, although their ecological validity lacks conclusive support. To this end, we examine the effect of different representation media of a retail environment (i.e. one photograph, three photographs, or a real store visit) on customer experience, satisfaction, and behavioural and attitudinal loyalty. Two studies examine the robustness of our findings across low- and high-experience stores. The results show that only in the high-experience store environment, a real store visit results in a significantly higher average perceived customer experience. Moreover, the chosen representation medium affects satisfaction and behavioural loyalty in both store types. Again, a real store visit results in higher scores. Upon studying low-experience stores and/or focusing on attitudinal loyalty as the outcome variable, pictures, however, do seem to be ecologically valid. To conclude, whether it is safe to simulate a retail environment with photographs depends on the particular retail context and the outcome variables under study.

This study investigates the effectiveness of a humanoid service robot (HSR) versus a tablet service kiosk (TSK) along the stages of the point-of-sale (POS) conversion funnel. The observational data gathered by means of a field experiment show that the HSR elicited 26 times more interactions (i.e., passersby touching the screen) than the TSK and that these interactions lasted almost +50% as long. Moreover, more people looked at the store and consequently entered it when the HSR was deployed. Furthermore, more unique transactions were registered, and a higher amount was spent during the days when the HSR was present in front of the store. This study proves that implementing an HSR in the store environment is more effective than a TSK in attracting passersby and converting them into buyers.

The authors are grateful to the Journal of Global Fashion Marketing for awarding this “JGFM Achievement Certificate for High Scholarly Impact” to their 2011 “Fashion Store Personality” article. The present paper first provides a retrospective review that examines how subsequent research extended the 2011 findings. In particular, the retrospect focuses on the one hand on advancements on brand personality conceptualization and measurement. On the other hand, the review sheds light on how knowledge on self-congruity theory has increased over the past years. After looking back, this paper provides a comprehensive outlook suggesting specific directions for further research, both with respect to brand personality measurement from a methodological point-of-view, as well as concerning the advancement of brand personality and self-congruity theory building and further conceptualization.

This study has two particular research objectives: firstly, the authors complement the information that was already provided by Turley and Milliman with one extra criterion, namely the ‘representation medium’ that has been used in all the store environmental studies which were discussed in their review paper. As we will illustrate later in the chapter, these representation media range from the use of a verbal description of a particular environment, over research based on participant’ s memories of a last store visit, research based on participant’ s visualization of a last store visit, the use of one or multiple photographs, a video, up to a visit to a lab setting or a visit to an actual retail store environment. A second research objective is to ‘update’ the findings concerning the different media of representation used in research in retail stores, in time over the two decades after Turley and Milliman’ s [3] review article. While reporting on the findings of the literature review, two research questions will be addressed: namely, (1) is there any pattern or evolution noticeable in the use of several media of representation over time? and (2) can the advantages and disadvantages of these representation media offer explanations for noticeable evolutions in representation media?

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.

It is believed that due to quarantine regulations during the covid-19 crisis, more people are attracted to social media. Especially TikTok seems to be linked to this crisis, given its rise to fame during the same period. However, to date, very little is known about TikTok regarding the number of users or usage characteristics. While considered a Social Network Site (SNS) oriented toward a younger audience of kids and teens, we hypothesized that TikTok would find its way to mainstream adult audiences, given the increasing attention devoted to this particular SNS in popular media. Cross-sectional data from 2500 Belgians (age between 18–64 years old) during the covid-19 crisis in 2020 show an expanding adoption of TikTok in daily active users (DAU). Further logistic regression analyses on the number of DAU show individual differences in sociodemographic background comparing SNS Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. The adult’s resulting profile on TikTok is younger, less graduated, with a lower income, living in urban areas, and having kids. Contrary to expectations, we did not find a gender effect nor a student effect. While not yet at the level of Facebook and Instagram, TikTok succeeded to quickly gain momentum in the adult space, to a level that is reaching that of a longer-standing platform like Twitter.

The current COVID-19 pandemic and containment regulations bring unseen challenges to service organizations. The physical and social servicescape are heavily impacted by government regulations on social distancing and people’s fear of contamination. Retailing has traditionally predominantly been a ‘game of people’, yet faced with the consequences of this pandemic, our innate preference for a ‘human touch’ seems to decline. This not only boosts e-commerce but also paves the way for the accelerated adoption of technological advancements in brick-and-mortar retailing, as their perceived usefulness has increased. Retailing is steadily being infused with digital technology and these technologies could prove especially valuable in the post-pandemic ‘new normal’, preventing the erosion of the customer- and employee experience. Particular problems to be solved are, among others, managing waiting lines, disinfection, diminished interpersonal contact between customers and frontline employees, in-store crowding, less testing and touching of products, payment, and delivery. This chapter discusses what challenges COVID-19 poses to conventional (e-)servicescapes, and how technologies, ranging from augmented- and virtual reality, over robots and wireless payment, to sensory-enabling technologies for webshops, can offer solutions. Successful business applications are presented, while also considering hurdles. This chapter demonstrates how the current pandemic crisis could catalyze the digital augmentation of retailing and services.

