The retail industry is changing rapidly, and it is technology that will change it irrevocably this coming century. Automation, sophisticated marketing and store design, anti-theft and loss prevention techniques, and many more topics make this book an ideal compendium of tech deployed in retail spaces throughout North America. Potential store employees bound for after-school or summer jobs, or even a career in retail, will benefit from this book's analysis and predictions. Advice for job seekers and handy information about industry trends and statistics make this book a go-to resource.

The modern retail system has worked to dazzling effect. From the 19th century, store owners emerged from small beginnings to set in train an industry that has seen some operators become nationally, even globally, dominant. Along the way, they turned retailing into an art, and then a science. Now retailers in emerging markets appear to be repeating the story all over again, except on a scale and at a speed beyond anything we have seen before. Given all of this, it can be hard for those who work in retailing to accept that the industry as we know it is living on borrowed time, on the brink of transformation. There is now an urgency with which conventional store-based retailers must now act and the extent of the challenges this change represents in strategic, organizational, and above all, technological terms. Reshaping Retail sets out the driving causes, current trends and consequences of a transformation in retail triggered by technology. The changes go far beyond making items available for sale on the internet. Starting by briefly setting the historical and business system contexts for retail and describe the role that technology has played in the creation of modern retail it then explains the underlying technological drivers behind the current revolution – radical changes in the capacity of both hardware and software, mobile telecommunications changes and the advances of the Internet. Ultimately, success will hinge on more than competence; it will come down to a way of thinking. Customer-centricity will need to be valued not just by the store owner, as in the past, but also by all employees in the organization. It will need to become embedded in their daily tasks. The same applies to technology, which must be at the center of the organization and recognized as such by everyone. With a combination of extensive desk and field research, interviews with leading retailers and technologists, together with the real world experience of practitioners in this area, Reshaping Retail will inspire and help store retailers to make the necessary transformation now to win in the new consumer driven world.

The apparel retail industry is one of the largest employers in the United States and has experienced vast changes since the first department stores appeared in the 1800s. Employment as a retail salesperson was long considered a rewarding career choice for people who enjoyed interacting with customers. However, research showed that perceptions of retail as a career choice and the satisfaction of shoppers were on the decline. Low levels of employee job satisfaction and customer service ratings for retail employees, as well as negative perceptions of retail as a career provided an opportunity for the introduction of hybrid technology interfaces. These interfaces could support employees in their work, improve customer service and provide additional experience and knowledge for purposes of retail employee career development. This study examined apparel retail employees and the factors that influenced their intention to adopt three different hybrid technology interfaces representing emerging technologies for the apparel retail industry: a body scanner, product configurator and social networking. The Technology Acceptance Model served as a theoretical framework for evaluating employees' behavioral intention to use the three emerging technologies. A laboratory setting with examples of the three technologies was used to test apparel retail employee reactions and data were collected using a questionnaire. The results showed that the usefulness of the technology was a main influence on behavioral intention for all three types. Conceptual frameworks based on the Experience Economy and the retail store as a theater space for staging experiences, rather than services were also used to evaluate future applications of technology inside clothing stores as part of customer and employee service interactions. Participant responses to openended questions provided additional insight into the capacity of technologies to support employee work and develop skills and knowledge for future job positions. A career path for possible new job roles associated with technology adoption and a future retail store concept are presented as well as implications of study findings for retailers.

Discover the new realities of working in the post-digital era of consumer brand and retail marketing. In Redefining Retail: 10 Guiding Principles for a Post-Digital World, renowned international marketers Prof. Philip Kotler and Dr. Giuseppe Stigliano deliver a timely and insightful examination of retail and consumer brand marketing. In the book, you’ll find practical and concrete techniques for redefining your organisation’s internal operations and processes, as well as its business strategy. You’ll rethink the entire value chain as you consider the growing importance of sustainability, diversity and inclusion, working policies, and more. The authors describe ten critical principles that should guide the actions of your company, whether you work with a startup, an SME, or a large, established organization. They also discuss: The main challenges retailers face in a world that’s been fundamentally transformed by the digital revolution. How to future-proof your marketing strategy, including 10 guiding principles for a new customer experience at retailers and consumer brands. The opportunities and threats of creating a seamless customer journey in the physical, digital, and virtual realms. Perfect for managers, entrepreneurs, consultants, and investors in both the B2B and B2C sectors, Redefining Retail: 10 Guiding Principles for a Post-Digital World will also prove invaluable to students of management, marketing and business administration, as well as anyone with an interest in the evolution of commerce.

Information Technology for Retail is a concise yet comprehensive book for students pursuing post- and under-graduate courses in retail management. The book elaborates functions and sub functions of retailing. These form the main part of retail operations and are being facilitated by IT these days. Beginning with the basics of information technology and information systems, the book goes on to elaborate on the hardware and software of e-point of sales, automatic identification and data capture, database management systems, network and telecommunication. It discusses retail servicescape and types of retailers, modern electronic payment systems, enterprise resource planning systems and their functions and features in the retail context. It also covers applications of supply chain management and customer relationship management, electronic commerce--e-tailing, emerging technologies like mobile computing, m-commerce, global positioning systems, and also various retail IT products and vendors. The book illustrates the theories with practical retail scenario examples. This book will be useful for retail students and also for professionals working in retail businesses.

New computer and communications technologies have acted as the catalyst for a revolution in the way goods are produced and services delivered, leading to profound changes in the way work is organized and the way jobs are designed. This important book examines the nature, setting and impact of new technologies on work, organization and management. Conventional debates about new technology often invoke optimistic visions of enhanced democracy, rising skills and economic abundance; others predict darker scenarios such as the destruction of jobs through labour-eliminating devices. This book proposes an alternative perspective, arguing that technology can be powerful, but in and of itself has no independent causal powers. It considers the impact of new technologies on manufacturing, clerical, administrative and call centre employment, in both managerial and professional arenas, and introduces the growing phenomena of telework. The book also assesses the important political and economic forces that restrict or facilitate the flow of new technologies on national and global levels. New Technology @ Work is an illuminating and thought-provoking text that will prove invaluable to all serious students of business, management and technology.

A research-backed clarion call to CEOs and managers, making the controversial case that good, well-paying jobs are not only good for workers and for society--they're good for business, too.