How smart technology empowers consumers in smart retail stores? The perspective of technology readiness and situational factors.

Smart retail stores have been gaining momentum in smart retailing. Instead of relying on in-store staff like traditional counterparts, smart retail stores provide an unmanned environment purely enabled by various in-store smart technologies that support customers throughout the shopping journey. This unstaffed operating model also enables smart retail stores to provide competitive prices by reducing labor costs. However, studies have overemphasized the unique value offered by smart technology but discounted the common value strengthened in smart retail. This study applies the situational factor framework to identify both unique and common factors empowered by smart technology from a comprehensive perspective; then, technology readiness is incorporated to explore consumer purchase intentions in smart retail stores. A total of 283 survey data were collected and analyzed. The main results indicate that most situational factors have a direct effect on purchase intention, and technology readiness enhances the unique situational factors enabled directly by smart technology.

Evaluation of a prototype local ventilation system to mitigate retail store worker exposure to airborne particles.

The objective of this study is to evaluate a prototype local ventilation system (LVS) intended to reduce retail store workers' exposure to aerosols. The evaluation was carried out in a large aerosol test chamber where relatively uniform concentrations of polydisperse sodium chloride and glass-sphere particles were generated to test the system with nano- and micro-size particles. In addition, a cough simulator was constructed to mimic aerosols released by mouth breathing and coughing. Particle reduction efficiencies of the LVS were determined in four different experimental conditions using direct reading instruments and inhalable samplers. The particle reduction efficiency (%) depended on the position beneath the LVS, but the percentage was consistently high at the LVS center as follows: (1) > 98% particle reduction relative to background aerosols; (2) > 97% in the manikin's breathing zone relative to background aerosols; (3) > 97% during mouth breathing and coughing simulation; and (4) > 97% with a plexiglass barrier installation. Lower particle reduction (<70%) was observed when the LVS airflow was disturbed by background ventilation airflow. The lowest particle reduction (<20%) was observed when the manikin was closest to the simulator during coughing.

Potential of rainwater harvesting in the retail sector: a case study in Portugal.

Water is a crucial resource for life, and it is increasingly scarce in many regions of the globe. In addition, retail water use is responsible for up to 19% of public water globally supplied. Hence, this study has set out to explore the technical and economic feasibility of rainwater harvesting systems as an alternative water source for a retail store located in southern Portugal. Water consumption data from 2018 to 2021 was collected from water bills, placing average monthly water consumption at around 400 m3. Next, rainfall data was collected from the nearest meteorological station, comprising 54 years of daily rainfall data between 1932 and 2008 with an annual average of 685 mm. The simulation of a rainwater harvesting system was performed, resorting to the mass-balance model. The optimal tank size was found to be 100 m3 considering simply the relation with the relative water savings variation on the graph relating the water savings with the tank size. Results show that the simulated rainwater harvesting system would allow saving 32-36% of the water consumed, despite the store's location in a dry climate, representing a financial gain of €330-372 per month. Findings suggest a substantial potential for the technical and economic feasibility of rainwater systems in retail stores, which makes them relevant solutions to achieve important water-savings in the retail sector, thus positively influencing retailers' direct water footprint.

Indoor air quality in shopping and storage areas.

In retail stores, workers are constantly exposed to new manufactured goods. The issue of the exposure of retail workers to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) should clearly be considered. Therefore, this study provides data regarding VOC concentrations in ten French retail stores. The stores were chosen to represent various products: sports goods, shoes and leather, furniture, car equipment, bazaars, online-sales storage, clothes, books, DIY (do-it-yourself), and household appliances. VOCs and aldehydes were actively sampled on the same day in five to seven locations per building and outdoors. Toluene and formaldehyde were omnipresent with indoor concentrations reaching 252 and 53 µg/m3 , respectively. The car equipment store, followed by clothing, shoes, and leather, and DIY stores showed the worst indoor air quality. High concentrations were measured, for example, the maximum α-pinene concentration in the furniture and DIY stores was 364 and 141 µg/m3 , respectively, and the heptane concentration in the car equipment store reached 1,316 µg/m3 . Two VOCs classified as toxic to reproduction were measured: hexane in the car equipment store and the bazaar, and dimethylformamide in the sports goods store. This study shows some disparities in the indoor concentrations among different locations in the same store, particularly between sales and storage areas.

Prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli from broilers at conventional and kosher abattoirs and retail stores / Prevalencia de Campylobacter jejuni y Campylobacter coli en carcasas de pollo procedentes de frigoríficos, faena tradicional y kosher, y de locales de expendio

Abstract We studied and compared the prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in chicken carcasses from conventional and kosher broiler abattoirs and retail stores. The prevalence of thermotolerant Campylobacter-positive carcasses was 94.0 (kosher) and 32.0% (conventional) (p< 0.0001), while the prevalence of samples contaminated with C. jejuni, C. coli and simultaneously with both species was 36.0, 2.0 and 56.0% (kosher) and 26.0, 4.0 and 2.0% (conventional) (p< 0.0001), respectively. Samples of chicken carcasses (n = 25) and food contact surfaces (tables, n = 25; knives, n=25) from 25 retails were collected and risk quantification was performed. Retails were categorized as high-risk (n = 11), moderate-risk (n = 11) and low-risk (n = 3). Nineteen (76.0%) carcasses, 20 (80.0%) tables and 18 (72.0%) knives were Campylobacter-positive. Retails and abattoirs proved to be sources of carcass contaminaron with Campylobacter spp. Carcasses from kosher abattoirs were mostly contaminated with Campylobacter spp., whereas C. coli was the most prevalent species isolated from carcasses in retail stores.

Resumen El objetivo del estudio fue determinar y comparar la prevalencia de Campylobacter jejuni y Campylobacter coli en carcasas de pollo obtenidas en frigoríficos por faena convencional y kosher, y en locales de expendio. La prevalencia de Campylobacter spp. termotolerante fue del 94,0 (kosher) y del 32,0% (convencional) (p< 0,0001). La prevalencia de muestras contaminadas con C. jejuni, C. coli y con ambas especies fue del 36,0, del 2,0 y del 56,0% (Kosher) y del 26,0, del 4,0 y del 2,0% (convencional) (p< 0,0001), respectivamente. Se tomaron muestras de carcasas (n = 25) y superficies (tablas, n = 25; cuchilla, n = 25) en 25 locales. Los locales fueron categorizados como de riesgo alto (n = 11), moderado (n = 11) y bajo (n = 3). Diecinueve (76,0%) carcasas, 20 (80,0%) tablas y 18 (72,0%) cuchillas fueron positivas para Campylobacter spp. Frigoríficos y locales fueron fuente de contaminación de carcasas con Campylobacter spp. La prevalencia de Campylobacter spp. fue mayor en carcasas kosher. Campylobacter coli fue la especie más prevalente en carcasas de locales.

Analysis of Passive RFID Applicability in a Retail Store: What Can We Expect?

The Internet of Things (IoT) has a lot to offer and contribute to the retail industry, from the innovations in retail store experience to the increased efficiency in the store management and supply chain optimization. On its way to real-world applications, Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) became the main enabler for the final IoT deployment. However, to improve the technology performance even further, it is important to overcome the fundamental limitations of its physical layer and, consequently, to better understand how to use the technology in an optimal way. The analysis provided in this paper employs the simulation/measurement study on RFID technology advancement and the influence of radio propagation in a realistic model of the retail environment. The results are provided for different types of the retail layouts and materials that influence tag responsiveness.

Prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli from broilers at conventional and kosher abattoirs and retail stores.

We studied and compared the prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in chicken carcasses from conventional and kosher broiler abattoirs and retail stores. The prevalence of thermotolerant Campylobacter-positive carcasses was 94.0 (kosher) and 32.0% (conventional) (p<0.0001), while the prevalence of samples contaminated with C. jejuni, C. coli and simultaneously with both species was 36.0, 2.0 and 56.0% (kosher) and 26.0, 4.0 and 2.0% (conventional) (p<0.0001), respectively. Samples of chicken carcasses (n=25) and food contact surfaces (tables, n=25; knives, n=25) from 25 retails were collected and risk quantification was performed. Retails were categorized as high-risk (n=11), moderate-risk (n=11) and low-risk (n=3). Nineteen (76.0%) carcasses, 20 (80.0%) tables and 18 (72.0%) knives were Campylobacter-positive. Retails and abattoirs proved to be sources of carcass contamination with Campylobacter spp. Carcasses from kosher abattoirs were mostly contaminated with Campylobacter spp., whereas C. coli was the most prevalent species isolated from carcasses in retail stores.

Sustainability-oriented efficiency of retail supply chains: A combination of Life Cycle Assessment and dynamic network Data Envelopment Analysis.

