The Role of Non‐Technological Innovations in Services: The Case of Food Retailing

Abstract

A growing proportion of innovation, especially in consumer-based industries, is linked to both aesthetic and symbolic components, yet there is still wide uncertainty as to how consumers respond to the design of products and whether their product choices are consistent across product categories. We draw attention to instances whereby less technology-intensive initiatives can convey innovation in services industries. The focus is on the case of Eataly, a food retailer in which, it is argued, non-technological innovations have shaped the firm's core values and triggered consumer interest towards a supermarket where, besides physical goods, experience has become the object of transaction. By emphasizing the importance for retailers of focusing not only on single products, but also on other dimensions of the firm's organization, we intend to contribute to the literature that explores changing facets of innovation in service industries.

Knowledge Push Curve (KPC) in retailing: Evidence from patented innovations analysis affecting retailers' competitiveness

“…Choosing the technological innovation that best fits a company's strategy is difficult, due to increasingly rapid technological developments, technological complexity, the shorter technology lifecycle (Sternitzke, 2013;Han and Shin, 2014), and the time required (Pantano, 2016). Although consumers experience can be positively affected by means of technological innovation, and through process innovation (Sorescu et al, 2011), or sensory stimuli (D'Ippolito and Timpano, 2016), that not necessarily tap on technological advances, the present manuscript deals exclusively with the technological side of retail innovation. Thus, when we refer to shopping experience, only the technological side of shopping experience is involved.…”

The Management of Unsold Food in Outdoor Market Areas: Food Operators’ Behaviour and Attitudes

“…The study group included farmers and peddlers operating in markets in the area known as Greater Torino (Torino Città Metropolitana), i.e., the Commune of Torino and its Province. Torino is the city of the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre, the most famous Slow Food events [94][95][96][97], and Eataly [98][99][100][101][102], the only Italian distribution chain of national high-quality foodstuffs with an international chain of stores. The territory of Greater Torino hosts 432 outdoor markets and 2/3 are mainly dedicated to foodstuffs.…”

How does perceived retail service innovativeness affect retail patronage intentions?

“…Other studies describe PRSI as the general perception of a retailer's ability to offer new services, which consist of multiple service elements and dimensions (e.g., Lin, , ; Zolfagharian & Paswan, ). For example, Lin (, ) defined a broad‐based consumer‐centric consumer perception of retailer innovativeness as an evaluation of the extent to which the marketing‐mix components (i.e., perceived product‐related, service‐related, promotion‐related and experience‐related innovation) of the general offerings of retailers meaningfully differ from those of alternative offerings (D'Ippolito & Timpano, ; Grewal et al, ). PRSI can be conceptualized as the enduring capabilities of retailers as perceived by consumers.…”