Fashion retail stores are one of the settings where technology innovation is implemented to make the in-store experience more efficient than before. One of the innovations that are becoming increasingly common is self-service checkouts. Generation Z is the upcoming and new buying force for the retailers to target and this is what has been the foundation for the orientation of this thesis. The purpose of the research has been to examine factors that influence Generation Z usage of self-service checkouts in fashion retail stores in Sweden. In order to investigate this, the authors developed six hypotheses from previous research about convenience, time efficiency, attitude towards technology, subjective norms, interaction avoidance and fear of failure. The primary data presented in the chapter for empirical findings were gained through a questionnaire where 384 respondents participated. The data was analyzed in the statistical software program SPSS in order to test the hypotheses. The findings were presented in the analysis chapter where it also was discussed with the literature to be able to identify if there were any similarities or differences. The conclusion of this thesis shows that there are different factors that are influencing Generation Z to use self-service checkouts in fashion retail stores. Convenience emerges as the strongest influencing factor, while fear of failure holds the least influence on Generation Z's intention to utilize self-service checkouts. These findings aim to assist fashion retail companies in understanding the critical considerations when implementing self-service checkouts in-store.

Our world is rapidly being redefined by digitalization and disruptive innovations such as changing customer preferences, demographical shifts, and by putting tremendous environmental pressure including scarce resources and a contribution to climate change. Change under these circumstances often brings traditional business models to lose their competitive edge and in the end fail. Previous research of the specific term successful models is vague with ambiguous definitions of the conceptualization of a sustainable business model. More alarming is the limited research addressing the sustainable innovation process thus explaining the existing organizational management problems, where today, firms are operating blindfolded without any academic- or empirical guidance. Fashion as a part of the world’s economy is undoubtedly considered as one of the areas that urgently requires the adoption of more sustainable business models, bringing all actors within the fashion retail industry into a challenging position. The thesis aims to contribute with theoretical knowledge and empirical evidence to bridge this gap by addressing following purpose: explore and improve the understanding of how traditional clothing retailers within the fashion retail industry innovate their current sustainable business models. The thesis is anchored in an exploratory case study at a traditional fashion retail company focusing on children apparel, namely Polarn O. Pyret. Finding shows that the case company simultaneously performs sustainability practices within their existing model, suggesting that a comparative approach can be appropriate when innovating already commercialized sustainable business models. Furthermore, empirical findings explicitly show five factors that differentiate the conventional concept with the sustainability concept of a business model. Thenceforth, the innovation process is explored from this context involving both advantages and challenges. Hence, the process occurs simultaneously, it is recommended to perform a variety of sustainability practices, to spread out the level of complexity and thereby optimize the utilization of resources. The thesis highlights an existing Pilot Prototype when implementing sustainability practices into the current model. Thereby, risks and uncertainty factors can be mitigated to ensure the implementation of sustainable competitive advantage. The thesis makes up for three contributions. First, a contribution with practical knowledge on how traditional clothing retailers is innovating their sustainable business model. Second, the study contributes with an increased understanding of the innovation process of launching successfully developed- or refined models. Third, the thesis makes an analytical contribution by the conceptual framework of references, forming a consolidation of the ambiguous conceptualization settled in a specific context. / Vår värld omdefinieras drastiskt av digitalisering och innovationer som skapar nya kundpreferenser, demografiska förändringar samt att genom en enorm miljöpress inklusive knappa resurser, bidra till klimatförändringarna. Förändringar under dessa omständigheter får ofta traditionella affärsmodeller att tappa sin konkurrenskraft och i slutändan misslyckas. Tidigare forskning av den specifika termen framgångsrika modeller är vag med tvetydiga definitioner av konceptualiseringen av en hållbar affärsmodell. Mer alarmerande är den begränsade forskningen som studerar den hållbara innovationsprocessen och därmed förklarar de befintliga problem för organisationsledningar, där företag idag arbetar utan någon akademisk- eller empirisk vägledning. Mode som en del av världens ekonomi betraktas utan tvekan som ett av de områden som brådskande kräver mer hållbara affärsmodeller, vilket sätter alla aktörer inom modebranschen i en utmanande position. Examensarbetet syftar till att bidra med teoretisk kunskap och empiriskt bevis för att överbrygga detta gap, genom att ta itu med följande syfte: utforska och förbättra förståelsen för hur traditionella klädförsäljare inom modebranschen utvecklar sina nuvarande hållbara affärsmodeller. Examensarbetet är förankrad i en undersökande fallstudie hos ett traditionellt klädesbolag, nämligen Polarn O. Pyret. Resultat visar att fallföretaget samtidigt utför hållbarhetspraxis inom sin befintliga modell, vilket indikerar att en jämförande strategi kan vara lämplig när man utvecklar redan kommersialiserade hållbara affärsmodeller. Vidare visar empiriska fynd fem faktorer som skiljer det konventionella konceptet med det hållbara för en affärsmodell. Från den här kontexten utforskas innovationsprocessen som involverar både fördelar och utmaningar. Då utvecklingen sker simultant rekommenderas det att utföra olika typer av hållbarhetspraxis för att sprida ut komplexitetsnivån och därmed få jämnfördelade resurser och samtidigt få konkurrenskraft. Examensarbetet belyser en befintlig akademisk pilotprototyp vid implementering av hållbarhetspraxis i den nuvarande modellen, därmed kan risker och osäkerhetsfaktorer mildras/överkommas för att säkerställa hållbara konkurrensfördelar. Examensarbetet bidrar till forskningen på tre sätt. Först och främst bidrar resultatet med kunskap om hur traditionella klädesbolag utvecklar sina befintliga hållbara affärsmodeller. För det andra bidrar studien till en ökad förståelse av innovationsprocessen för att lansera framgångsrika nya- eller förfinade modeller. Slutligen ger examensarbetet ett analytiskt bidrag genom den konceptuella referensramen för att skapa en konsolidering av den tvetydiga konceptualiseringen satt i ett specifikt sammanhang.

The increase of trading has created many environmental, ecological, social and ethical problems. The main concern across all industries is to create more sustainable, eco-friendly and ethical manufacturing processes. Only by influence consumer's purchasing behavior there might be the demand for eco-green products. The fashion and textile industry as one of the main contributor to the world's economy is one of the main environmental polluter (e.g.: soil, lakes, river and air). Recently, many young fashion designers started to offer eco-green fashion to the market. This new phenomenon might change the course of the world fashion industry. The goal of this research is to find out the real demand for eco-green products and its impacts on the traditional methods of fashion manufacturing. Three geographical areas where chosen to represent consumption side (US and EU (UK)) and manufacturing side (China). The specific fashion garment was chosen to demonstrate detailed analysis of the manufacturing processes and its new eco-green formula -- the denim jeans. The primary and secondary research approaches were chosen to cover the whole industrial view on this phenomenon. The outcome of the research showed that the major impact was on the general consumer's purchasing behavior and their life style. It is a new trend and concept that is reshaping the traditional fashion business models. Denim jeans industry leaders such as Levi's Strauss are in process of implementing eco-green, ethical and fair-trade factors into their long-term strategy.