Retailing Technology: Innovations and Impact on Consumer Experience

Strong governance, configuration management, and compliance frameworks are critical to prevent scope drift, misalignment, and traceability challenges that frequently undermine the success of retail technology projects. Retail digitalization—driven by artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), Internet of Things (IoT), and data governance systems—has redefined how consumer experience (CX), operational control, and innovation are managed in modern retail ecosystems. This systematic review evaluates the evolution, application, and governance of retail technologies from 2015 to 2025, focusing on their effects on consumer engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty, as well as the organizational mechanisms that ensure their sustainable integration. Following the PRISMA framework, a total of 267 studies were initially identified from Scopus (41%), Web of Science (29%), and Google Scholar (30%). After screening and eligibility assessment, 56 peer-reviewed studies met inclusion criteria based on methodological rigor, relevance to retail technology governance, and CX outcomes. Research activity exhibited three phases—emergence (2015–2017, 10.7%), growth (2018–2021, 38.3%), and maturity (2022–2025, 50.0%)—reflecting an evolution from conceptual frameworks to data-driven governance models. Geographically, the literature is dominated by European (46.0%) and Asia-Pacific (35.7%) contributions, shaped by strong regulatory and digital innovation policies. Technological clusters reveal an emphasis on AI and automation (17.9%), AR/VR immersive systems (17.9%), IoT and smart retail infrastructures (14.3%), and computer vision (14.3%), underscoring the growing interdependence between intelligence, automation, and experience design. Thematically, over 60% of studies center on process and service innovation, while 51.8% of applied research focuses on in-store retail transformation, highlighting the ongoing digitalization of physical retail environments. Consumer outcomes are dominated by convenience and accessibility (41.1%) and engagement and experience (28.6%), followed by satisfaction, trust, and personalization dimensions. Organizationally, most studies emphasize operational efficiency (26.8%) and automation-driven optimization (12.5%), while governance challenges cluster around privacy and ethical concerns (19.6%), integration complexity (18.9%), and adoption barriers (17.8%). Emerging governance criteria highlight user-centered design (21.4%), data ethics and transparency (20.5%), and ethical AI integration (18.9%), reflecting a growing maturity in balancing innovation with accountability. Finally, innovation trends point toward AI and automation (20.9%), immersive retail experiences (17.9%), and IoT-edge distributed commerce (16.1%), signaling a shift toward intelligent, self-regulating, and sustainability-oriented retail ecosystems. Retail technology innovation has advanced from fragmented, tool-based applications to integrated, governance-oriented frameworks that align operational performance with consumer experience. However, gaps persist in system interoperability, cost-efficiency, and empirical evaluation of governance effectiveness. To strengthen adoption and long-term impact, the study recommends targeted capacity-building, affordable integration solutions, and cross-sector partnerships between vendors and retailers. Future research should prioritize longitudinal and evidence-based evaluation of governance mechanisms to determine how specific design and policy strategies influence measurable consumer and organizational outcomes.