Researchers at CTF have been granted 3.9 million SEK for research on future customer experiences. In the project the researchers will develop new knowledge on how to make retail and the hospitality industry more attractive through digitalization.
- The progress of digitalization leads to new ways to consume goods and services and physical stores are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with e-commerce. In the project, we will work together with companies in retail and the hospitality industry to try and evaluate different digital services to see how these services can help strengthen their attractiveness, says Erik Wästlund, Associate Professor of Psychology and Project Manager.
The project aims to examine digitalization applications, opportunities and development potential in retail and the hospitality industry.
- We want more knowledge on how digitalized services can promote future customer experiences and create value both for customers and companies. We hope to get a better understanding of customers’ and visitors’ experiences and then use this knowledge in the development of digital services that will strengthen the retail and hospitality industry’s attractiveness, says Erik Wästlund.
- We see a huge demand for digital services in retail. Today we see that communication between physical stores and consumers can be simplified through digitalization and we are excited to be involved in a project that is so dear to us. It is great that there is research in this field and that we together can create solutions to link customers to the local stores, says Chairman Olle Claesson and CEO Kalid Talisaar at Infid AB.
The project “Future customer experiences: Digitalizing services in physical venues as a way to create value for both company and customer” implemented within the framework of the research initiative “The future physical meeting place” with the support of BFUF (The R&D Fund of the Swedish Tourism & Hospitality Industry) and The Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council for two years. The research will be conducted in collaboration with Infid AB, Centrum Karlstad Utveckling, Visit Karlstad Member and Karlstad Handel.
More information
Erik Wästlund, Associate Professor in Psychology, 073-835 91 34, erik.wastlund@kau.se
