A Conceptual Model for Choosing Digital Transformation Initiatives in Food Retail

In the context of sanctions restrictions, rising capital costs, and a shortage of qualified IT resources, Russian food retailers are moving from “total digitalization” programs to a limited set of targeted initiatives in individual business domains. In these circumstances, the key management issue is not the achievement of an abstract level of digital maturity, but the choice of initiatives that maximize the contribution to operational and financial results under given resource constraints. The aim of the article is to develop a conceptual model for selecting and prioritizing digital transformation initiatives in food retail based on the company profile and domain assessment of digital maturity. The methodological framework includes structuring the company’s profile, a domain-specific approach to maturity assessment, the formation of a catalog of types of initiatives with minimal requirements and expected effects, as well as structural and logical modeling of the selection procedure. The result is a model of four interrelated components, the application of which allows us to abandon “showcase” projects and focus resources on initiatives with the greatest impact on key performance indicators.