Abstract
Consumer behavioral patterns radically changed during the last decades, as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic. In parallel, digital technologies continuously substitute traditional business practices in the context of digital transformation attempts that were also significantly accelerated due to the pandemic. However, since technology cannot totally replace all human aspects in the retailer-consumer interaction process, an optimum blending of technical and human resources is crucial. This chapter reviews the latest developments and key aspects of this blending and emphasizes the consumers' needs for the provision of value-added services by retailers in the post-COVID-19 era. It advocates that retailing remains a retailer-consumer affair, where both humans and technologies take part in diversified interactions. It develops an integrated framework of human and technology components and channels between retailer-consumer interactions, aiming to provide a holistic view of the available capabilities and trends from both the retailer and the consumer perspective in the post-COVID-19 era.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Live-Selling Commerce: The delivery of e-commerce activities and transactions via live video streaming combined with the ability to interact with sellers in real time.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Any practice, technology, or strategy designed to help businesses improve their customer relationships. CRM most often refers to the specific tools, usually a web application or software.
Webrooming: A practice whereby consumers visit an online retail store to evaluate products/services and then complete their purchase at a physical retail store.
Internet of Things (IoT): A system of interconnected devices or objects that communicate over the internet without requiring human-computer interaction.
Social Commerce: The delivery of e-commerce activities and transactions via social media.
Showrooming: A practice whereby consumers visit a physical retail store to evaluate products/services and then complete their purchase at an online channel.
Live Commerce: The delivery of e-commerce activities and transactions via a live streaming platform.
Net Promoter Score (NPS): A customer loyalty and satisfaction measurement taken from asking customers how likely they are to recommend a product or service to others.