Uncovering consumers’ returning behaviour: a study of fashion e-commerce

Abstract

The increasing prominence of e-commerce is shaping the nature and dynamics of retailing. E-commerce offers consumers lower prices, wider product categories and a more convenient shopping experience. In addition, consumers seek ways to manage the risk that is often perceived when making purchases online, which is why retailers’ online return policies have become an increasingly important attribute through which companies compete. Lenient return policies fuel unnecessary ordering and increase return rates, which in turn has major implications both for consumer behaviour and for managing the increasingly complex ecological and economical issue of online returning. Despite its relevance, prior research has paid limited attention to this evolving phenomenon. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to explore and analyse online returning behaviour in the context of fashion merchandise. As a result, 10 categories of online returning behaviour are identified that capture the reasons why consumers actually return items they have ordered online. These categories are further linked with when the decision to return ordered items emerges. Based on the results, managerial implications are provided to give guidance in managing online returning behaviour.     

Intellectual property rights in innovation management research: A review

The issue of intellectual property rights (IPRs) is assuming increasing importance, especially for innovative firms seeking international growth. This leads to an increasing need for IPR research. Nevertheless, so far it is not known how well the current research answers to this emerging need. Hence, this study finds out how IPR research has evolved in the literature on innovation management and identifies the current trends. In order to do this we analysed articles published in the years 1970–2009 in the seven leading innovation management journals. We found 111 articles focusing on IPR issues for our systematic content analysis. The results indicate that IPRs are a fast-growing research field in innovation management, but there is a need to develop coherent constructs and conceptual frameworks that would strengthen the theoretical basis of the research. Most of the studies emphasise patents, rely on secondary data, and focus on North American and European contexts. The article concludes with suggestions for future research.