Triggers of consumers' enhanced digital engagement and the role of digital technologies in transforming the retail ecosystem during COVID-19 pandemic

Evaluating customer perspectives on omnichannel shopping satisfaction in the fashion retail sector

The effective implementation of omnichannel commerce can fundamentally alter how consumers shop online. This study attempted to understand Thai consumers' omnichannel fashion retail purchasing activities. The objectives of the study were to investigate the determinants shaping omnichannel customer experiences within the fashion retail industry and to examine the impact of omnichannel customer experiences on customer satisfaction within the Thai retail industry. The research utilized the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to analyze the effects of omnichannels on purchasing behaviors and levels of satisfaction of consumers. The study employed a survey research design, applying simple random sampling to select 509 respondents with omnichannel shopping experience in the clothing and fashion. The respondent data was analyzed using structural equation modeling utilizing the Amos software version 24. Analyzing the results revealed a significant correlation between omnichannel shopping and customer satisfaction in fashion retail shopping. Perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment, integrated promotions, integrated customer service, and integrated transactions were all found to influence omnichannel experiences favorably. The findings suggest that fashion retailers prioritize customer satisfaction by enhancing their omnichannel experiences through better coordination and synchronization of their different customer service channels.

Digital transformation, technological innovation, and operational resilience of port firms in case of supply chain disruption

To investigate how the digital transformation of port firms improves their operational resilience, we design methods to measure their digital transformation grade (DTG), technological innovation capacity (TIC), and port operational resilience (POR) respectively. Based on 3586 samples retrieved from 334 Chinese port firms from 2011 to 2021, their relationships are statistically described and preliminarily regressed by an ordinary least-squares model and a fixed-effect model. After testing the effects of supply chain disruption, endogeneity, and robustness, we reveal that digital transformation improves firms' competitiveness and operational resilience by coordinating human resources, information, and technology. We confirm that TIC plays an intermediate role and an adverse event has an enhancement effect. An inverted-U curve between DTG and POR proves that port firms often suffer growing pains at the initial stage and their POR will be promoted by continuous digital inputs, but the leading port firms would gain fewer marginal benefits.

COVID-19 research in management: An updated bibliometric analysis

The unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on the global economy as well as on the academic literature. Since early 2020, management researchers have made exceptional efforts to extend our understanding of the pandemic's effect on consumption, sourcing, the workplace, and corporate strategies. The present study uses a bibliometric design to analyze the extensive database of COVID-19 studies in management literature generated over a 2-year period. The analysis focused on the performance of research constituents, thematic analysis of the literature, categorization of the themes at a societal, organizational, and individual level, and finally, a deep analysis of future research calls in the body of literature.

What Do We Know and What Do We Need to Know about COVID-19’s Implications on Business Economics? From Bibliometric Analysis to a Conceptual Framework

This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of COVID-19-related research in business economics. The current status of research on economic management in COVID-19 is shown through descriptive statistics. The corresponding knowledge maps are obtained based on keyword clustering analysis, and research topics of interest to Chinese and foreign readers are identified. This paper finds that the impact of COVID-19 on business economics is mainly manifested in six major themes, namely COVID-19 and crisis management, COVID-19 and supply chain, COVID-19 and digitalization, COVID-19 and economic development, COVID-19 and organizational management, and COVID-19 and sustainable development. Based on these research foundations, this paper proposes a research framework for economic management under the influence of COVID-19. It describes the current research status, research directions, and future topics of six key research themes from macro, meso, and micro perspectives, to provide a knowledge base for research and practice in the field of economic management in the post-pandemic era.

