Ethical Sourcing – Choice of Sourcing Strategies and Impact on Performance of the Firm in German Retailing

Abstract

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology yields the chance to examine consumer behaviour at the point-of-sale in detail. RFID provides accurate information about the interac-tion process of consumers and products in real-world settings. Important aspects of consumer behaviour can be validated in " real life " , using thorough empirical process data. Hereby, the advantages of online metrics, customer-specific PoS marketing, can be transferred to an off-line context. We identify three layers of potential impacts of consumer research with RFID technology: validation and refinement of consumer models in real-life settings, improvement of consumer models by integration of behavioural metrics, and the identification of influential contingent factors on consumer behaviour. Potentially valuable practical implications are drawn from the prospected research issues.