Background: The Swedish retail pharmacy industry is a dynamic industry that has undergone many changes throughout the past decades. Presently, the pharmacy industry in Sweden consists of five nationwide pharmacy chains (Apoteket AB, Apotek Hjärtat, Kronans Apotek, Apoteksgruppen, and LloydsApotek), three strictly e-commerce pharmacy companies (Apotea, Meds, and Apohem), and 40 private players.    Problem: Due to digitalization, retail industries are nowadays dealing with customers that have different expectations and exhibit changed shopping behaviours. The retail pharmacy industry in Sweden has not been an exception to the trend of having to go through a digital transformation based on society changes and changed customer behaviour.    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to research how the Swedish retail pharmacy companies have adapted to meet customer expectations and created value for the customer, as a result of digitalization.   Method: A qualitative approach with seven semi-structured interviews have been conducted on company representatives from the Swedish retail pharmacy industry.     Results: Despite the Swedish retail pharmacy industry being controlled by regulations put in place by the state, they have successfully managed to restructure their operations through their digitalization process. This has been done with the customer primarily in mind, through meeting their expectations and continuing to create value.

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore last mile delivery practices among large and medium Swedish omni-channel (OC) retailers and e-tailers. Also, the study aims at analyzing what similarities and differences exist between the two types of retailers. Method: A literature review was carried out in order to gain more knowledge about the topic and develop a theoretical framework, used for analyzing data. Also, a quantitative study was conducted through electronic surveys (secondary data) and website observations (primary data). The 100 retailers were large and medium OC retailers and e-tailers and were selected based on a probability sample.  Findings: The study has shown that there are plenty of similarities and differences between the two kinds of retailers. Some of the delivery practices and options that OC retailers and e-tailers perform similarly are unattended HD (unattended home delivery), attached C&C (click and collect), drop shipping, free solitary C&C (click and collect). There are also differences between retailers when it comes to attended HD, time slot, eco delivery or LTL-Courier (Less Than Truckload-courier). E-tailers offer more competitive remote deliveries with more free remote delivery options. OC retailers leverage on both store network and remote delivery services. Thus, OC retailers can learn how to cope with e-commerce growth and adapt their delivery services as e-tailers do. Limitations: This study has a geographical focus on Swedish OC retailers and e-tailers. The data that was collected has been limited to the logistics variables: delivery mode, velocity, time slot, slot price differentiation, delivery fee, eco delivery, picking location, delivery area and transport service. Theoretical implications: This study is an important step towards contributing to academic theoretical literature regarding last mile delivery practices. Based on the previous frameworks, new logistical variables were added, such as more velocities, delivery fee, eco delivery and drop shipping. These contributions were helpful in the process of exploring characteristics about retailers and how they differ from each other. Managerial implications: This research is valuable for managers and retailers in order to find the best logistical strategy. It could be beneficial for OC retailers who face challenges that e-commerce brings and compete with e-tailers. Keywords: Last-mile delivery, Retailing, Omni-channel, E-tailers, E-commerce. Paper type: Research paper

In today’s world, it is not enough for companies to consider any one social media channel in isolation. Instead, they must provide their customers with a unified experience across channels and consider interdependencies between channels. Most marketing research that examines user generated content is focused on a single channel and is limited to the English language. This thesis analyses Swedish language content collected from eight different social media platforms: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Tripadvisor, Trustpilot, and Google Reviews. The platforms were compared pairwise by the prevalence of positive, negative, and neutral sentiment in comments and reviews about the theme park Liseberg. The sentiment was predicted using a lexical approach where each word in a wordlist was assigned a weight to denote positive or negative sentiment associated with the word. The study found that there is a statistically significant difference between the positivity, negativity, and neutrality expressed by users on the different social media channels. There was no difference in sentiment between YouTube and Instagram comments, but there were differences in at least one of the three sentiment categories for all other pairwise comparisons of platforms. Having an understanding of the attitudes towards the brand in different channels can support marketers in determining their optimal mix of social media channels. These results are also of interest to researchers who should take the differences between social media platforms into consideration when designing studies around user generated content.

