About this Research Topic
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming multiple industries. One industry particularly impacted is the online retail market, both from the supply and demand perspective. AI-enabled technologies enable the personalization of the supply of products and services to give the customer more interactive and emotive experience.
This is achieved through three key avenues:
• Through creating precise profiles and market segmentation.
• By enhancing the interaction between the retailer and the customer through the introduction of chatbots and intelligent voice assistants.
• AI-enabled technologies enhance products and services with the introduction of new features and characteristics.
These uses for AI are particularly relevant in the current COVID-19 climate, where the integration onto online-only platforms, and its operational continuity is imperative.
This Research Topic aims to understand what impact AI is having on the structure of the industry and the relationships between retailers, platforms, and manufacturers. From the consumer's point of view, it is important to understand how their purchasing process is changing in the customer journey and the results of this process, in terms of quality of choice and satisfaction. Finally, there are important implications and opportunities for regulatory institutions at the national and supranational levels.
We welcome both empirical and theoretical research that contributes to the understanding of:
• The effects of AI-enabled technologies in market relationships and the balance of power between retailers, platforms, manufacturers, and consumers.
• The effects of AI-enabled technologies in online retailing in global social welfare, with special emphasis on the potential effect of biases and the implications for regulators.
• Factors affecting consumers’ intention of use and adoption of AI-enabled technologies and potential moderators, anthropomorphism, privacy-related issues, and the “privacy paradox”.
• Effects of AI-enabled technologies in consumer choice, choice processes, and consumers’ demand (e.g., personalization of choice set, voice versus image presentation of products, AI-empowered ads, algorithmic advice, etc.)
• Customer experience with AI, AI-mediated communication, and the effects of conversational flow.
• Effects of AI-enabled technologies in the results of online retailing: demand, financial results, customer satisfaction, and retention.
• Analysis of automated AI-enabled purchases, the role of AI-agents as consumers, and the implications for retailers, platforms, manufacturers and consumers.
• AI technologies for omnichannel management and logistics.
• Ethical issues in using AI in the retail industry.
This is achieved through three key avenues:
• Through creating precise profiles and market segmentation.
• By enhancing the interaction between the retailer and the customer through the introduction of chatbots and intelligent voice assistants.
• AI-enabled technologies enhance products and services with the introduction of new features and characteristics.
These uses for AI are particularly relevant in the current COVID-19 climate, where the integration onto online-only platforms, and its operational continuity is imperative.
This Research Topic aims to understand what impact AI is having on the structure of the industry and the relationships between retailers, platforms, and manufacturers. From the consumer's point of view, it is important to understand how their purchasing process is changing in the customer journey and the results of this process, in terms of quality of choice and satisfaction. Finally, there are important implications and opportunities for regulatory institutions at the national and supranational levels.
We welcome both empirical and theoretical research that contributes to the understanding of:
• The effects of AI-enabled technologies in market relationships and the balance of power between retailers, platforms, manufacturers, and consumers.
• The effects of AI-enabled technologies in online retailing in global social welfare, with special emphasis on the potential effect of biases and the implications for regulators.
• Factors affecting consumers’ intention of use and adoption of AI-enabled technologies and potential moderators, anthropomorphism, privacy-related issues, and the “privacy paradox”.
• Effects of AI-enabled technologies in consumer choice, choice processes, and consumers’ demand (e.g., personalization of choice set, voice versus image presentation of products, AI-empowered ads, algorithmic advice, etc.)
• Customer experience with AI, AI-mediated communication, and the effects of conversational flow.
• Effects of AI-enabled technologies in the results of online retailing: demand, financial results, customer satisfaction, and retention.
• Analysis of automated AI-enabled purchases, the role of AI-agents as consumers, and the implications for retailers, platforms, manufacturers and consumers.
• AI technologies for omnichannel management and logistics.
• Ethical issues in using AI in the retail industry.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Retailing, e-commerce, consumer behavior, chatbot, virtual agents
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
