How technology affects our ways of shopping? A historical analysis on the use of technologies in retailing

Abstract

From the use of mail-order system, vending machine to online and virtual shopping systems, technology plays a critical role in shaping our consumers' shopping experiences and the retailing strategies historically. By applying advanced technologies in different historical periods, retailers and marketers could provide consumers with an effective purchase process and secure online transaction. This research adopted a historical analysis approach to review the influences of various technologies in different periods of time. A five-level scale analysis had been applied to study the integration of technologies in retailing; they are: 1) entry; 2) adoption; 3) refinement; 4) infusion; 5) transformation. Five key periods have been identified based on this analysis. This research is not going to build theories, but rather critically looking at how the emergence of advanced technologies in different stages of the chronological order that shaped our consumers. The analysis shows that the concept of shopping is no longer around retailing strategies in physical store but rather a bigger scope of virtual worlds. Technologies had been playing a crucial role in shaping our consumers' experiences.