Innovating agri-food business models after the Covid-19 pandemic: The impact of digital technologies on the value creation and value capture mechanisms

This paper investigates the phenomenon of business models innovation (BMI) empowered by digital technologies and activated as a response to Covid-19 crisis. In fact, during the crisis numerous digital redesigns of businesses occurred to pursue both continuity and competitive advantage. Among these, the food retail sector has undergone under the pressure of the crisis intense digital changes, which, however, have not yet been investigated under the theoretical lens of BMI. To fill this gap, the paper analyzes the digital actions taken during the pandemic crisis by two large food retailers, namely Walmart and Carrefour. Covering a wide temporal interval of the pandemic evolution and reviewing multiple geographical markets, the authors interpreted the grocer's digital responses to the crisis in terms of innovation in value creation and capture mechanisms. As a result, three phases of digital BMI have been reconstructed, each characterized by specific mechanisms of value creation and capture experienced by the two grocers during the pandemic. Leveraging these findings, the paper proposes a model capable of defining how digital BMI takes place in response to crises. Results broaden theoretical knowledge and practical suggestions on digital BMI in terms of enabling factors, actionable value mechanisms, and future business opportunities.