Impactful Digital Transformation for Retail Employees : A Case Study

Abstract: The rapid growth of e-commerce and omnichannel retailing is redefining the role of brick-and-mortar stores. To remain competitive, retailers should leverage digital technologies without compromising the presence of frontline workers, to meet customer expectations. The purpose of the study is to address the lack of research investigating the effects of technologies being used by in-store employees and propose a digital approach for physical stores to strengthen their competitiveness. Therefore, this study looks into how smart devices can impact employee satisfaction and employee efficiency. Theory from the fields of Value Creation, Digital Transformation, Organisational Psychology and Management were used in a mono-method qualitative case study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect empirical data. The findings from the study show that smart devices used by in-store employees can positively impact employee satisfaction by improving communication, empowerment, teamwork, and meeting employees' expectations. Smart devices can also improve employee efficiency by enabling employees to deliver higher levels of customer service, store ambience, and productivity, using less resources than before. Further, important conditions required for value creation to take place were identified; a well-functioning infrastructure, technology acceptance, and considering network effects. Future research should conduct quantitative studies investigating to what extent smart devices can impact employee satisfaction and efficiency. To further build on this research, studies could investigate how the use of smart devices impact customer experience and employer branding. Lastly, research should investigate the opportunity smart devices provide for capturing data in an offline environment and how this adds the store's value proposition.