Past, present, and future research on self-service merchandising: A co-word and text mining approach

Purpose This study aims to discern emerging trends and provide a longitudinal perspective on merchandising research by identifying relationships between merchandising-related subdomains/themes. Design/methodology/approach This study sourced 657 merchandising-related articles published since 1960, from the Scopus database and 425 from Web of Science. After processing and normalizing the data, this study performed co-word and thematic network analyses. Taking a text mining approach, this study used topic modeling to identify a set of coherent topics characterized by the keywords of the articles. Findings This study identified the following merchandising-related themes: branding, retail, consumer, behavior, modeling, textile and clothing industry and visual merchandising. Although visual merchandising was the first type of merchandising to be used in-store, only recently has it become an emerging topic in the academic literature. There has been a further trend over the past decade to understand the adoption of simulation technology, such as computer-aided design, particularly in supply chain management in the clothing industry. These and other findings contribute to the discussion of the merchandising concept, approached from an evolutionary perspective. Research limitations/implications The conclusions of this study hold implications at the intersection of merchandising, sectors, new technologies, research methodologies and merchandising-practitioner education. Research trends suggest that, in the future, virtual reality and augmented reality using neuroscientific methods will be applied to the e-merchandising context. Practical implications The different dimensions of merchandising can be used to leverage store managers’ decision-making process toward an integrated store-management strategy. In particular, by adopting loyalty merchandising tactics, the store can generate emotional attachment among consumers, who will perceive its value and services as unique, thanks to merchandising items designed specifically with that aim in mind. The stimulation of unplanned purchases, the strategic location of products and duration of each merchandising activity in the store, the digitalization of merchandising and the application of findings from neuroscience studies are some of the most relevant practical applications. Originality/value This study provides the first-ever longitudinal review of the state of the art in merchandising research, taking a holistic perspective of this field of knowledge spanning a 60-year period. The work makes a valuable contribution to the development of the marketing discipline.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Past, present, and future research on self-service merchandising: A co-word and text mining approach

Purpose: This study aims to discern emerging trends and provide a longitudinal perspective on merchandising research by identifying relationships between merchandising-related subdomains/themes. Design/methodology/approach: We sourced 657 merchandising-related articles published since 1960, from the Scopus database and 425 from Web of Science. After processing and normalizing the data, we performed co-word and thematic network analyses. Taking a text mining approach, we used topic modeling to identify a set of coherent topics characterized by the keywords of the articles. Findings: We identified the following merchandising-related themes: branding, retail, consumer, behavior, modeling, textile and clothing industry, and visual merchandising. Although visual merchandising was the first type of merchandising to be used in-store, only recently has it become an emerging topic in the academic literature. There has been a further trend over the last decade to understand the adoption of simulation technology, such as computer-aided design, particularly in supply chain management in the clothing industry. These and other findings contribute to our discussion of the merchandising concept, approached from an evolutionary perspective. Research limitations/implications: The conclusions of the study hold implications at the intersection of merchandising, sectors, new technologies, research methodologies, and merchandising-practitioner education. Research trends suggest that, in the future, virtual reality and augmented reality using neuroscientific methods will be applied to the emerchandising context. Practical implications: The different dimensions of merchandising can be used to leverage store managers’ decision-making process toward an integrated store-management strategy. In particular, by adopting loyalty merchandising tactics, the store can generate emotional attachment among consumers, who will perceive its value and services as unique, thanks to merchandising items designed specifically with that aim in mind. The stimulation of unplanned purchases, the strategic location of products and duration of each merchandising activity in the store, the digitalization of merchandising, and the application of findings from neuroscience studies are some of the most relevant practical applications. Originality/value: The study provides the first-ever longitudinal review of the state of the art in merchandising research, taking a holistic perspective of this field of knowledge spanning a 60-year period. The work makes a valuable contribution to the development of the marketing discipline

Using Transaction Utility Approach for Retail Format Decision

Transaction Utility theory was propounded by Thaler to explain that the value derived by a customer from an exchange consists of two drivers: Acquisition Utilities and Transaction utilities. Acquisition utility represents the economic gain or loss from the transaction. Where as transaction utility is associated with purchase or (sale) and represents the pleasure (or displeasure) of the financial deal per se and is a function of the difference between the selling price and the reference price. Choice of a format has been studied from several dimensions including the cost and effort as well as the non-monetary values. However, the studies that present the complete picture and combine the aspects of the tangible as well as intangible values derived out of the shopping process are limited. Most of the studies, all of them from the developed economies, have focussed on the selection of a store. They represent a scenario where formats have stabilised. However, in Indian scenario formats have been found to be influencing the choice of store as well as orientation of the shoppers. Also, retailers are experimenting with alternate format with differing success rates. The author has also not found a study that has applied this theory. It is felt that the Transactional Utility Theory may provide a suitable approach for making format decisions.

