Dr Christian Bartelheimer receives award for his research on the future of local retail
At a time when more and more consumers are opting for the convenience of online shopping, many European city centres are struggling to survive. Shop closures and declining footfall not only have an economic impact, but also a social one: City centres are losing their vibrancy, diversity and attractiveness. This development is threatening the quality of life in urban areas. But how can this trend be stopped or even reversed? Dr Christian Bartelheimer's research provides an innovative answer to this question. Together with Dr Philipp zur Heiden, Dr Carsten Ingo Berendes and Prof Dr Daniel Beverungen, he has developed a digital solution that combines stationary retail with the advantages of the online world.
The researchers published their paper "Designing digital actor engagement platforms for local high streets: an action design research study" in the European Journal of Information Systems. This paper presents the result of a research project that deals with the challenges of city centre retail. The aim of the work is to design a digital platform that strengthens interactions between different actors - retailers, service providers and consumers - in city centres and thus contributes to the revitalisation of urban shopping streets.
smartmarket²: A platform to strengthen engagement in the city centre
At the centre of the research is smartmarket², a digital platform developed specifically for city centres. The concept is as simple as it is effective: smartmarket² enables retailers, service providers and consumers to interact with each other both online and offline. This creates hybrid shopping experiences that go far beyond the mere exchange of goods. "Our aim was not only to preserve bricks-and-mortar retail, but to take it to a new level by integrating digital technologies. We wanted to create a solution that not only provides digital tools, but has the potential to fundamentally change the way people interact in the city centre," explains Dr. Bartelheimer.
Over a period of 18 months, smartmarket² was developed, implemented and evaluated in three iterations as part of an Action Design Research (ADR) project. The researchers worked closely with 150 retailers and service providers as well as 2,300 citizens. "Close collaboration with local stakeholders was crucial to the success of the platform. This was the only way we could ensure that smartmarket² met the actual local needs," emphasises Bartelheimer. The results show that smartmarket² not only promotes the engagement of those involved, but also has a positive effect on the social fabric of city centres.
In addition to the technical implementation, the identification of the key success factors for creating hybrid shopping experiences was a central result of the research. The team found that the roles of the stakeholders must be clearly defined in order to promote their willingness to interact. It also showed that the individual benefit of the actors plays a central role in generating collective engagement. Network effects are also crucial, although their success depends heavily on the behaviour of the individual actors. Finally, the researchers emphasise the importance of establishing routines that ensure sustainable engagement.
Social relevance and practical application
The research findings of Dr Bartelheimer and his colleagues are not only theoretically sound, but also highly relevant to society. Smartmarket² impressively demonstrates how digital technologies can be used to strengthen social and economic life in city centres. "It's not just about technology, but about how we can use digitalisation to shape and revitalise interaction in our cities. Our research shows that digital tools have the potential to strengthen community and bring urban spaces back to life - if they are used correctly," explains Dr Bartelheimer. By actively involving retailers, city administrations and citizens, valuable insights have been gained that contribute to the successful digitalisation of city centres.
Dr. Christian Bartelheimer was awarded the Dean's Young Scholar Research Award by the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics at Paderborn University for his outstanding scientific achievements and his significant contribution to the digitalisation of city centres.
About Dr Christian Bartelheimer:
Christian Bartelheimer is an academic counsellor at the Chair of Information Systems, esp. Business Information Systems at Paderborn University. His research focuses on the design, implementation and evaluation of innovative information systems for the provision of digital service and process innovations. He also investigates the effects of the use of innovative IT artefacts on actors, structures and processes in organisations. He is the current president of the Special Interest Group for Services (SIG Services) in the Association for Information Systems (AIS) and scientific director of several research projects. With the development of smartmarket², he has made an important contribution to the future viability of European city centres.
Article
C. Bartelheimer, P. zur Heiden, C.I. Berendes, D. Beverungen (2023): Designing digital actor engagement platforms for local high streets: an action design research study. European Journal of Information Systems, pp. 1-34. link