Integrating Retail into an Urban Data Platform from a Stakeholder Perspective: Network Approaches in Leipzig (Germany)

Growth rates in e-commerce, changing consumer behaviors, and COVID-19 have all put pressure on local retailers worldwide, threatening the resilience of city centers. Local online platforms (LOPs) have been considered as a solution to help local retailers increase their visibility and survive on the market. However, most platforms fail to attract a significant number of stakeholders. Simultaneously, digital platform solutions with more holistic urban perspectives, such as urban data platforms (UDPs), have emerged. However, a question remains: how can the integration of retail data (e.g., product availabilities) into a UDP succeed? Therefore, in this paper, we explore stakeholder-oriented networking processes to integrate local retail data into a UDP in Leipzig, Germany. Leipzig has increased its population by 26% since 2000, but presents the highest retail vacancy rate, compared to other major German cities. To investigate the networking process in Leipzig, we conduct a social network analysis which combines qualitative interviews, mapping, and ethnographic research. We interview ten stakeholders and uncover conflicts within the networking process: First, all stakeholders have different understandings of UDPs and how to integrate local retail data; second, the interviewees acknowledge the importance of, but none of them feel responsible for, initiating or managing the process; and third, the city administration has shown diverging interest, in terms of taking on more responsibility.

Do or Die? The Effects of COVID-19 on Channel Integration and Digital Transformation of Large Clothing and Apparel Retailers in Spain

COVID-19 has undeniably impacted the retail industry sectors; we are now witnessing the emergence of a large body of research on the effects of the pandemic in retailing. However, few of these studies provide a clear picture of this topic from prior to and after COVID-19. This research sheds light on whether large retailers have adapted their channels by offering integrated and digital services amid the new conditions forced on them. This study assesses indicators of channel integration and digital transformation of all large clothing and apparel retailers in Spain—before and after COVID-19—and analyzes the differences by means of McNemar’s test and one-way repeated-measures ANOVA. The analysis suggests that large retailers were moderately prepared to provide multichannel and omnichannel services and that they focused on integrating quick and easy-to-implement services, such as omnichannel gift cards, or communicating via WhatsApp for customer care services. The study also identifies elements in which large clothing brands should prioritize on after the pandemic to effectively deploy omnichannel strategies.

The Impact of Consumer Purchase Behavior Changes on the Business Model Design of Consumer Services Companies Over the Course of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound psychological and behavioral impact on people around the world. Consumer purchase behaviors have thus changed greatly, and consumer services companies need to adjust their business models to adapt to this change. From the perspective of consumer psychology, this paper explores the impact of consumer purchase behavior changes over the course of the pandemic on the business model design of consumer services companies using a representative survey of 1,742 individuals. Our results show that changes in consumer purchase behavior have a significant impact on the design of consumer services firms' business models. Specifically, changes in consumers' purchase object, motive, and timeframe are more likely to spark a novelty-centered business model design, whereas changes in purchase method tend to inspire an efficiency-centered one. Our findings provide a theoretical reference for consumer services companies in designing business models when faced with unexpected crises.

Novel Insights in the Leadership in Business and Economics: A Post-Coronavirus Update

Our world is evolving at an incredibly enormous speed and what was impossible three years ago is now a reality. The concept of leadership and leaders has also undergone profound transformations. Moreover, the recent COVID-19 pandemic caused a digital surge in the ways economic life, business, or education are perceived or conducted. The pandemic proved that small and large businesses, industries, and the whole economies can be suddenly upended by massive technological shifts. Hence, there is a need for a theoretical research update in leadership in business and economics that would bring new insights into this topic and define its place within the context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our paper presents the novel insights for the leaders and the leadership concept in business and economics from various approaches and angles of view in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on sustainable leadership and organizational resilience. It aims at outlying the theoretical background of leadership in business and economics after the pandemic and bringing up interesting and recent leadership case studies from all around of the world. Moreover, this paper aims as sharing the valuable insights into what it means to be a sustainable leader in business and economics, why leaders are needed, and how to become one. The main criteria of this research and its instrumentation include both the theoretical discussion based on the literature review and analysis and the empirical analysis that supports these theoretical provisions. The paper features an empirical model that assesses how business and economic leaders are searching for new ways of work and personal development during and after the COVID-19 pandemic using the own data from the 400 respondents collected in the Czech Republic and Russia. We found that the pandemic enhanced the emotional creativity of business and economic leaders and made them to invest and engage more into using new digital technologies and fundamentally altering the old ways of managing and governing their respective companies and institutions. Our results might provide valuable food for thought both for academics working on various angles of leadership, as well as for entrepreneurs and businesspeople who want to receive recent updates on the topic of leadership to use them in their daily work.