Digital Innovation in Retail

Digital Innovations in the Retail world in Italy and worldwide, such as omnichannel models and new store formats analyzed by the Digital Innovation in Retail Observatory of the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano.

Goals

Activities

Work Group

Objectives of the Observatory

The Digital Innovation in Retail Observatory is concerned with studying the main digital innovations that can reshape the processes used by retailers, with the ultimate aim of sharing knowledge and creating wide-spread culture as regards the sector’s digitalization opportunities.

Digital Innovation in Retail Observatory Research

Digital Innovation in Retail Observatory Research comprises the following areas:

study the evolution of the Retail infrastructure context in Italy and worldwide, focusing the attention on the main elements that are transforming the sector;
quantify digital investments of top Italian retailers and the main metric adopted to measure returns;
analyze the adoption of main digital innovations by top and medium-small Italian retailers, and closely examine the role of cutting edge technologies (Artificial Intelligence, Metaverse, Internet of Things…) capable of generating new opportunities in Retail;
study the presence and type of omnichannel initiatives of leading Italian retailers; analyze and quantify models involving online and offline integration and investigate the underlying factors of omnichannel strategy and the most significant back end and front-end changes required for its enablement;
analyze point of sale innovation projects (digital and non-digital) across product sectors, solutions supporting the customer and employee experience, and new store formats based on different variables (objectives, location, …); investigate how data is leveraged and the evolution of store related KPIs;
analyze startups (hi tech service providers) at national and international level, to identify innovation drivers, successful Open Innovation mechanisms, and study relationships with retailers for the development of innovative projects;
analyze the evolution of current and future Retail service values and meaning, and innovative instruments for the development of different touch points in addition to the role of technology in enabling innovative customer and employee experience;
categorize sustainability projects (environmental, social, governance) in Retail and study the supporting role of digital, and sustainable business models implemented by retailers;
map the main “platform” innovation projects in Retail (marketplace, Retail Media, …) and analyze related opportunities.

Activities

The events planned by the Retail Observatory for the edition are:

a Research setup meeting with Partners and Sponsors;
two meetings with the Observatory Advisory Board to organize and setup the Research and to compare thoughts on specific topics. The Advisory Board consists of the following Retail sector professionals:
- Ernesto Amato, Digital Portfolio & Deployment Leader, IKEA Retail Italia
- Andrea Arcangeli, Digital Director, Teddy Group
- Marcello Colombo, Head of Digital Factory, Valentino
- Luca Giornofelice, CRM Director, Canali
- Alessandra Iacovelli, CIO, Carrefour Italia
- Rossana Mastrosimini, Branded Channel Director, The LEGO Group
- Diego Morgandi, E-Commerce Director, Kiko
- Massimo Olivetti, Head of IT, Ecommerce & Innovation, OVS Group
- Francesca Porta, CIO EMEA SOUTH, AUTOGRILL / AVOLTA
- Marco Proserpio, Head of Organization & Business Process Transformation, Esselunga
- Leonardo Raineri, Innovation Manager, Miroglio Group
- Francesco Riganti, Direttore Marketing e Comunicazione, Mondadori Retail
- Giorgia Rimoldi, Retail Operations Director, Guess Europe
- Michel Riva, ESG Manager, Gruppo Finiper Canova
- Alessia Scarpocchi, Digital Strategies Director, Aboca Group
- Melissa Tala, Market&Customer Insight Director Omnichannel, Unieuro
networking cocktail event with the B2c eCommerce Observatory;
three follow-up workshops with the retailer community, the Advisory Board, and Partners and Sponsors to discuss and share Research results, and to create interaction and share opportunities between demand and offer. The workshops will focus on the following topics:
- deliberate on the design of the store of the future and the need to balance in-store transaction and relationship objectives and experiment the design of Retail services that combine operational needs and customer care aspirations;
- analyze the main digital innovations, contextual factors, hybrid retail models, and evolution in the various product sectors;
- map the main platform-based innovation projects in Retail and study successful platform-based cases (marketplace, Retail Media, …);
a public Conference to present Research activity results with round tables and talks from the leading roles of Retail.

Field Research will involve the market’s major players: top retailers (top 300 retailers by revenue operating in Italy), medium-small retailers (sample of retail SMEs operating in Italy), and solution offering players (ICT providers, logistics operators, bank institutes, consulting companies, …). The methodologies used in Research that will involve a variety of people are surveys, censuses, direct interviews, workshops. Lastly, secondary source analyses and news collection and categorization.

The Retail Observatory will produce the following content:

a report presenting main Research results, produced on occasion of the conference;
some online follow-up reports, videos, graphs, and infographics on the topics covered in the Research;
a weekly press review for Partners and Sponsors, the Advisory Board, and the retailer community, that collects the most significant news at national and international level on the Retail sector;

An editorial plan on LinkedIn to actively involve Observatory Partners and Sponsors.

Become a supporter of the Digital Innovation in Retail Observatory

The Digital Innovation in Retail Observatory is supported by several sector partner and sponsor companies. Take part in the Research, access Observatory exclusive data before anyone else, network with companies and qualified experts and gain visibility in our events.

For more information please contact Marco Rovea (marco.rovea@polimi.it).