Developing a typology of competition and growth strategies based on the use of artificial intelligence

The goal of this study is to develop a typology of competition and growth strategies based on the use of artificial intelligence (AI), using examples of the strategic development of the largest retail grocery chains as representatives of a technologically advanced and highly competitive cluster of the Russian economy, which has a significant share in the structure of the country’s GDP. The objectives of the research include the identification of various types and methods of AI applications in large-scale retail, their systematization and structuring within strategic planning frameworks, the empirical construction of an integrated strategy matrix and the development of a new modified competition and growth strategy. The relevance of the study is necessitated by the need to integrate advanced digital technologies into strategic analysis, planning and competitive positioning under contemporary conditions. The scientific novelty lies in the systematization of established industry practices of AI application and their transformation into a tool for the targeted development and competitive strategy design, as well as in the empirical development of a typology of integrated competition and growth strategies. The object of the research is competition and growth strategies based on the use of advanced intelligent technologies, including AI. The subject of the research is the strategic actions of Russia’s largest grocery retail chains. The study comprises a bibliographic review of recent research on the strategic development of large-scale public retail chains in modern Russia, an analysis of their key financial and economic indicators and an empirical assessment of strategic actions undertaken over the past five years. For the first time in the academic field, a concept of the competitive positioning of Russian retail chains relative to each other was developed based on actual data. Classical competition and growth strategy matrices were integrated into a unified framework, presented as a typology of competition and growth strategies. Furthermore, the study systematically identifies and classifies the forms of actual use of AI technologies by large-scale retail chains in the context of competition and growth strategies for the first time in the academic field. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the development of a new modified type of competition strategy based on a smart platform ecosystem, alongside a typology of integrated competition and growth strategies. By combining the systematization of AI technologies' application trends and experience, coupled with financial and economic indicators, a conclusion was drawn regarding its importance as a factor in enhancing the competitiveness of Russia’s largest retail grocery chains. The research findings are presented in the form of strategic competitive action matrices