<p>Included in licentiate thesis in manuscript form.</p>

This research examines the relationship between online and offline sales in an omnichannel sales environment centered around the selling of parking spaces. This dissertation consists of a pilot study followed by an expanded study. The studies delved into the effects of e-commerce additions upon traditional brick and mortar revenue channels. The parking industry was selected as the backdrop, given the high degree of current relevant concerns in this space around internet sales-related cannibalization concerns against physical stores, and given the author’s substantial access to relevant research data. Data was collected for an intervention group and a control group from a leading parking management firm with thousands of parking garages located across North America. In the pilot study, and using panel data gathered from the firm, we sought to examine the effects of an online intervention to existing aggregate revenues through the implementation of a new 3rd party e-commerce sales channel (Parkwhiz.com). Under the intervention group, data was collected on 1.7 million revenue transactions over an approximately two-year period, from 2016 through 2018 across 15 parking properties in New York City. The control group consisted of 493,950 revenue transaction entries, also spanning a roughly two-year period from 2016 through 2018, and across 28 different parking properties throughout the City of New York. A fixed-effect model was used for analyzing the data, which came with unforeseen challenges of balance, outlier concerns, and sample size. Ultimately, insignificant results were observed, but these were attributed mainly to difficulties in data structure and sample size (N = 386) of daily revenue observations. Despite those challenges, individual summary statistics showed potential strength in the primary hypothesis, and this motivated further examination. In the expanded study, an adapted approach from the pilot was used to correct for a majority of its shortcomings in the data structure, sample size, balance, and modeling. Further, several moderating components were incorporated to test practice relevant relationships between revenue, the competitive landscape, and online search sessions. Using the same primary hypothesis from the pilot study, the expanded work provided for 15 intervention group properties and 15 control group properties in New York City, with a balanced dataset of 90 days pre-intervention and 90 days post-intervention for each property examined in the year 2018 or 2019. The original hypothesis (H1A) evaluates whether or not an online intervention increases total revenue at a given location. Additional hypotheses (H1B) evaluating whether offline revenue sources are affected by the online intervention, (H2) moderation of revenue by the volume of competition using the same online channel, (H3) moderation of revenue by the volume of parking locations in the marketplace (zip code area) regardless of selling online or offline, and (H4) revenue predicted by the volume of online searches for parking occurring in the marketplace. Sample sizes ranged from N = 3,491 to 5,098 across our various regression models. Our overall H1 outcomes (across four different regression models) showed strong statistical significance with p-values less than 0.001, and moderate R^2 scores between 37%-47% for the online ParkWhiz intervention. Online intervention increases revenue per parking space in the range of $1.171 to $1.196 in the experiment. The results provide support for the proposition that adding an online sales channel to an existing body of physical parking facilities is additive, non-cannibalistic and overall productive for the business. Our H2 and H3 study outcomes were inconclusive, as the moderators were not significant. The tests of the moderating effects in H2 and H3 provided no practical results, other than perhaps anecdotal perception to supplement the other findings. The testing of H4 did show significance in the importance of the assessment of online search demand in a given zip code as an amplifier of the effect of online intervention on parking revenue. Search volume is positively related to a change in the net new revenues. Overall, the analysis generated learnings valuable for future researchers to expand upon through better data gathering, statistical models, and analysis. In totality, the desired contribution of this body of research is to provide today’s brick and mortar business manager with strategic insights into the conditions needed to make healthy e-commerce decisions, based on observable market conditions, in an omnichannel environment that combines online and offline models for maximum aggregate revenue growth. Avoidance or minimization of cannibalization between existing channels and new channels can ensure success. Our work demonstrates several critical aspects of the phenomena of successful online and offline channel cohabitation with practical conclusions for the strategic decision-maker to use in reaching that equilibrium, and leaves a discernible path for future researchers to supplement our efforts with additional moderating variables. Keywords: Omnichannel, cannibalization; externality; brick and mortar; platform; two-sided marketplace; e-commerce; parking; retail; online/offline; distribution; multi-channel; cross-channel; offline-to-online service platform, channel addition, mobile apps. / Business Administration/Strategic Management

