Abstract:
The global retail industry represents $30trn in revenue with e-commerce, an increasingly important
segment contributing 28% in revenue share. There are opportunities and limitations in technology
advancements. This industry case study utilizes the basic research process in an exploratory design. A working
hypothesis is presented, and 3 research questions raised to identify e-commerce selling problems and propose a
research-based solution through process analysis and modelling. Generic retail industry data in practice is
compared to theoretical data. Customer Relation Management (CRM) is identified as a theoretical selling
principle. It is evident in global retail practise with performance measures. The specific gap identified in this
case study is the starting point of CRM – identifying customer needs and requirements. This aligns to marketing
functional decision roles in relationship building. Recommendations are to enhance research in the global retail
industry as well as pre-launch and in-market technological advances. Human resource professionals can apply
the CRM principle as theoretically defined and practised based on such reviews.
