The Analyses of the Operational Efficiency and Efficiency Factors of Retail Stores Using DEA Model

Abstract

This paper analyzes the operational efficiency of 91 individual retail stores in Seoul by a two-step procedure. In the first step, a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model is used to identify the efficiency scores. Three inputs (store size, number of items, and number of employees) and two outputs (sales and number of customers) are used for the efficiency measurement. In the second step, a Tobit regression model is used to identify the drivers of efficiency. DEA efficiency scores are used to test hypotheses on the impact of five independent variables, namely store age, number of items per store size, number of items per employee, trade area index, and number of competitors. Results of the Tobit analysis show that number of items per store size, number of items per employee, and number of competitors play a significant role in influencing the operational efficiency of retail stores. Managerial implications of the study are discussed.