With the rise of the Internet and the emergence of online shopping, traditional retailing has transformed substantially. Retailers have developed multichannel strategies and, in particular, have integrated their offline channels with online channels. Such an integration of offline and online channels is associated with the concept of cross-channel integration. This cumulative dissertation aims to investigate cross-channel integration holistically from a demand point of view and a supply point of view. It consists of four independent studies embedded in an overarching introduction and conclusion part. The first study provides the conceptual base by conducting a systematic literature review. It identifies, analyzes, structures, and extracts 169 publications in the research field of cross-channel integration and concludes by suggesting two dominant paths for future research. These two research directions are addressed in three subsequent empirical studies. One empirical study focuses on the consumer perspective by investigating channel switching behavior. It finds that customers have a fundamental need for certainty within and after the buying process when it comes to channel switching. The remaining two studies are related to the supply side of cross-channel integration and investigate effects of strategies, retailers can deploy when integrating channels. One study assesses the profitability of a channel addition. It establishes that adding an offline store to online channels increases profits absolutely, but reduces the profit margin in the short run. The other study related to the supply side conceptualizes cross-channel technologies along the customer’s purchase process and experimentally assesses one of these technologies. Finally, based on the insights of the four independent studies, the dissertation concludes by summarizing the contribution and by deriving overarching implications for researchers and practitioners, the latter are equipped with a checklist for cross-channel integration.

There is a significant transformation taking place in today’s retail landscape with the increasing adoption of digital technologies in society. Customers are finding new purchasing habits and retailers are exploring different channels to serve customers in. Observations indicate that the industry is heading towards an omni-channel landscape where retailers aim to provide customers with a unified shopping experience across channels and touchpoints as e-commerce rapidly penetrates the market. Currently, all growth for durable goods is attributable to online sales in Sweden, yet Swedish online grocery retailing has been lagging and still only constitute 2 percent of the total market share. A qualitative study was conducted to map out the challenges and levers for Swedish grocery retailers in distribution . Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 18 store managers from the three largest grocery store chains in Sweden. The study elicits a framework for firm controlled factors which define customer experience: price, promotion, merchandise, supply chain and location. / Det sker en betydande omvandling i dagens detaljhandelslandskap. Konsumenter hittar nya köpvanor och återförsäljare undersöker olika kanaler för att betjäna kunder i. Iakttagelser indikerar att branschen är på väg mot ett omni-kanal landskap där återförsäljare söker att ge kunderna en enhetlig shoppingupplevelse genom alla försäljningskanaler. Idag är all tillväxt för sällanköpsvaror hänförlig till onlineförsäljning i Sverige, men den svenska dagligvaruhandeln på nätet har legat efter och utgör fortfarande bara 2 procent av den totala marknadsandelen. En kvalitativ studie genomfördes för att kartlägga utmaningar och möjligheter i distribution för svenska dagligvaruhandlare. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med 18 butikschefer från de tre största livsmedelskedjorna i Sverige. Studien använder ett ramverk som kapslar in faktorer som kan kontrolleras av företaget och som tillsammans formar kundupplevelsen: pris, kampanjer, sortiment, logistikkedja och plats.

零售業的發展一直受到數位科技進步的影響，而有不同變化。起先因為網際網路的出現，使得部分店家得以藉由電子商務在網路上販售商品；實體店也開始藉由電子商務，提供消費者新的服務與體驗，於是虛實整合模式開始興起。近年來，除了網路普及外，智慧型手機使用率提升也帶動了新的零售模式—全通路零售。為了使消費者在不同通路之間，能夠有更好的消費體驗，零售業者開始以消費者為中心，企圖在任何消費者經常使用的媒體上，佈建通路。 現在比較成功的網路美妝零售業者，早期大多都是以平行輸入商品並且在拍賣網站販售起家。在2006年代前後美妝保養網路購物商店因競爭過於激烈，許多經營不善的店家紛紛退出網路市場，留在市場上的業者開始由虛擬世界跨足實體市場，開設實體店鋪。 本研究以虛實整合與全通路策略兩議題為主，探討網路起家的美妝通路—小三美日之經營作法。小三美日2006年成立於拍賣網站，2009年轉型為以採購小品牌但具流行性的獨特商品為主，2012年開設實體店鋪正式進入虛實整合模式，對於未來的規劃則希望持續邁向全通路零售的模式。 為了進入虛實整合模式，小三美日導入ERP系統，在開設實體店後可與虛擬商店更緊密的聯結在一起，同時也運用數據分析降低庫存積壓，也積極經營與消費者的關係，建立其對於品牌的信任與忠誠。而這些作法，不管是在市場面、成本面或是品牌行銷面，都獲得了正向的結果。針對全通路策略，本研究藉由學者的模型判斷，小三美日已初步符合產業觀點與消費者觀點中的全通路零售，而在其作法上，將統整出現階段已能符合全通路策略需求的項目與未來待改進的方向。 / The development of retailing industry has been influenced by the technology. As Internet came out, some of the retailer can start selling goods online, and so do the physic stores. The physic stores use digital ways, such as e-commerce, to provide their customer new services and shopping experiences. Nowadays, the extension of the use of smartphones force retailer to be more and more consumer oriented, they try to let consumers shop at any channel become possible, which called Omni-channel retailing. Around 2006, a lot of online Beauty Care retailers left the market because of fierce competition. Some players, who started their business on auction website and sold parallel import goods, stayed in the market and implemented Online-to-offline (or clicks-and-mortar) strategy. They built physic stores. This thesis will be aimed at clicks-and-mortar model and Omni-channel strategy, and choose “S3 (小三美日)” as the research target. “S3” was established on auction website in 2006, started clicks-and-mortar model since 2012, and plan to become Omni-channel retailer in the nearly future. To implement clicks-and-mortar model, S3 implement ERP system, analyze data and manage the relationships with customers, etc. All these practices have positive results in three aspect, market size, cost benefits and brand image. S3, who plans to become an Omni-channel retailer, has made a lot of efforts to implement Omni-channel strategy. Therefore, this thesis will examine the practices according to Omni-channel strategy model and give advices for improvement.

