Inovação em serviços para base da pirâmide: estudo de caso no varejo nordestino (Innovation in services for the bottom of the pyramid in the retail sector)

This study is meant to understand service innovation in the retail sector for costumers at the bottom of the pyramid. Innovations in services were identified and classified from the perspectives of the sector where the company operates, as well as the perspective of the company itself. The methodology used was case study in a retail company that operates in the Northeast region of Brazil. Data were collected through semi structured interviews and direct observation. Data were sorted and later analyzed. Results showed that the company has been implementing marketing and process innovations and that, throughout its 50 years of existence, it has achieved innovation improvement, through incremental and formalizing innovations. Using a Transilience Map showed that new competencies were developed, which resulted in architectural innovations. The study concluded that such innovations may be aligned with the disruptive innovation theory. Keywords: Innovation.Services. Bottom of the Pyramid. Retail.O artigo objetiva analisar como empresas do setor de varejo têm inovado em serviços para atender aos consumidores da base da pirâmide. Foi utilizado o estudo de caso como estratégia metodológica em uma empresa do setor de varejo que opera no nordeste do Brasil. Os resultados demonstraram que a empresa tem realizado inovações de mercado e processos, melhorias, incrementais e formalizadoras. Por meio do Mapa de Transiliência, percebeu-se que novas competências foram desenvolvidas, resultando em inovações arquiteturais. É possível que tal perspectiva esteja alinhada a teoria de inovação disruptiva, podendo ter relação com o Mapa de Transiliência