Use of innovative content integration information technology at the point of sale

Abstract

Previous research on the use of information technology (IT) in retail environments has mainly focused on inter-organizational or even intra-organizational contexts, such as the implementation of EDI. There has been far less research on the use of IT by customers, including technology at the point of sale (POS). The provision of customer-oriented IT at the POS implies integrating content in different formats and from different supply chain members in various devices. Therefore, research on such phenomena holds the potential to extend the literature on IT use, blending in perspectives that derive from content integration. This paper uses a case research method to describe the first real-world application of content integration at the POS. Literature on IT use and content integration guide the subsequent analysis. The paper offers some conclusions concerning content integration, customer use, and satisfaction. © 2007 Operational Research Society Ltd. All rights reserved.