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The Malaysian retail industry, which contributes toward almost 45 per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is on a downward trend. As such, the main purpose of this study is to improve the performance of the Malaysian retail industry through the incorporation of Industry 4.0 technologies. The incorporation of Industry 4.0 technologies in the retail industry has led to the emergence of Retail 4.0 which can also be defined as omni-channel retailing.

The adoption of Retail 4.0, which is a combination of omni-channel retailing and also novel technologies, has been proven to improve the performance of retailers in many countries. As such, the authors have given suggestions on how Retail 4.0 can be incorporated by Malaysian retailers for the betterment of the Malaysian retail industry.

Problems faced by retailers these days are boring `brick and mortar' stores, out of stock (OOS) issues, price discrepancy and long queues. Retail 4.0 has enabled retailers to overcome these problems by creating novel shopping experiences, better inventory management, and improved operational efficiency and also more informed decision making in real time.

The incorporation of Industry 4.0 technologies in Malaysia is still in the infancy stage. As such, skilled professionals need to be brought in to help implement these technologies in the retail industry.

Omni-channel retailing and the usage of various technologies by `brick and mortar' stores is very appealing to Malaysia's Gen Y and Gen Z who make up 67 per cent of the country's population. The spending power of this young generation can help to boost the performance of the Malaysian retail industry.

To date, no known study has been done on the impact of Retail 4.0 on Malaysian retailers. The results of this study will be very valuable to managers who are keen to improve the performance of their respective retail channels.

With the advancement of digital transformation, it is important for e-retailers to use artificial intelligence (AI) for customer engagement (CE), as CE enables e-retail brands to succeed. Essentially, AI e-marketing (AIeMktg) is the use of AI technological approaches in e-marketing by blending customer data, and Retail 4.0 is the digitisation of the physical shopping experience. Therefore, in the era of Retail 4.0, this study investigates the factors influencing the use of AIeMktg for transforming CE.

The primary data were collected from 305 e-retailer customers, and the analysis was performed using a quantitative methodology.

The results reveal that AIeMktg has tremendous applications in Retail 4.0 for CE. First, it enables marketers to swiftly and responsibly use data to anticipate and predict customer demands and to provide relevant personalised messages and offers with location-based e-marketing. Second, through a continuous feedback loop, AIeMktg improves offerings by analysing and incorporating insights from a 360-degree view of CE.

The main contribution of this study is to provide theoretical underpinnings of CE, AIeMktg, factors influencing the use of AIeMktg, and customer commitment in the era of Retail 4.0. Subsequently, it builds and validates structural relationships among such theoretical underpinning variables in transforming CE with AIeMktg, which is important for customers to expect a different type of shopping experience across digital channels.

This study considers the potential of logistics 4.0 for supply chain (SC) optimization in French retail. The authors investigate the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies to optimize SC performance in the retail sector and SC's role in the digital transformation in supply chain management (SCM).

The authors first carry out a comprehensive bibliographic taxonomy to highlight the different existing digital tools. Based on this, the authors posed three research questions (RQs) and hypotheses to examine the contribution of logistics 4.0 in improving the performance of retail logistics. Then, the authors considered a case study of retail in France based on qualitative and quantitative analysis to answer all the RQs and examine the hypotheses.

The results showed that digital tools such as Cyber Security Systems (CSS), Big Data Analytics (BDA) and Blockchain (BC) technology are the most effective and appropriate tools to optimize the SC performance in retail.

This research work showed that the implementation of these tools in retail can offer several benefits such as improved productivity, optimized delivery times, improved inventory management and secure real-time communication, which leads to improved profitability of the SC.

The study opens a door to develop practical roadmaps for companies that enable smart deliveries based on logistics 4.0.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the determinants of firm performance for Malaysian retailers.

An online survey was conducted to collect responses from members of the Malaysian Retailers' Chain Association. A total of 126 responses were obtained. Data analysis was done by using the PLS-SEM method.

The results of the study indicate that Retail 4.0 adoption is able to improve retailers' performance as-a-whole by improving the four perspectives of firm performance as given in the Balanced Scorecard, i.e. the finance perspective, the customer perspective, the internal processes' perspective and also learning and growth perspective. Further, enterprise risk management was found to have a positive moderating effect on retailers' performance as-a-whole and also on the finance and customer perspectives of performance.

The study was conducted only in Malaysia and so, it might be geographically limited. Besides, it is cross-sectional in nature and therefore, the impact might be different if the study had been conducted over a longer period.

This study provides a useful framework for retailers who are seeking to improve firm performance.

This is one of the first studies to show the impact of Retail 4.0 adoption on firm performance. Besides, this is also the first time, enterprise risk management has been introduced as a positive moderator on the impact of technology adoption on retailers' performance.

The importance of the retail sector to the Malaysian economy especially in this volatile environment caused by the Covid-19 pandemic would be more prominent. The retail sector under the current Industry Revolution 4.0 would be prioritized to align with the challenges of future growth for retail sales and employment. In the Industry 4.0 environment, retail companies must put enough resources in embracing the major changes for maintaining their competitive advantages. This includes adapting and developing backend systems, creating effective storage and distribution networks that make products available to consumers on any time basis, and offering maximum flexibility in the last-mile delivery options. Retail companies will need to evaluate the importance of innovative ideas such as crowdsourced distribution networks, radio-frequency identification (RFID), automated locator that shift the look of logistics when evaluating newer, nimbler distribution models, and multichannel marketing that consist of online and offline customer interface.

