Service performance (SVP) in the food retail industry is crucial for maintaining a competitive advantage, particularly as customer expectations rise and firms face increased disruptions. Consequently, supply chain (SC) practices, including supply chain resilience (SCR) and supply chain innovation (SCI), are now recognized as strategic assets rather than merely back-end processes. These practices are essential for enhancing operational efficiency and customer service quality. This study explores the direct and indirect effects of SCI and SCR on SVP in the food retail sector, with a specific focus on the moderating role of environmental scanning (ES).
The analysis applied the PLS-SEM approach to analyze data gathered from 375 managers in the food retail sector.
The findings indicate that SCI exerts both direct and indirect positive effects on SVP. Specifically, SCI enhances SVP directly through its innovative practices and processes. Indirectly, this effect is mediated by SCR, which strengthens the link between SCI and SVP by enabling food retailers to better adapt and respond to disruptions. Moreover, the benefits of SCI on SVP are significantly magnified when ES practices are integrated, providing timely and relevant information about external factors and market trends.
Our research offers valuable insights for food retail managers. Prioritizing resilience-centric supply network practices is crucial, given that the positive impact of SCI on service operations is channeled through SCR. Proactive ES is recommended to align SCI with market dynamics, optimizing service outcomes.
The study contributes original insights given the lack of previous research on the interplay between SCI, SCR, ES and SVP within the food retail sector, especially in a developing context. It expands our understanding and provides new perspectives on these dynamics, contributing valuable knowledge to this domain.
