Retailing

The rapid rise in the number of products globally has dramatically increased retailers’ demand for capacity. However, despite the continuous growth in the demand for products, the availability of retail space has not kept pace and the situation is only getting worse. One would assume then that such a shortage of capacity would negatively impact retailers ... 阅读更多

An algorithm can be simply defined as a set of instructions for solving a problem or accomplishing a task. Within many business domains, algorithms are rapidly taking over the decision-making abilities of humans. However, full automation of business activity is only found in certain industries, such as manufacturing, where robots can work in a well ... 阅读更多

An algorithm can be simply defined as a set of instructions for solving a problem or accomplishing a task. Within many business domains, algorithms are rapidly taking over the decision-making abilities of humans. However, full automation of business activity is only found in certain industries, such as manufacturing, where robots can work in a well ... 阅读更多

With the rise of e-commerce, suppliers can now reach consumers directly through channels such as online platforms. On the surface, it might seem that this “encroachment” can only be detrimental to the traditional retail channel. However, HKUST’s Ying-ju Chen and colleagues reach a different conclusion. In important new work, they show that encroachment may ... 阅读更多

Rebate, or money that is returned to the consumer after they have paid for goods or services, is a popular form of sales promotion, with studies showing that 50% of retailers and 48% of manufacturers use rebates as part of their customer loyalty programmes. For example, USD8 billion worth of rebates were issued in the U.S. in 2010. Companies make use of ... 阅读更多

Downward substitution is common in many industries and occurs in supply chain management when a firm used a higher value item to satisfy the demand of a lower value item that is out of stock. This type of substitution is driven by the supplier in order to increase customer service quality and / or revenue. For example, a hotel might choose to fill its ... 阅读更多

Selling directly to customers represents an opportunity for suppliers, but it can threaten retailers’ profits. This is known as supplier encroachment, and it occurs across a range of industries. In an innovative study, HKUST’s Professor Ying-Ju Chen and co-researchers modeled scenarios in which retailers can optimize the outcomes of supplier encroachment ... 阅读更多

Supply chains are an integral part of business and form the network between a company and its suppliers to produce and distribute products to consumers. A supply chain also often contains various forms of information asymmetry (where one party has more information than the other) that drive business transactions. A manufacturer usually has less information ... 阅读更多

Although online retailing has grown substantially over the past decade, it still accounts for a small portion of total global retailing. To further penetrate into the markets dominated by brick and mortar stores, online retailers rely heavily on information technologies to expand their market share. Information technologies also play a critical role in ... 阅读更多