Adoption of technology in retail an Indian perspective

Abstract

With FDI in retail opening up, organised retail is becoming an important component of the Indian retail sector. With this format gaining popularity in most cities today, the price-sensitive Indian shopper has begun to reach out to these stores mainly for steep discounts, bulk prices and better quality, although most shoppers still prefer the convenience and access offered by the local store. Hence this organised sector represents the unique and diversified needs of customers. To stay ahead in the global retail race, it is inevitable for the modern retailers in India to quickly embrace technology with open arms as today’s scenario demands information to be available on a single fingertip. This research focuses on understanding of the factors leading to acceptance of technology by the big players of the Indian retail industry. The factors identified are then classified on the basis of the literature review done on the basic TAM model and its extensions in different industries and different countries. Based on literature review and the in-depth interviews carried out, we propose the variables important in the technology adoption by organized Indian retailers. A model is proposed classifying these variables which could be used by technology providers to better understand the adoption of technology by retailers.