The Evolution and Future of Retailing and Retailing Education

Abstract

The pace of retail evolution has increased dramatically, with the spread of the Internet and as consumers have become more empowered by mobile phones and smart devices. This article outlines significant retail innovations that reveal how retailers and retailing have evolved in the past several decades. In the same spirit, the authors discuss how the topics covered in retail education have shifted. This article further details the roles of current technologies, including social media and retailing analytics, and emerging areas, such as the Internet of things, machine learning, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and robotics, all of which are likely to change the retail landscape in the future. Educators thus should incorporate these technologies into their classroom discussions through various means, from experiential exercises to interactive discussions to the reviews of recent articles.