A Framework for Cyber-Enhanced Retailing: Integrating E-Commerce Retailing with Brick-and-Mortar Retailing

Along with the exponential growth of e-commerce activities, the world marketplace is undergoing a rapid transformation and retailing is one of the key areas of this revolution. In this paper, we introduce a concept called 'cyberenhanced retailing'. Cyber-enhanced retailing is a paradigm that melds the advantages of e-commerce with the advantages of traditional physical retailing. The paper introduces a framework that compares and contrasts the general advantages and disadvantages of both e-commerce and traditional 'brickand-mortar' retailing. Based on this framework, we analyse possible approaches to applying e-commerce retailing techniques to the consumer mercantile activities in the traditional retailing realm. This analysis leads to a discussion of a number of potential scenarios for enhancing the traditional retail experience by integrating e-commerce technologies.