Obsolescence risk in advanced technologies for retailing: A management perspective

In recent years, a great deal of research focused on the introduction of advanced technologies for making traditional stores more appealing and attractive, with several benefits for the retail process. Since the introduction of these innovative systems involves several risks that can have a negative impact on business profitability, this paper aims at investigating to what extent it is possible to reduce these risks by proposing an explorative framework for a successful risk management strategies in retail context. Key results of this research concern the importance of the risk management also for retail sector, with emphasis on the introduction/adoption decision of innovative technologies in the points of sale, with consequences for retail-oriented industries. To achieve this task, the current study synthesizes findings from several fields such as management, marketing, and computer science.

► The paper provides new framework for the obsolescence risk analysis of innovations in retailing.
► The paper discusses the importance of risk management strategies retailers while innovating.
► The paper focuses on the obsolescence risk analysis for the case of innovative immersive stores.
► Our findings would support retailers in the decision process of adopting a technical innovation.