Christoph Teller, Johannes Kepler University Linz

This special issue examines how retail is being transformed by technology while questioning whether human-centred principles remain central. Building on Levitt's marketing myopia concept, it seeks research exploring how trust, experience, emotion and social interaction can be preserved within digitized retail environments.

The issue welcomes both conceptual and empirical research on retail transformation across physical, digital and hybrid contexts, with emphasis on human-centred approaches, AI integration, service innovation and societal value creation. Submissions must demonstrate strong theoretical grounding and broader relevance to international retail scholarship rather than narrow local focus.

Contributions should address practical implications for retailers and policymakers, maintain methodological rigor and originality, and avoid excessive reliance on generative AI. The issue welcomes diverse methodological approaches and aims to provide insights into retail's future role in society and consumer life.

Appel publié par International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. Voir l'appel sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Potential topics

• Human-centred retailing and service systems
• AI and automation in retail environments
• Customer experience and experiential retailing
• Trust, authenticity and social interaction in retail
• Retail employee wellbeing and frontline dynamics
• Platformisation and digital retail ecosystems
• Ethical implications of retail technologies
• Smart retailing and human–technology interaction
• Consumer behaviour in digitally mediated environments
• Retail spaces as community and social infrastructure
• Sustainable and responsible retail innovation
• Omnichannel and hybrid retail experiences
• Emotional engagement and customer deviance
• Retail resilience and adaptive business models
• Future retail scenarios and societal transformation

Timeline

• July 9, 2026: Opening date for manuscripts submissions
• November 30, 2026: Closing date for manuscripts submission

Marketing practice is being transformed by technological advances, geopolitical shifts, economic pressures, and growing demands for sustainability and social responsibility. Retail environments serve as key sites where these transformations unfold, with both physical and digital channels becoming laboratories for new consumer engagement and adaptive strategies. Consumers now demand greater brand ethics, transparency, and societal contributions, while external disruptions like supply chain fragility, inflation, and geopolitical tensions reshape pricing and sourcing. Simultaneously, artificial intelligence and platform ecosystems are fundamentally changing how consumers access information and make purchase decisions.

Appel publié par Journal of Consumer Marketing. Lire l'appel complet sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Potential topics

• Consumer responses to global disruptions (e.g., inflation, supply chain fragility, climate events, tariffs, war)
• Impact of AI, automation, and platform-based ecosystems on consumer well-being and happiness
• How to enhance responsible consumption (e.g., reducing food waste and increasing adoptions of green energy and public transportation)
• How to serve marginalized and disadvantaged consumers and enhance equality among gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status through marketing and equitable practices
• Evolving consumer purchase patterns and consumption practices around brand ethics, transparency, and sustainability
• How firms can navigate sociopolitical activism (e.g., Should brands take a stand or remain silent?)
• Recalibrating brand-consumer relationships in times of social and political polarization
• Cross-cultural and cross-generational consumer insights in a post-globalization era
• Retail innovation in response to external forces, trends, disruptions, and shifting consumer expectations
• Marketing strategies for enhancing trust, loyalty, engagement in uncertain environments

Timeline

• August 15, 2026: Opening date for manuscripts submissions
• October 15, 2026: Closing date for manuscripts submission

Aboobucker Ilmudeen, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka

Alaa A. Qaffas, University of Jeddah

Appel publié par The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research. Voir l'appel sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Potential topics

• Digital transformation in retail and consumer marketing
• Omni-channel retail strategies and the integration of physical and virtual spaces
• Evolution of consumer behavior in digital environments
• Social media's role in brand trust and consumer identity
• Mobile commerce and online marketplaces
• Personalization and customer relationship management in digital contexts
• Distribution channel innovation and supply chain management
• Sustainability and corporate social responsibility in digital retail
• Competitive strategies for businesses navigating digital disruption
• Technology adoption barriers and digital divide in retail

Timeline

• September 10, 2026: Manuscript deadline