A Process Model for Assessing the Distribution Options for Horizontal E-Business Portals

E-business portal acts as an interface between the e-suppliers and e-customers and many different types of distribution channels are defined individually by various enterprises. The logistics management and decision parameters for distribution models depend on the type of portal e.g. horizontal or vertical. In this paper the focus is on the distribution channels defined for horizontal portals, which are critical aspects of e-business but are not as explored as the other aspects. In this paper, various aspects of e-business models have been analyzed and research reveals that distribution issues need to be looked at with a fresh approach, because the tradition methods do not take into account some typical characteristics of e-business like the range of goods, transactional values and volumes the horizontal portals nowadays handle. Towards this end, three types of distribution channels for a generic horizontal portal have been identified. A decision parameter table has been formulated and used to assess various options for the distribution logistics for the horizontal portals. Also each of these broad categories has been dealt with individually highlighting their salient features along with the advantages and disadvantages associated. The primary objectives for assessment are cost savings and profit maximization of the portal. An assessment process model has been developed on the basis of some key e-business tangible parameters like transactional value, business volume etc. which can be further extended to include specific e-business model dimensions. The parameters are also analyzed subsequently in terms of their availability, size etc. so that the implementation considerations can be realistically made. Finally, the application potential, extendibility and usability of the process model have been explained and it has been shown that this generic model is simple, flexible and specific implementations can lead to e-business portals functioning with a better competitive advantage

High-street fashion brand communication amongst female adolescents

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The nature of high-street fashion brands amongst female adolescents is a combined set of fast fashion movements and early adopter demands within a compressed timeframe. This research has investigated the need for a communication plan to appropriately deliver the brand message for this sector. There are a number of information barriers for high-street fashion brands to build customer value and differentiate the core values of their brands from competitors because of 1) imbalanced strategic communication implementation particularly in the encoding process, 2) ambiguous interpretation of target audience behaviour as a key disseminator of brand messages and 3) a lack of an integrated communication approach to complement the brand building communication plan. Accordingly, there is a need for a brand building communication framework to formulate and direct the female adolescent perceived values within a limited time based on mutual understanding and shared requirements between a high-street fashion brand and its target audience. Moreover, a strategic plan using an integrated brand-building communication in the encoding process which optimises the contribution of the audience must be developed. This research has revealed that high-street fashion brands should concentrate on consumer self-construal, consumer-brand congruence and consumer-brand relationships of female adolescents in order to clearly construct brand messages which match audiences’ values and lifestyles. Due to the needs for informative cooperation amongst the target audiences, the brand-building communication strategy as a persuasive medium, which encourages audiences and prospects to initiate interactivity with the high-street fashion brand, was thoroughly examined in the empirical study. A conceptual model of a high-street fashion brand-building communication was developed and evaluated by means of design research methodology and soft systems methodology. The proposed model explains the platform of brand-building communication strategy in the encoding process for the high-street fashion market. A number of advantages are offered: Firstly, brand managers may use the model to overcome the barriers to integrate a fashion brand communication strategy. Secondly, it can enhance the recognition of fashion brand-building communication. Thirdly, the model offers an approach to leverage customer-brand relationships by means of the communication process. Fourthly, it allows the description of a holistic view of brand message construction in the encoding process. Finally, it offers a strategy to integrate online and off-line communications

Marypaz marketing plan: merchandising strategies in footwear stores

This master thesis project has the objective to develop an applied project for the Spanish footwear brand – MARYPAZ. We intend to implement new merchandising strategies not only in stores that already exist in Portugal, but also, new ones to be created in our territory. In this project, we have studied the footwear market in order to understand what could be our opportunities and our main treats in the sector, and therefore, how could be our approach to gain ground in the Portuguese market. Accordingly, we have identified, through an online survey, our respondents’ purchasing habits in general, and additionally, their preferences regarding the layout of a store. Based on these results, we were able to create a marketing plan that will respond to our audience’s needs. A marketing strategy was planned and marketing-mix elements were designed to formulate a new store concept that will renew MARYPAZ’s image and, consequently, restore brand’s recognition and make it more competitive. Having these components well established, we can proceed with the implementation of our project.Esta tese de mestrado tem o objetivo de desenvolver um projecto aplicado para a marca espanhola de calçado – MARYPAZ. Pretendemos implementar novas estratégias de merchandising não só em lojas MARYPAZ que já existam em Portugal, mas também em lojas novas a serem criadas no nosso território. Neste projecto, estudámos o mercado de calçado de forma a compreender quais poderiam ser as nossas oportunidades, assim como, as nossas maiores ameaças no sector e, consequentemente, qual poderia ser a nossa abordagem para ganhar terreno no mercado Português. Desta forma, identificámos, através de um questionário online, os hábitos de consumo, em geral, dos nossos inquiridos e, adicionalmente, as suas preferências relativamente ao layout de uma loja. Com base nestes resultados, foi-nos possível criar um plano de marketing que irá corresponder às necessidades da nossa audiência. Uma estratégia de marketing foi planeada e os elementos do marketing-mix delineados de modo a formular um novo conceito de loja que irá renovar a imagem da MARYPAZ e, consequentemente, restaurar o reconhecimento da marca e torná-la mais competitiva. Tendo estes componentes bem estabelecidos, somos capazes de proceder com a implementação do nosso projecto