Den fysiska handelsplatsen har länge varit kärnan inom handeln men utmanas nu av den växande e-handeln. Statistik från HUI Research och Svensk Handel visar att e-handeln i Sverige har haft en stark tillväxt de senaste åren som beräknas fortsätta öka. Men vad innebär egentligen den ökande e-handeln för fysiska handelsplatser? Genom media får vi bilden av att konsekvenserna av en ökad e-handel resulterar i en butiksdöd. En mängd forskare menar att konsekvenserna snarare är en ökad integrering av e-handel och fysisk handel. Vi genomförde tidigt en förstudie som visade att det finns en avsaknad av ett empiriskt synsätt i diskussionen kring vad den ökande e-handeln innebär för fysiska handelsplatser. Syftet med studien blev således att komplettera nuvarande forskning genom en kvalitativ studie som applicerar ett empiriskt synsätt och undersöker vad den ökande e-handeln innebär för fysiska handelsplatser. Det gjorde vi genom att intervjua fastighetsägare och handelsaktörer inom detaljhandeln. Studiens resultat visar att det finns skäl till att tro att de fysiska handelsplatserna kommer påverkas ju mer e-handeln växer. Den digitala- och fysiska handeln kommer att integreras ännu mer och fastighetsägares strategier förändras för att se till att deras handelsplatser förblir attraktiva när e-handeln ökar. / Since way back the physical retail location has been the core of retail, however it is now challenged by the emerging e-commerce. Statistics from HUI Research and the Swedish Trade Federation show that e-commerce in Sweden has experienced strong growth in recent years and is expected to rapidly increase and transform the physical retail landscape. But what does the growing e-commerce really mean for the physical stores? From what media cover in the news we get the impression that the consequences of increased e-commerce result in a death of physical retail stores. A number of researchers argue that the consequences are instead rather an increased integration of e-commerce and commerce in physical stores. From the pre-study we conducted there was an indication that the discussion of what the increasing e-commerce entails for the physical stores lacks an approach consisting of an empirical perspective. The purpose of the study was thus to supplement current research through a qualitative study that applies an empirical approach and investigates what the increasing e-commerce entails for the physical stores. We did this by interviewing real estate property owners and retail players within the retail sector. The result of the study shows that there is reason to believe that the physical stores will be affected the more the e-commerce grows. Digital and physical commerce will be integrated even more, and property owners' strategies change to ensure that their real estate remain attractive when e-commerce grows rapidly and the market transforms.

During recent years, technology has played a crucial role in shaping the retail industry. Digitalisation and e-commerce are seen as the future of retailing. However, big online retailers have shown increasing interest in offline shopping by heavily investing in brick and mortar stores. The strategy of a retailer making use of both offline and online channels is called omnichannel strategy. This study investigates why online retailers are investing in physical stores and what is the impact of this decision on their customer base. The study uses a two-step research. First, a case study on the Swedish retailer NetOnNet is conducted to confirm the theoretical framework and build the research model. Then, a quantitative research with questionnaire is used to investigate the impact of an omni-channel strategy on the consumers’ attitudes towards the retailer. The results show that awareness and control are the factors most affected by an omni-channel strategy. Instead, having both an online and offline presence does not have a relevant impact on the factors trust, perceived risk and personalisation.