The aim of this paper is to study and describe the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) concept in the retail industry by identifying the technology enablers, the benefits and the challenges involved in adopting these technologies.

The work is built on a systematic literature review (SLR) about the I4.0 concept within retail studies through the enablers codified by the Industry 4.0 literature.

The concept of Industry 4.0 within the retail context is presented through three relevant technology enablers I4.0 emerges as a latent concept represented by technologies adopted to study customer behaviour and manage customer relationships and, partially, to optimise retail management. Furthermore, the paper highlights the benefits and challenges stemming from the adoption of I4.0 technology enablers in the retail industry.

The use of a SLR to describe the I4.0 concept in the retail industry identifying the relevant technology enablers and their relations. The article lays the foundations for future studies on the integrated effects of the contemporary actions of multiple technologies on retail management.

The rise of Industry 4.0 led to digitally-enabled evolutionary and radical changes in all branches of the retail industry, resulting in the emergence of the distinct term “Retail 4.0”. Within this paradigm, particular emphasis is placed on forming a balanced system of omnichannel sales and customer service, allowing reaching a synergistic effect in the face of constant changes, turbulence and uncertainty in the business environment. The main objective of this study is to offer and justify a practical strategy for optimal utilization of sales channels and customer service provision within the Retail 4.0 paradigm.

The conceptual argument of the study is based on the review of the literature and illustrative case studies

The decision-making model proposed in this study provides a roadmap for retailers. It underscores the need for a data-driven approach, where decisions are informed by real-time analytics and customer insights. This model also advocates for a flexible yet structured approach to managing various sales channels, ensuring that each channel complements and enhances the other.

The study offers and justifies an original five-stage process model for forming a balanced system of omnichannel sales and customer service.

The research aims to investigate trade transformation in the context of technological transition and acceleration of its digitalization during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. The methodological basis of this research includes analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, causality, comparison, description, and logical thinking. The research found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the digitalization of trade accelerated for several years to come. Industry enterprises (wholesalers and retailers) began to actively implement Industry 4.0 technologies (artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, cloud computing, big data analysis, and augmented and virtual reality) and adapt them to their needs. The main characteristics of today's trade are the creation of smart trade and technological space, platforming, digital automation, omnichannel, personalized sales, etc. Therefore, we can say that trade is undergoing revolutionary transformations, as a result of which Trade 4.0 is being born. A definition of Commerce 4.0 as a customer-oriented business with industry characteristics and digital models that meet the scientific and technical requirements and regulations of Industry 4.0 is given based on the analysis. Key features of Trade 4.0 are digitization of buyers, business processes, products, and services; transforming supply chains into customer-centric organizations; building a digital ecosystem around the company; variety of formats used by trade enterprises; omnichannel interaction with customers and sales; and flexibility of order execution options.

The authors analysed the operations of two synchronised channels by focusing on “buy online and return in store” (BORS) strategies in fast-fashion retail by investigating internal and external factors affecting this omnichannel strategy.

The authors apply a combination of techniques to identify the BORS factors. Firstly, a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis was used to define the operational factors of BORS adoption. The authors then apply analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to evaluate the factors under four SWOT categories for kids, male and female consumer groups. The factors of BORS were then ranked using the fuzzy VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (fuzzy VIKOR) approach.

Combining the SWOT, AHP and fuzzy VIKOR techniques, the authors identified 21 factors in this study. The opportunity that BORS provides for trying in the fitting room for a better convenient shopping experience was ranked as the most important factor, followed by the opportunity to create a loyal customer profile with an easy and well-organised return process. Furthermore, the results reveal that the child consumer group is the most critical of the stated operations factors, followed by male and female consumers.

The authors described the operational factors and supported the decision-making system of BORS for each consumer group with a priority ranking to realise effective managerial management for fast-fashion retailers and practitioners.

The study contributes to the growing literature on the BORS omnichannel strategy, specifically for fast-fashion retail based on consumer needs.

Previous studies have considered customers' psychological responses to intelligent retail technology adoption, but have not considered how technology integration systems could promote the relationship between retailers and consumers. Based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response framework, this paper proposes a customer engagement model in a fully intelligent retail environment. The concept of the quality of intelligent experience is constructed from the perspective of customer experience, and the effect of the mechanism of smart retail on the customer engagement relationship is discussed.

Using two surveys, this study analyzes 201 (in study 1) and 321 (in study 2) questionnaires by using structural equation model in partial least square software.

The analysis shows that the human–machine interaction, intelligent systems and the product content of the quality intelligent experience significantly impact customer engagement on smart retail.

This research was designed for general retail products, without distinguishing between different product types. Thus, it did not consider the moderating effect of product types.

The findings enrich the intelligent retail technology field and provide operable guidance to help smart retailers improve customer relations.

This paper proposes a customer engagement model to describe how technology integration systems promote the relationship between retailers and consumers.