The values and challenges of big data and data analytics in retail sector in Thailand.

Abstract

Big data and data analytics tools are considered as the significant tools for retail company to grow in retail business in Thailand because of the main characteristics of big data, and analytics technologies that are able to analyze, detect and correct the large and various errors of data sets with the help of data cleansing. Therefore, the data analytics technologies can help retailers to improve the quality of data and consecutively advantages to both customers and retailers. The qualitative method with doing the interviews are used by focusing on people who are working and used to work in retail sectors in Thailand more than one year. According to research framework, there are three propositions of big data and data analytics application. The first proposition is that the benefit of cost reduction has a relationship with high investment in analytics tools. The second proposition is that better decision making can be failure from incompetent data. The last proposition is that consumer behavior has a relationship with data privacy and security concern from consumers’ perspective. The result shows that there are three critical values and one critical challenge of big data and data analytics application in retail sector in Thailand. The critical values consist of understanding consumer behavior, ability to do products, services and promotions personalization, and cost reduction. However, these values are limited by one obstacle which is incompetent data and data analytics tools. Surprisingly, the challenges of data privacy and high investment have not mentioned in the interview as well as the value of better decision making.