Locally-owned convenience stores and the local economy

The convenience store sector in the UK has been growing strongly in recent years. Anecdotal commentary and media coverage claims that locally-owned stores are more advantageous for community coherence and resilience, being embedded socially and economically more strongly (than chain stores) in their local community. This paper extends our understanding of this. Following a review of the literature on social and economic aspects of convenience store operation, a multi-stage mainly qualitative research process was undertaken. Using four case stores in Scotland, this research demonstrates the local engagement of locally owned convenience stores and points to a stronger awareness and detail of the economic rather than the social aspects of this engagement. Differences with corporately owned convenience stores are identified. In policy terms the research shows that more work needs to be done to identify, quantify and then promote the advantages of local ownership of stores.     

The effects of possession- and social inclusion-defined materialism on consumer behavior toward economical versus luxury product categories,goods versus services product types,and individual versus group marketplace scenarios

The paper builds on and extends the current understanding of materialism by investigating the effects of two forms of materialism (i.e., possession- and social inclusion-defined) on consumer behavior (i.e., purchase and patronage) toward products of different categories (i.e., economical versus luxury) and types (i.e., goods versus services) in different marketplace scenarios (i.e., individual versus group). Using data partitioning on a random sample of 323 consumers to generate usable cases for three interrelated studies, the paper reports that the effects of possession- and social inclusion-defined materialism are consistently accentuated in the purchase of luxury goods rather than economical goods, whereby consumers with high levels of possession- and social inclusion-defined materialism are more likely to purchase luxury goods than consumers with low levels of possession- and social inclusion-defined materialism. However, the paper finds that possession- and social inclusion-defined materialism have no significant effects on the individual and group patronage of economical and luxury services. The paper concludes with the implications of these findings for theory, practice, and future research.     

Buying Groceries in Brick and Click Stores: Category Allocation Decisions and the Moderating Effect of Online Buying Experience

The large majority of online grocery shoppers are multichannel shoppers who keep visiting offline grocery stores to combine convenience advantages of online shopping with self-service advantages of offline stores. An important retail management question, therefore, is how these consumers divide grocery purchases across the retailer's online and offline channel. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact of category characteristics on the allocation pattern of multichannel grocery shoppers and find that category allocation decisions are affected not only by marketing mix differences between the online and offline channel, but also by intrinsic category characteristics like perceived purchase risk and shopping convenience. In addition, we examine the effect of online buying experience. In line with expectations, we find that it can affect allocation patterns in different ways: (i) it attenuates the perceived risk of buying sensory categories online, thereby reducing differences in online category share, (ii) it reinforces marketing mix (assortment) effects, thereby making online category share differences more pronounced, and (iii) it has no effect for factors such as promotions that are easy to evaluate without experience, thereby leaving the online category share stable. In addition to different experience effects across allocation factors, we also observe variations in experience effects across consumer segments.     

便利店经营管理的路径分析——基于中、日便利店的比较

通过对中日两国便利店经营管理现状进行比较分析,不难发现,我国的便利店在企业经营管理水平、管理质量、人口素质等方面与日本等发达国家还存在较大差距。我国的便利店应以日本品牌便利店为“标杆”,改进商品结构管理,拓展服务领域;有选择地学习国外先进配送经验,加快物流人才培养;转变经营模式,大力发展加盟店;积极争取政府的政策支持。     

How the burdens of ownership promote consumer usage of access-based services

Services that let customers access goods, such as car-sharing, are gaining increasing relevance as an alternative to ownership. These access-based services allow consumers to avoid the “burdens of ownership”, i.e., risks and responsibilities that come with owning a good. However, the interplay between consumers’ risk perception of ownership, access-based service usage, and the subsequent decision to reduce or forgo ownership has not been sufficiently investigated. Based on risk perception theory, we hypothesize the effects of different risk dimensions (financial, performance, social) on the intensity of access-based service usage, as well as the latter’s influence on ownership reduction. Using a unique dataset that links survey and actual usage data of car-sharing users, we test four corresponding hypotheses. The results reveal that access-based service usage is positively influenced by all three ownership risk perceptions. Moreover, a higher usage of an access-based service increases the likelihood that consumers subsequently reduce ownership.     