Assessing the efficiency of retail supply chains (RSCs) requires analytical tools that address the different activities involved in these chains. In this sense, dynamic network Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) arises as a suitable method to evaluate the operational performance of RSCs over a period of time. However, its use for sustainability-oriented efficiency assessment constitutes a knowledge gap that limits its applicability for thorough decision-making processes, e.g. at the retail company level. This article fills this gap through the combination of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and dynamic network DEA. A novel five-step LCA + DEA approach is proposed and applied to a case study of 30 RSCs in Spain for the period 2015-2017. In this case, the supply chain structure involves three divisions: central distribution, operation of retail stores, and home delivery. Both overall- and term-efficiency scores were found to widely range from 0.38 to 1.00, with only 1 RSC deemed efficient. Regarding divisional efficiency, store operation was found to generally show significantly higher efficiency scores than the distribution divisions. The link between long distribution distances and low efficiency stresses the relevance of integrating a network perspective into the efficiency assessment. In addition to efficiency scores, the LCA + DEA approach enriches the assessment by providing environmental, operational and socio-economic benchmarks to further support the management of RSCs from a sustainability perspective.

Variability of Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) in the Indoor Air of Retail Stores.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released to the indoor air of retail stores from numerous products and activities, but available literature lacks a systematic understanding of the variability of VOC concentrations. In this study, we measured concentrations of total VOCs (TVOC) in 32 retail stores using a high-sensitivity photoionization detector (PID). Indoor thermal comfort parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity, were simultaneously measured using an anemometer. The store-level TVOC concentrations ranged from 30 to 869 ppb and exceeded the LEED guideline in 31 stores. TVOC levels were notably high in hardware stores (median = 536 ppb, p = 0.0002) and paints, household, and home accessories sections within stores (p < 0.05). TVOC levels were elevated in mornings and evenings, possibly due to low ventilation and cleaning activities at the beginning and end of business hours. The between-store, within-store, and temporal variations accounted for 85%, 0.5%, and 14% of the total variance, respectively. The variance structure suggested that in-store VOC concentrations were predominantly driven by their source location, and representative monitoring should first consider covering various store types. Current store VOC levels present health concerns, but further studies are needed to evaluate risks among customers.

An Ensemble Filter for Indoor Positioning in a Retail Store Using Bluetooth Low Energy Beacons.

This paper has developed and deployed a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon-based indoor positioning system in a two-floor retail store. The ultimate purpose of this study was to compare the different indoor positioning techniques towards achieving efficient position determination of moving customers in the retail store. The innovation of this research lies in its context (the retail store) and the fact that this is not a laboratory, controlled experiment. Retail stores are challenging environments with multiple sources of noise (e.g., shoppers' moving) that impede indoor localization. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first work concerning indoor localization of consumers in a real retail store. This study proposes an ensemble filter with lower absolute mean and root mean squared errors than the random forest. Moreover, the localization error is approximately 2 m, while for the random forest, it is 2.5 m. In retail environments, even a 0.5 m deviation is significant because consumers may be positioned in front of different store shelves and, thus, different product categories. The more accurate the consumer localization, the more accurate and rich insights on the customers' shopping behavior. Consequently, retailers can offer more effective customer location-based services (e.g., personalized offers) and, overall, better consumer localization can improve decision making in retailing.

Evaluation of the indoor air quality minimum ventilation rate procedure for use in California retail buildings.

This research assesses benefits of adding to California Title-24 ventilation rate (VR) standards a performance-based option, similar to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers 'Indoor Air Quality Procedure' (IAQP) for retail spaces. Ventilation rates and concentrations of contaminants of concern (CoC) were measured in 13 stores. Mass balance models were used to estimate 'IAQP-based' VRs that would maintain concentrations of all CoCs below health- or odor-based reference concentration limits. An intervention study in a 'big box' store assessed how the current VR, the Title 24-prescribed VR, and the IAQP-based VR (0.24, 0.69, and 1.51 air changes per hour) influenced measured IAQ and perceived of IAQ. Neither current VRs nor Title 24-prescribed VRs would maintain all CoCs below reference limits in 12 of 13 stores. In the big box store, the IAQP-based VR kept all CoCs below limits. More than 80% of subjects reported acceptable air quality at all three VRs. In 11 of 13 buildings, saving energy through lower VRs while maintaining acceptable IAQ would require source reduction or gas-phase air cleaning for CoCs. In only one of the 13 retail stores surveyed, application of the IAQP would have allowed reduced VRs without additional contaminant-reduction strategies.