Author(s): Mark David Devanesan, R. Venkatesh
This study is concerned with assessing the relevance of emerging in-store retail technologies among retail conglomerates in India. The methodology consists of reviewing emerging in-store retail technologies and their utility in retail organizations, including current levels of adoption in organizational retail in India. Furthermore, the impact of retail technologies in enhancing retail footfall is evaluated based on the in-store technology infusion framework framed by Grewal, Noble, Roggeveen, & Nordfalt. The findings of the study categorize various emerging in-store technologies based on their convenience and social presence. Electronic shelf labels, smart shelves and self-checkout services increase operational efficiency, but may not increase retail footfall. Socially immersive technologies such as augmented reality (AR) applications, proximity marketing can generate higher footfall. Retail robots, virtual avatars, virtual navigtion systems are not recommended as they are not likely to increase retail footfall. In the present era, Omnichannel retail is the norm among both physical and online retailers and there is an increasing convergence of retail technologies across the industry.