New technologies as enablers for the future of stationary retail - this is the focus of the FH Salzburg research project Retailisation 4.0, which bundles knowledge from the specialist areas of the Departments of Business and Tourism and Information Technologies and Digitalisation in order to strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of stationary retail through technology. Many transfer projects and a new Master's degree programme are visible signs of interdisciplinary collaboration.
Increasing digitalisation and technological advances are changing the retail sector. On the one hand, large international online retail platforms have been able to increase their market share and intensify competition in recent years. On the other hand, more and more technology is also being used in stationary retail, which is still responsible for over 85% of all retail sales in Austria.
Focus on the individual
The Retailisation 4.0 project is dedicated to this increasing technologisation both online and offline and deliberately differs from other retail initiatives: the focus is not only on the relationship between retailers and producers, but also on the central players in stationary retail - the employees and customers. The aim is to develop and utilise technologies in such a way that they improve their quality of life while at the same time overcoming ecological, economic and social challenges at the point of sale (POS).
The focus is on people: technologies are adapted to the needs of users, not the other way round. This human-centred approach is intended to highlight the potential for technological innovations in various sectors and types of business - especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
New Master's degree programme in Retail & Technology*
The research project forms the basis for the part-time Master's degree programme in Retail & Technology*, which will be offered at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences from the winter semester 2025/26. The programme is aimed at people with a business or technical background who want to expand their skills and adopt an interdisciplinary perspective.
Graduates of the degree programme will occupy the interface between commercial and technological tasks and thus close an important gap. Findings from Retailisation 4.0 are incorporated directly into teaching to ensure practical training.
With Retailisation 4.0, Salzburg University of Applied Sciences is demonstrating how applied research can contribute to strengthening value creation in the retail sector - and paving the way for a future-proof retail industry.
Head Researcher:
- Robert Zniva: Head of Research and Senior Lecturer at the Department of Business and Tourism. He specialises in retail science, consumer behaviour and gerontology.
- Simon Kranzer: Senior Lecturer and Research Group Leader at the Department of Information Technologies & Digitalisation. His areas of specialisation include digital twins, collaborative robotics, OT security and industrial data processing.
*subject to approval