| The rapid changes occurring in retailing may mean that the future of retailing success lies in the ability of a firm to exploit information technology to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace. However, there are questions about whether or not retailers are doing an adequate job of managing the changes resulting from the adoption of information technology. If not, a rather substantial gap between the opportunities presented by information technology and the applications of information technology that take advantage of those opportunities may exist. The purpose of the research was to examine how and to what extent information technology is being used in retailing and how that use affects the practice of logistics. Specifically, the research examined why retailers adopt information technology, the changes in organizational structure perceived to result from adoption, and how retailers plan for and manage those changes. The specific technologies studied were point-of-sale, distribution center barcoding, and electronic data interchange.;The research indicates that the primary motivations retailers have for adopting information technology are cost savings and productivity increases. While some retailers do consider improvements in customer service and increased competitive advantage to be benefits of information technology adoption, they are not generally considered sufficient justification to adopt information technology.;The research also found that significant changes in organizational structure are perceived to occur as information technology is adopted. Improvements in communications, increased productivity, and changes in activity levels were all perceived to result from the adoption of information technology. In addition, the research found that those firms that had already successfully adopted fairly high levels of information technology tended to have more formal processes for managing the adoption process.;Finally, the research provides information about estimated current and future usage rates of point-of-sale, distribution center barcoding, and electronic data interchange. Retailers are predicting very rapid rates of increase in the use of information technology over the next two to five years. |
