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STORE EXECUTION

Staffing

Measuring the Effect of Queues on Customer Purchases

Published Online:

Management Science

    Abstract
    We conduct an empirical study to analyze how waiting in queue in the context of a retail store affects customers' purchasing behavior. Our methodology combines a novel data set with periodic information about the queuing system (collected via video ...
Setting Retail Staffing Levels: A Methodology Validated with Implementation

Published Online:

M&SOM

    Abstract
    Problem definition: How should retail staffing levels be set? While cost of labor is well understood, the revenue implications of having the right staffing level are hard to estimate. Moreover, these implications vary by store; hence, staffing levels ...
Estimating the Impact of Understaffing on Sales and Profitability in Retail Stores

Vidya Mani, Saravanan Kesavan, Jayashankar M. Swaminathan

Published Online: March 25, 2014
Wiley

Incentives

Benefits of Reevaluating Real-Time Order Fulfillment Decisions

Published Online:

M&SOM

    Abstract
    When a customer orders online, an online retailer assigns the order to one or more of its warehouses and/or drop-shippers to minimize procurement and transportation costs based on the available current information. However, this assignment is necessarily ...
Store Manager Incentive Design and Retail Performance: An Exploratory Investigation

Published Online:

M&SOM

    Abstract
    Store managers perform multiple tasks within a store, and the way in which they are evaluated and rewarded for these tasks affects their behavior. Using empirical data from multiple stores of a consumer electronics retailer, Tweeter Home Entertainment ...
Workers Vs. Algorithms

Felipe Caro

Published: November 9, 2022
How the World Works

Aldi: Disruptor Disrupted?

Marc Sachon

Published: March 16, 2023
IESE Publishing

Employee Well-Being

Doing Well by Doing Good: Improving Retail Store Performance with Responsible Scheduling Practices at the Gap, Inc.

Published Online:

Management Science

    Abstract
    We estimate the causal effects of responsible scheduling practices on store financial performance at the U.S. retailer Gap, Inc. The randomized field experiment evaluated a multicomponent intervention designed to improve dimensions of work schedules—...
Evidence of the Unintended Labor Scheduling Implications of the Minimum Wage

Published Online:

M&SOM

    Abstract
    Problem definition: The effect of the minimum wage is an important yet controversial topic that has received attention for decades. Our study is the first to take an operational lens and empirically study the impact of the minimum wage on firms’ ...

Customer Service

Disclosing Product Availability in Online Retail

Published Online:

M&SOM

    Abstract
    Problem definition: Online retailers disclose product availability to influence customer decisions as a form of pressure selling designed to compel customers to rush into a purchase. Can the revelation of this information drive sales and profitability? We ...
Retail in High Definition: Monitoring Customer Assistance Through Video Analytics

Published Online:

M&SOM

    Abstract
    Problem definition : We consider the development of an efficient and scalable video-analytics approach to measure customer assistance and its mediating role in the relationship between staffing levels and revenues. Academic/practical relevance : ...
The Value of Fit Information in Online Retail: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment

Published Online:

M&SOM

    Abstract
    Online channels generate frictions when selling products with nondigital attributes, such as apparel. Customers may be reluctant to purchase products they have not been able to try on and those customers who do purchase may return products when they do ...
Buy Online, Pickup in Store: Evaluating an Omnichannel Intervention in Retail

Antonio Moreno, Santiago Gallino, Amy Klopfenstein

Published: April 15, 2021
Harvard Business School

The impact of disclosing inventory-scarcity messages on sales in online retailing

Sungho Park, Elliot Rabinovich, Christopher S. Tang, Rui Yin

Published Online: February 18, 2020
Wiley

Inventory Accuracy

Evaluating Count Prioritization Procedures for Improving Inventory Accuracy in Retail Stores

Published Online:

M&SOM

    Abstract
    Problem definition: We compare several approaches for generating a prioritized list of items to be counted in a retail store, with the objective of detecting inventory record inaccuracy and unknown out of stocks. Academic/practical relevance: We consider ...

Product Returns/Exchanges

How Does a Return Period Policy Change Affect Multichannel Retailer Profitability?

Published Online:

M&SOM

    Abstract
    Problem definition: This study extends the literature on consumer returns by assessing the impact of return period policy change on a multichannel retailer performance. Academic/practical relevance: Many retailers have recently sought to tighten their ...
Product Return Episodes in Retailing

Published Online:

Service Science

    Abstract
    The return of a product is often one of a series of transactions that a consumer undertakes in search of a good. In this article, the authors analyze returns as part of a product search process: Upon returning a product, consumers may immediately purchase ...
Pricing and Assortment Strategies with Product Exchanges

Published Online:

Operations Research

    Abstract
    In the “Pricing and Assortment Strategies with Product Exchanges,” Laura Wagner from the Catolica Lisbon School of Business and Economics and Victor Martínez-de-Albéniz from IESE Business School identify product returns as a possible opportunity to sell ...

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