 Non-fungible tokens in retailing: Sources of value and strategic implicationsMartin Paul Fritze, Cait Lamberton and Stefano Puntoni Journal of Retailing, 2026, vol. 102, issue 2, 446-460 Abstract: From Balenciaga to Bored Apes, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have captured popular, managerial, and scholarly attention. However, despite some prominent exceptions, the question of whether and how NFTs can represent a real source of value for retailers remains open. This paper provides a framework to consider ways in which NFTs can be a source of value in retailing. We identify three technical features of NFTs (decentralization, immutable encryption, automated execution), which in turn offer potential utility to retailers in the form of three value propositions (transcendence, dynamic contingencies, flexible identification), which a survey study suggests are valued by managers but not yet connected to NFTs. To help make this connection, we use illustrative examples to demonstrate the ways in which NFTs can deliver these three value propositions in a single marketing tool. Taken together, we hope this framework's proposed relationships will spark future work in this area, leading to the development—and evolution—of theories of NFTs and their use in retailing as this technology continues to progress. Keywords: Non-fungible tokens; Blockchain; Metaverse; Value; Technology (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jouret:v:102:y:2026:i:2:p:446-460 DOI: 10.1016/j.jretai.2025.02.003 Access Statistics for this article Journal of Retailing is currently edited by A. Roggeveen More articles in Journal of Retailing from Elsevier |
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