Distribution service : competition within and among retail formats

Distribution service provision is an important instrument for the creation of availability. The book addresses in five parts the role of distribution service in individual channel member decision making in a competitive retailing environment through theoretical and empirical modeling and analysis. The empirical applications all concern the Dutch domestic cut flower market. The book starts in part I with development of a new and integrative conceptualization for distribution service elaborating on views from logistics, economics, and psychology. The second part of the book addresses the theory underlying consumer evaluation of and choice from assortments. It provides a theoretical framework of consumption goals, situational, and contextual variables, including retailer distribution service provision, as determinants of consumer evaluation of and choice from assortments. Several hypotheses are tested in an empirical study. Extended multinomial logit modeling of the experimental choice data has been used as a tool for optimization of retail assortments. Part III investigates the role of retail distribution service provision in consumer post-purchase evaluation processes and extends existing research on consumer post-purchase evaluation. Part IV focuses on the role of distribution service in vertical and horizontal strategic interactions between channel members, particularly between manufacturers and retailers, and its consequences for the emergence of different channel structures and retail formats. A game-theoretic model has been developed for retail competition with respect to price and distribution service and its consequences for the emergence of differentiated retail formats. Finally, part V discusses research implications and future research challenges.</p

Pricing decision with conspicuous customers: quick responses versus value-added services

In order to eliminate the negative effects of customer strategic behavior, retailers often adopt quick response or value-added services. While in a luxury market with conspicuous customers, retailers’ pricing decisions of these two strategies become more complicated. This paper studies a supply chain with a retailer serving a mixture of conspicuous and ordinary strategic customers. We develop three models so that the retailer provides i) neither quick response nor value-added services; ii) only quick response; iii) only value-added services. Subsequently, we analyze the impacts of conspicuous customers on quick response and value-added services by pricing and strategy comparisons. The model further extends to the situation including both strategies. The results show that, firstly, when the proportion is less than a threshold, the retailer should adopt a low price strategy, and vice versa. Besides, the quick response could induce the retailer to adopt high price while value-added services inhibit it. Secondly, the customer conspicuous behavior can motivate retailers to provide quick response and inhibit their value-added services. Finally, by observing the retailer’s decisions when they can adopt two strategies simultaneously, we find that the existence of quick response can amplify the benefits of value-added services

Design of Dynamic Pricing Systems for Online-Retailer\u27s-Core Functionalities and Qualitative Insights

The intense competition in e-commerce makes many small- and medium-sized retailers striving for dynamic pricing. Therefore, the core functionalities of a dynamic pricing system are investigated using single case study research method. They embrace both external and internal factors for price calculation. First, there are functions to get external information such as price information from competing retailers. They provide important information for calculation and forecasting. Second, internal oriented functions exist, which analyse personal information such as the birthday in order to influence the buyers’ decisions in a positive way

Research Status and Prospect of Consumer Behavior in Omni-Channel Retailing

In recent years, the entity retail sales continue to decline in China, and retail enterprises are facing problems to combined the real economy effectively with the ‘Internet plus’. With the development of the retail industry, Omni-Channel Retailing, combined with the physical channels, e-commerce, information media channels, came into being. We discuss the present situation of retailing in China. We also introduce articles in this special issue on consumer behavior. We end with putting forward limitations and future research in this area

The marketing perception of grocery store retailers belonging to black business associations in Gauteng

This study investigates the marketing perception of grocery store retailers belonging to black business associations in Gauteng. In determining what the black grocery store retailer should know about marketing in order to be successful, an extensive literature study was undertaken on the basic components of marketing, namely the marketing concept, marketing environment and target market selection, and the retail marketing mix and strategy. An empirical study was conducted to determine the black grocery store retailer's present knowledge and practices of the basic components of marketing. In the study, grocery store retailers who are members of Nafcoc in Gauteng, were interviewed by using a structured questionnaire which covered the basic components of marketing. The research results reveal various prominent gaps in the black grocery store retailer's marketing perception of the marketing concept, marketing environment and target market selection, and the retail marketing mix and strategy. The most significant findings are that successful black grocery store retailers have certain unique characteristics and perceptions and follow specific marketing practices: they care what customers think of their stores and they see it as their responsibility to conduct marketing research on a regular basis; they are more sensitive to the diverse cultural backgrounds and needs of the customers and infrastructural problems of the townships in which they live; they do not focus only on providing the basic necessities but also keep an expanded product range, including shopping and emergency products; they use the self-service store concept to sell to their customers; they add value by providing after-sales services such as attending to defective goods; they have a broader perception of competitors and do not focus only on intratype competition inside the townships; they use more advanced accounting and financial management techniques; they accept their role as a socially responsible retailing business in the township community; they eliminate the middlemen in the distribution system whenever possible by buying directly from manufacturers and the fresh produce market; and they use more marketing communication elements to promote their stores and range of products and services.Business ManagementDCom (Business Management

Ubiquity of offerings : the development and validation of a scale to measure omnichannel perception