While several past studies have measured the impact of standards on indicators such as output and productivity for a variety of countries, a quantitative analysis that focuses on Belgium has not been performed yet. Based on a dataset containing sector level data spanning 25 years (1994-2018), the authors find that, next to capital investment and the number of patents, standards make a statistically significant, positive and substantial contribution to Belgian GDP as well as to labor productivity. More specifically, one additional standard will on average increase GDP by €2.04 million per year and will increase labor productivity per person employed by €11.5. In addition, standards contribute to about 0.2% of GDP, 19% of GDP growth, and 19% of labor productivity growth.

This study examines under which circumstances customers are more likely to process in-store digital display ads. An exploratory field study is conducted (n = 296), with a between-subjects, 2 (value-expressive versus utilitarian messages) by 2 (entrance versus register location) by 2 (low versus high goal relevance) quasi-experimental design, in a retail store of horticulture-, baking- and pet supplies. The findings show that DS can appeal to both segments of customers when positioned in proximity to the register, rather than the entrance. In terms of the content displayed, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach as both types of content have different effects, depending on the shopping goal of the customer.

Most research on Social Network Sites (SNS) has focused on Facebook. Some scholars have argued to abandon the focus on a single platform in favor of studying SNS in general (GSNS). Others call for more comparative research of different SNS. With this study, we contribute to both approaches by taking a multi-cross platform approach comparing specific SNS as well as GSNS and their underlying user-profile. We obtained cross-sectional data from 5500 Belgians between 18–64 that answered a self-completed survey via quota-sampling, administered via an online panel. Logistic regression analyses on the number of daily active users (DAU) show individual differences in sociodemographic background per specific SNS use by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, as well as GSNS, confirming the concern that the focus on Facebook is a justified critique, and that insight derived from Facebook cannot necessarily be generalized to other SNS. Additionally, our results indicate that the overall indicated usage frequency by GSNS is lower than when incidence is reported for an additive measure of specific SNS as well as Facebook. Consequently, research with a focus on GSNS tends to report lower usage frequency and heavy usage incidence rates and, therefore, possibly also lower problematic usage. This suggests that users might activate an averaging response model besides an additive model when answering GSNS.

In a mature retail market, branding can offer retailers opportunities for setting themselves apart. This study examines the construct ‘brand personality appeal’ (BPA; Freling et al., 2011) in retailing. Two consumer surveys are administered, on fashion retailing (n = 104) and grocery retailing (n = 101), focusing on (1) store personality, (2) BPA, and (3) retailer brand equity. A SmartPLS estimation shows that ‘enthusiasm’ is a personality trait that appeals to consumers regardless of the retail context, whereas ‘sophistication’ matters more in fashion retailing and ‘unpleasantness’ in grocery retailing. BPA is a significant driver of retail brand equity, regardless of the retail context.

This study focuses on innovative ways to digitally instrument the servicescape in bricks-and-mortar retailing. In the present digital era, technological developments allow for augmenting the shopping experience and capturing moments-of-truth along the shopper's path-to-purchase. This article provides an encompassing inventory of retail technologies resulting from a systematic screening of three secondary data sources, over 2008–2016: (1) the academic marketing literature, (2) retailing related scientific ICT publications, and (3) business practices (e.g., publications from retail labs and R&D departments). An affinity diagram approach allows for clustering the retail technologies from an HCI perspective. Additionally, a categorization of the technologies takes place in terms of the type of shopping value that they offer, and the stage in the path-to-purchase they prevail. This indepth analysis results in a comprehensive inventory of retail technologies that allows for verifying the suitability of these technologies for targeted in-store shopper marketing objectives (cf. the resulting online faceted-search repository at www.retail-tech.org). The findings indicate that the majority of the inventoried technologies provide cost savings, convenience and utilitarian value, whereas few offer hedonic or symbolic benefits. Moreover, at present the earlier stages of the path-to-purchase appear to be the most instrumented. The article concludes with a research agenda. This research has been funded by the Digitopia and Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship Baekeland grant number 150726 (‘In search of a sustainable competitive advantage: Digitally instrumenting bricks-and-mortar retailing in Flanders’; April 2016–March 2020). The authors furthermore acknowledge Randy Lauriers for her input in the data collection process for this study and the two anonymous reviewers whose suggestions helped in further strengthening a previous version of this manuscript.

