Identity Management in the Retail Industry: The Ladder to Move to the Next Level in the Internet Economy

Over the past decade, significant changes have been affecting the retail industry, largely due to the rapid pace of technological developments. With the advent of mobility and self-service models, retailers are aggressively working to stay ahead of the technology curve and meet new customers’ demands and buying preferences. As such, retailers are seeking to be ubiquitous in today’s digital world. However, being ubiquitous is still not enough. To better personalize and enhance service delivery, businesses need to know the users of their products and their service preferences. They also need to have the means through which identities can be ascertained. This article provides an overview of the main challenges facing the retail industry in this regard and some of the emerging realities of the Internet age that are impacting the industry. This paper argues that the insecurity of the Internet and the risk of identity theft are major obstacles to the development and optimal use of the Internet economy. The study aims to explore the role of modern identity management in the retail industry, while shedding light on one of the world’s most renowned identity management infrastructures—in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—and examining how reliable identity management systems can push the retail industry into new frontiers.