Identification and prioritizing smart retailing technologies based on technology characteristics and organizational capabilities (A case of Refah chain-stores)

Given the development of smart retail in the business environment, the acquisition of smart technologies by retailers seems inevitable, and in this regard, the choice of these technologies in the retail industry is influenced by the characteristics of technology and organizational capabilities. This research has been conducted with a mixed exploratory approach to identify intelligent retail technologies as well as the requirements and factors affecting the selection of these technologies in Refah chain stores in Shiraz. In the first part of this study, by a systematic review of the background, intelligent retail technologies and their selection factors were identified, and then, based on the opinion of experts, the technology selection criteria were weighted with the best-worst technique. Finally, the identified technologies are prioritized based on the mentioned criteria and using the TOPSIS technique, and as a result, 26 criteria (in 7 areas) and 23 intelligent technologies were identified. Therefore, the ability to provide information to the customer, the impact on the convenience of customer selection, technology costs, and the IT infrastructure of the stores have been presented as the most important factors in choosing smart technologies. Also, smart display technologies, interactive information terminals, mobile applications, digital signage, and electronic shelf labels were identified as the best options for smartening Refah Chain Stores.