The role of digital platforms in the (spatial) (re)configuration of brick-and-mortar retail

• Applicant: Dr. Sina Hardaker
• Subject Area: Human Geography ; Urbanism, Spatial Planning, Transportation and Infrastructure Planning, Landscape Planning ; Economic Policy, Applied Economics
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 540756964

The planned project focuses on the impact of digital platforms on brick-and-mortar retail and examines the underlying connections, legitimation processes, and dependencies of brick-and-mortar retailers. In addition to the extent of platformization, the study aims to explore the associated changes and economic, social, and spatial implications using the concept of Geographies of Marketization. The study primarily focuses on the retail sector, as it constitutes a significant economic and societal sector in Germany, contributing 17% to the Gross Domestic Product (approximately 577 billion euros), comprising around 300,000 businesses, and employing approximately 3.1 million individuals (Destatis 2023; HDE 2023). The specific objectives of the project include deriving the current state of research on platform urbanism and platform economies, as well as identifying and analyzing the scope and actors involved in the "platformization" of brick-and-mortar retail in Germany. Furthermore, the project aims to investigate specific changes or the reorganization of work processes, communication procedures, dependencies, and infrastructures within brick-and-mortar retail regarding digital platforms, within the context of Geographies of Marketization. This research will identify and discuss economic, social, and spatial impacts of digital platforms on stationary retailers from a socio-economic and geographical perspective. Additionally, the project seeks to expand the theoretical and conceptual framework of Geographies of Marketization, particularly concerning the institutional logics through which brick-and-mortar retailers are engaged with digital platforms and how these engagements manifest spatially. These objectives will be achieved through a mixed-method approach, involving 20 exploratory interviews with retailers from various sectors, political stakeholders, and consumers, as well as a survey of retailers conducted online, supplemented by a postal survey, and 30 expert interviews.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants