New marketing professor gives fresh impetus to Chemnitz University of Technology!

New marketing professor gives fresh impetus to Chemnitz University of Technology!

On August 30, 2025, Chemnitz University of Technology announced the appointment of Prof. Dr. Erik Maier, who will take over the professorship for “Business Administration – Marketing” at the Faculty of Economics on September 1, 2025. The personal certificate was given to him by Prof. Dr. Anja Strobel, Vice Rector for Research and University Development. This new role represents a significant expansion of his extensive professional background.

Prof. Dr. Maier brings with him a sound academic education, which includes a bachelor's degree at the TU Dresden, a master's degree at the University of Cambridge and a doctorate at the ESCP Business School in Berlin. His previous positions include a role as a research associate at the ESCP Business School and a management consultancy at McKinsey & Company, where he focused on retail and consumer goods. Most recently, he worked as a junior professor for retail and multi-channel management at the HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management.

Research focus and commitment

The research interests of Prof. Dr. Maier cover various topics in marketing. Particularly noteworthy are the future of city centers, the structure and development of retail channels, and consumer behavior in digital and stationary retail. His work has been published in renowned specialist journals, including the “Journal of Retailing” and the “International Journal of Research in Marketing”.

His involvement in various advisory boards, such as the Saxon Ab-in-die-Mitte Initiative and the Marketing Club Leipzig, demonstrates a strong interest in the connection between science and practice. In addition to the future of retail, his future research interests also include the investigation of digital communication and sales channels and the use of apps.

Parallel to academic developments in marketing, retail is undergoing profound change. There is a shift in the promotion of discount campaigns in food retail, increasingly shifting from traditional media such as leaflets to digital advertisements. This change is also accompanied by new trends in quick commerce, with companies like Gorillas and Flink coming under pressure as consumer use of such services declines, although they remain interesting for retailers.

Digital transformation and market developments

In the context of digitalization, the seamless integration of omnichannel solutions for retail by 2025 is of central importance. Customers expect a consistent shopping experience, both online and in-store. The importance of data analysis and artificial intelligence (AI) cannot be underestimated, as they ensure personalized offers. Retailers are asked to question existing processes in order to exploit innovation potential and generate long-term added value for themselves and their customers.

Given the current market situation, consolidation in the digital sector, particularly in delivery services, seems important. In the face of aggressive competition, companies must strategically reposition themselves in order to successfully assert themselves in the market. The challenges of the market, such as recent reports about the impending insolvency of Galeria-Karstadt-Kaufhof, illustrate the significance of the current transformation in retail.

The future of retail and city centers will be significantly shaped by these developments in the coming years. It is important to keep both the scientific and practical perspectives in mind in order to effectively meet the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities. From September, Prof. Dr. Erik Maier will play a key role at Chemnitz University of Technology, and his expertise will certainly make a valuable contribution to the further development of these topics.

For more information about advertising discount campaigns and current developments in retail, we refer to the reports from Trading.Blog and Conzoom Solutions.