Principles of the management concept of digital adaptation of retail enterprises

<jats:p>The relevance of the study is driven by the accelerating development of digital technologies, which cause continuous and radical changes, increasing technological uncertainty and the risks of excessive and insufficiently justified digital adaptation of retail enterprises. Under these conditions, there is a need to develop a digital adaptation management system to shift from the chaotic, fragmented implementation of digital technologies towards managed digital adaptation that prioritizes strategic appropriateness, effectiveness, and a balanced mix of automation and human involvement. The purpose of the study is to theoretically substantiate and systematize the principles of managing the optimal digital adaptation of a retail enterprise, to develop its multi-level architecture, and to identify management guidelines. As a result, a three-level architecture of digital adaptation management principles is proposed: strategic principles, including strategic appropriateness and balance; process principles, including flexibility, gradualness, consistency, continuity, and ongoing adaptation; and value-normative principles, including inclusiveness, safety, and responsibility. Human-centricity is defined as an integrative meta-principle that guides managerial decisions towards aligning digital technologies, automation, human labor, and stakeholder interests. The scientific novelty lies in improving the theoretical foundations of digital adaptation management in retail enterprises by functionally differentiating and integrating principles across strategic, process, and value-normative levels, and by defining human-centricity as their unifying core. The proposed architecture provides a theoretical foundation for ensuring strategically appropriate, effective, and balanced digital adaptation of an enterprise. Keywords: digitalization, digital transformation, digital adaptation, management, retail trade, human-centricity.</jats:p>