This thesis aims to better understand how customers perceive omnichannel, developing a scale for this. This channel strategy, which is an upgrade of multi and cross-channel, brings the ubiquity of offerings, that is, the integration and interaction of marketing channels, providing a unique shopping experience. Although it has been a widely studied phenomenon, Marketing Science Institute considers it one of the top research priorities (MSI, 2018), reinforcing the need of studies such as this. Unraveling the customer point of view, this study attempts to bring a holistic perspective of the subject. Having the theory about omnichannel along with the ten items brought by Li et al. (2017) to measure Cross-Channel Integration as a starting point, this research began with a qualitative inquiry, using means-end theory and interviewing 29 participants in order to form attribute-consequencevalue chains and understand the reasons why customers use more than one channel in the same shopping journey. After that, a panel of experts was performed, contemplating two national and three international scholars. These two steps were crucial to form the steps that took place thereafter. Three rounds of quantitative surveys were conducted using online questionnaires in order to reduce the number of variables into an ideal number of factors. After exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, the final measurement tool had 17 items in 5 factors: post-purchase services, promotions, BOPS, advantages and interactions with the retailer. Also, the predictive power of the scale was tested, and different simulations showed new perspectives for future studies. Specially the first factor was strongly related to loyalty outputs, that are satisfaction with the ubiquity of channels, recommendation and intention to use more channels from that retailer. Besides the relevance for marketing theory concerning channels, the research also constributes for retailers that seek to stand out for adopting omnichannel.Esta tese busca entender melhor como os clientes percebem o omnichannel, desenvolvendo uma escala para ele. Essa estratégia de canal, que é uma atualização de multi canal e cross-channel, traz a onipresença de ofertas, ou seja, a integração e a interação dos canais de marketing, proporcionando uma experiência de compra única. Embora tenha sido um fenômeno amplamente estudado, o Marketing Science Institute o considera uma das principais prioridades de pesquisa (MSI, 2018), reforçando a necessidade de estudos como este. Desvendando o ponto de vista do cliente, este estudo tenta trazer uma perspectiva holística do assunto. Tendo a teoria sobre omnichannel juntamente com os dez itens trazidos por Li et al. (2017) para medir a integração entre canais como ponto de partida, esta pesquisa começou com uma investigação qualitativa, usando a teoria meios-fim, e entrevistando 29 participantes, a fim de formar cadeias de atributo-consequência-valor e entender as razões pelas quais os clientes usam mais que um canal na mesma jornada de compra. Em seguida, foi realizado um painel de especialistas, contemplando dois acadêmicos nacionais e três internacionais. Esses dois passos foram cruciais para formar os passos que ocorreram posteriormente. Três rodadas de pesquisas quantitativas foram realizadas usando questionários on-line, a fim de reduzir o número de variáveis em um número ideal de fatores. Após análise fatorial exploratória e confirmatória, a ferramenta final de medição teve 17 itens em 5 fatores: serviços pós-compra, promoções, BOPS, vantagens e interações com o varejista. Além disso, o poder preditivo da escala foi testado, e diferentes simulações mostraram novas perspectivas para estudos futuros. Especialmente, o primeiro fator estava fortemente relacionado aos resultados de lealdade, que são a satisfação com a onipresença dos canais, a recomendação e a intenção de usar mais canais do varejista. Além da relevância para a teoria do marketing em relação aos canais, a pesquisa também contribui para varejistas que procuram se destacar por adotar o omnichannel

Marketing Performance Measurement in FMCG Share of Wallet in Italian Retail Industry

Recent years, the Marketing Science Institute considered marketing performance measurement (MPM) a priority in marketing research and managerial practice. Several contributions on the same topic have been proposed in literature. The ability to measure the marketing performance is considered, a cognitive gap that determined a decrease of marketing relevance within firm and organizations. On the basis of relevant literature on retailing and an explorative case study, it will be proposed a conceptual and pragmatic model to investigate MPM for a consumer goods retailer. The model is aimed to identify antecedents of “share of purchase”, “share of wallet” and “share of visit”. An early test of the model has been carried out on two Italian leading chains: Superò, a master franchisee of SMA Spa (owned of 27 small supermarkets under control of the French Auchan Group) and Decò-Multicedi (the Group is a multi-channel company based on network of 5 Ad Hoc cash & carry centers, 253 Decò outlets and 3 Ayoka pet shops) located in Campania Region

Digital piracy: An assessment of consumer piracy risk and optimal supply chain coordination strategies.

Digital piracy and the emergence of new distribution channels have changed the dynamics of supply chain coordination and created many interesting problems. There has been increased attention to understanding the phenomenon of consumer piracy behavior and its impact on supply chain profitability. The purpose of this dissertation is to better understand the impact of digital piracy on online music channel and optimal supply chain strategies which achieve high levels of coordination. A multi-method approach including survey, mathematical modeling, and simulation are used to a) analyze the impact of piracy on digital music channel coordination under different contract arrangements, b) develop theoretical and operational basis for conceptualizing a measurement model of consumer piracy risk, c) examine the effectiveness of piracy control strategies used to dissuade consumers from illegal music downloads. Findings from this dissertation contribute to the literature on digital piracy, consumer piracy behavior, online channel distribution, and supply chain coordination, and provide several important managerial implications

A study of consumers' perceptions of dynamic price strategies for perishable foods and the impact of the strategies on retailer performance

archiv