Retail industry is an important part of each national economy (in some European countries even 25% of all active companies are operating in this industry). The retail industry is the most sensitive to changes in consumer behaviour. It is the industry that firstly responds to both positive and negative trends in the environment. Therefore, retailers are constantly under pressure to assess consumer satisfaction and to adjust to customer needs rapidly. The recession and the rapid technological innovation puts even greater challenges in front of contemporary retailers because consumers are more and more sensitive to prices, on one hand, and they are excessively informed, on the other hand. So it gets harder and harder to maintain competitive advantage in satisfaction of their needs. The aim of this track is to address the necessity for constant innovation and rapid knowledge creation cycles in companies in retail industry which enables fast and efficient satisfaction of consumer needs.
Topics of interest in this track are:
- Contemporary trends in consumers’ behaviour in retail purchasing process and their impact on innovation cycles in retailing companies
- Methods and models of evaluation of consumer needs with and their incorporation in retail
- Information systems – knowledge resources and their role in efficiency improvement in retailing companies
- Knowledge management systems and business intelligence applications in retail value creation process
- Justification of investments in information technology in retail
- Impact of innovations on retail productivity and efficiency
- Systems of formal or continuous education in retail management and marketing
- Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) practices in various product categories in retail
- Alternative retail formats as an answer to changed customer need
Track Chair
Blazenka Knezevic
University of Zagreb, Croatia
bknezevic@efzg.hr