Achieving sustained competitive advantage by integrating ECR, RFID and visibility in retail supply chains: a conceptual framework

While efficient consumer response (ECR), radio frequency identification (RFID) and supply chain visibility are concepts that have received academic and practitioner attention, the benefits of integration have not been considered in any detail. Based on a systematic review of literature, the findings suggest that designing retail supply chains to integrate the concepts of RFID, ECR and visibility presents opportunities for sustained competitive advantage. The contribution made by this article is the formulation of six research propositions which propose that the integration of ECR, RFID and supply chain visibility may be considered as a strategic capability within retail supply networks. By adopting the theoretical lens of the resource-based view of the firm, research propositions examining integration as per the characteristics of valuable, rare, imperfectly mobile, not imitable and not substitutable are developed.