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Digital platforms and brick-and-mortar retail
A three-year research project funded by the DFG on the implications of digital platforms for brick-and-mortar retail.
Research Project
Welcome!
Thank you for your interest in our project.
Digital platforms change and influence economic and social processes in a variety of ways. The focus of this project is their impact on the retail industry.
The increasing platformization of retail is most clearly evident in the example of online retail platforms. Thirty years have passed since Jeff Bezos founded Amazon. What began as an electronic bookstore has established itself as the (still) undisputed number one in e-commerce in the US and Europe. Other players such as Shein and Temu are transforming retail structures and leading to far-reaching changes within the industry.
A lot has changed and will continue to change for brick-and-mortar retailers. The use of online marketplaces and social media platforms such as Meta, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok has become indispensable as communication and, more recently, sales channels. This is also completely redefining workflows and processes in brick-and-mortar retail.
The research project at the Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg (JMU), funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), aims to investigate these developments in more detail.
Which platforms play a role?
How far has platformization progressed?
What legitimacy underlies these processes and what dependencies do traders enter into?
Goals
The overall objective of the planned research project is to demonstrate the dynamics and impacts of digital platforms in German retail and to explain the interactions between technological and institutional change from a spatial perspective.
Work Program
The work program is divided into three steps. First, an empirical survey in the form of exploratory interviews is required, which will then be expanded into a written or online survey of brick-and-mortar retailers. In a third step, expert interviews will be conducted.
Project Plan
We are currently planning an extensive interview series for mid-2025.
Are you interested?
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