Digitalization and big data are currently moving many industries forward and creating value-added efficiency improvements, new services, and business models. One area in industrial digitalization is RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and related sensor technologies with benefits in asset visibility, employee productivity, risk management, loss, and theft mitigation. This literature review article is focused on specifically looking at digitalization in the apparel industry. Due to its complex global network, it has been a challenging industry to implement such technological advancements. Recent novel RFID system integrations have included highly innovative solutions in new store concepts, business models, and product traceability in the value chain. Inventory management has been improved by using RFID technology for creating and updating and for more efficient controls. Also, chain of custody of the various products in apparel and fashion can be more traceable and efficient. Improved customer connectivity and, therefore, customization are also important benefits using these technologies. Most benefits in using RFID in the apparel industry are related to economics and efficiencies. Similarly looking at scientific literature, the majority is focused on the more business-related value creation. In this publication, results of a systematically made literature review focusing on the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic systems) is reported. This review is done using value chain analyses, and it focuses on reported case studies to highlight the sustainability benefits of the RFID technology. According to the literature findings, this is the first review article that reports on the broader sustainability impact of RFID in the apparel industry. The findings show a very limited number of articles and the main focus of the articles found was in environmental aspects (44%). Following that was economic benefits (36%), and only a limited amount of research articles was found in social aspects of sustainability (20%). In addition to identifying the sustainability areas that RFID technology is related to, this article shows other areas of improvements using RFID technology in different parts of the apparel value chain.

Digitalization and big data are continuing to revolutionize industries impacting the global economy, environment, and society as a whole. The retail industry is not an exception and is facing a paradigm shift in many aspects of its operations. One of the latest innovations in this industry is the development of unmanned stores concepts and business models. These novel business models are mostly used in the grocery stores segment with an impetus to eliminate the need for check-out lines and to create more efficiencies in the whole process of the shopping experience. Because of the disruptive nature of this business model, it is important to research the effects of its expansion into society. In this article, we are making a critical analysis of the sustainability impact of unmanned stores and assess the strategic direction and growth strategies of major corporations and organizations within the value chain. We used an unambiguous and straightforward questionnaire as the research tool and the results show grocery as the current target for expansion, however, future expectations from business developers lean heavily towards coffee and books. Interestingly, the investment logic for expected benefits from the participants seemed to be biased towards efficiencies and the value chain benefits seemed to mostly come from the use of big data and data analytics. The most important use of the data was associated with the dynamic pricing models. Additionally, our study shows interesting insight for example to the growth segments, the role of sustainability, and barriers of entry.