Purpose The authors present an exploratory study on the effectiveness of in-store marketing communication appeals via digital signage applying the construal level theory (CLT) in a field experiment. According to this theory, the authors hypothesize that shoppers will on the one hand respond more favorably to messages focusing on the desirability of the offering, when they are further distanced from the actual purchase decision. On the other hand, the authors expect more favorable responses toward messages containing feasibility appeals, positioned closer by to the purchase decision. The purpose of this paper is to determine appropriate location-based content for in-store proximity marketing. Design/methodology/approach A field experiment was conducted in a Belgian coffee bar, examining temporal distance effects in a natural retail/service environment. A 2×2 between-subjects experimental design is implemented (i.e. low vs high temporal distance×concrete/cost vs abstract/brand-oriented appeal), examining the impact on marketing communication effectiveness. Findings Overall, the authors find some initial support for CLT on effectiveness measures regarding purchase intentions and actual purchase, but not in terms of self-reported noticing of the screen and the ad, nor in terms of (un)aided ad recall. Research limitations/implications This experiment is a pilot study and such finds itself confronted with a limited number of observations. Originality/value The study is among the first to examine how message content (beyond price promotion) can be adapted to in-store locations.

Purpose A major factor hampering the continuing and explosive rise of e-commerce, particularly for experience goods, is the lack of tactile information that could help to reduce uncertainty in consumer purchase decision making online. The purpose of this paper is to identify the specific touch-related properties worthwhile to enable in online retailing and the type of customer value that can be provided, as well as the drivers and barriers for consumer acceptance toward touch-enabling technologies for online shopping. Design/methodology/approach By means of consumer focus groups, the authors address the research questions regarding touch-related properties, their value to consumers, and the drivers and barriers for consumer acceptance by taking into consideration two specific touch-enabling technologies. Findings The study reveals that touch-enabling technologies can provide utilitarian and hedonic value to consumers, mainly at the pre-purchase stages in the path-to-purchase. Valuable applications conceived by consumers primarily pertain to offering information on material and geometric product properties. A hurdle for consumer adoption seems to be the necessity of a dedicated output device, such as a glove. Research limitations/implications Due to the early development stage of the new technologies under investigation, this study is exploratory in nature. The findings should be validated in the future, once these technologies actually get introduced for online marketing purposes. Practical implications This study aims to raise awareness among online retailers about marketing opportunities comprised of touch-enabling technology. Originality/value The authors provide a first outlook with regard to future consumer acceptance of touch-enabling technologies in online shopping and how and when such technologies can provide consumer value.

As traditional retailers are becoming more adept at using digital technology to sustain against e-commerce retail models, digital displays are at the forefront to enable a rich digital shopping experience for their customers in-store. While previous studies have evidenced that digital signage (DS) can impact strategically relevant retail outcomes, a limitation is that the vast majority of the messages are not adapted to their audience. Therefore, one of the major challenges contemporary DS applications face is not to overwhelm customers with information not relevant to them. In response, there is a new wave of DS that allows for interacting with and adapting the content to people passing by the screen(s). The growth of interactive and intelligent DS presents a fresh set of opportunities, but also challenges in terms of ethical concerns and legal restrictions, that this chapter further explores. Learning Outcomes Innovative technologies, such as DS, can engage different human senses and play an important role in enhancing the store atmosphere. The majority of DS networks feature content that is generic and is rarely tailored to the audience passing by the screens. As a result, digital displays are often ignored. DS coupled with sensors and Artificial Intelligence allow for more relevant and personalized experiences. Relevance through personalization can help retailers overcome display blindness, but challenges in terms of legal restrictions and ethical concerns exist to unlock its potential. Nontouch interaction technologies, such as voice assistants, gesture controls, facial recognition, and augmented reality, present new ways of interacting with digital screens.

This chapter provides a literature overview on service robots in retailing and their impact on customers. Our search stems from a Scopus database search, resulting in 18 relevant studies (2009–2019). Current research trends are discussed and future research opportunities are provided. Learning Outcomes Service robots (SRs) in retail is an emerging topic for both scholars and practitioners. Most of the studies are performed in the field using observational methods. To date, there is a lack of using uniform frameworks in order to fully understand customer–robot interactions. The dark side of robots in retail is still an underexplored area.

International audience; This study investigates the effect of the servicescape's ambient, design, and social factors on customer irritation and satisfaction, focusing particularly on the moderating effects of shopping motives and involvement. Across four retail sectors with variations in involvement (i.e., high vs. low) and shopping motives (i.e., utilitarian or hedonic), consumer surveys were conducted at the exits of grocery, electrical appliances, home decoration, and fashion retailing stores (n = 669). SmartPLS analyses reveal that poorly managed social servicescape factors are the most irritating, and customers' irritation in turn decreases satisfaction, particularly in high-involvement settings. In low-involvement settings, design elements matter relatively more. Furthermore, while social factors prevail as drivers of irritation in utilitarian settings, ambient elements matter more in hedonic contexts. This study is one of the few to focus on servicescape-induced negative affect, allowing managers to prioritize atmospherics in their quest to minimize customer irritation, depending on the particular service sector.

Despite the growing interest in waiting perception management, no study has yet explored how environmental distracters in retailing waiting areas influence overall store satisfaction. This field experiment revealed that digital signage mounted at the checkout area of a grocery store positively influenced overall store satisfaction by distracting shoppers from monitoring queuing time. The presence of a digital signage system reduced the perceived waiting time while also creating favorable waiting experiences. However, only the latter influenced store satisfaction. This research highlights the importance of creating favorable waiting experiences.