Pick a card: Price ranges and gift card choice

Gift cards are wildly popular with consumers. Vast assortments of gift cards are available at many regional and national retail stores (e.g., grocery, convenience, home improvement). The present research examines consumer reactions to price range amounts displayed on gift cards (e.g., $20-$100; $25-$250). Commonly affixed to gift cards to convey possible purchase loads, price ranges appear to serve as contextual information for a desired purchase load as a gift that can affect beliefs about the recipient's views of the gift card i.e., metaperceptions. Specifically, these metaperceptions tend to be more negative for a gift card displaying a price range when the desired purchase load is the lower bound rather than the upper bound. These beliefs can, in turn, affect gift card choice, but only when social risk is applicable. Four studies provide support for the theory.     

How Product–Environment Brightness Contrast and Product Disarray Impact Consumer Choice in Retail Environments

A conceptual model is developed to predict how consumers respond to in-store displays as a function of the extent to which a product’s brightness level (i.e., its perceived light-emitting quality) contrasts with that of its background environment and the product’s level of disarray. We show that products whose brightness levels contrast more with those of the retail environment are more preferred because they visually “pop out” (e.g., a dark product in a brightly lit store environment). However, this preference reverses when the products that pop out appear in disarray (i.e., are perceived to have been previously touched by other shoppers). Because most stores are bright environments, darker (vs. lighter) products in disarray are more likely to be perceived as contaminated and less pleasant, leading to avoidance behaviors, evident in reduced sales and preference. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

The bargaining power,value capture,and export performance of Vietnamese manufacturers in global value chains

This study examines the payoff of various initiatives taken by Vietnamese manufacturers to increase their bargaining power relative to global buyers and capture a larger share of the value generated in global value chains. The study focuses on functional upgrade initiatives (i.e., product development, after-sales services, distribution, and promotion) and negotiation process initiatives (i.e., market intelligence and improvement of negotiation skills). A structural equation modelling method is used to analyse the data collected in 2017 from 354 Vietnamese manufacturers inserted in global value chains. The study finds that all initiatives, except after-sales services, significantly strengthen the manufacturers' bargaining power, which, in turn, enhances their export performance.     

Searching online and buying offline: Understanding the role of channel-, consumer-, and product-related factors in determining webrooming intention

In recent times, the increasing accessibility of mobile technology has led to changes in consumers’ purchasing behavior. Despite the gloom and doom hearsay about how electronic commerce is threatening the existence of brick-and-mortar stores, by some indications, however, webrooming (i.e., the practice of researching items online, and then buying them offline) may be an even more common practice among shoppers. Against this background, this study proposes and empirically validates a comprehensive research model which incorporates consumer traits (i.e., need for touch, need for interaction, and price-comparison orientation), channel-related factors (i.e., online search convenience, perceived usefulness of online reviews, perceived helpfulness of in-store salespeople, and perceived risk of buying online), and smart shopping perception as antecedents of webrooming intention. Moreover, this study examines the moderating role of product category in predicting webrooming intention. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted. A total of 280 useable responses was collected and data was analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling. The findings revealed significant direct and/or indirect effects (through smart shopping perception) of consumer traits and channel-related factors on webrooming intention. In addition, product category was found to moderate the relationship between price-comparison orientation, online search convenience, perceived risk, and webrooming intention. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Retailer Categorization: How Store-Format Price Image Influences Expected Prices and Consumer Choices

Prior research indicates that consumers may base their retail decisions (e.g., store choice, purchase quantity) on price image, which has been defined as consumer perceptions “of the aggregate price level of a retailer” (Hamilton and Chernev 2013, p. 2). The present research shows that consumers associate different price images not only with specific retailers, but more broadly with various store formats — such as grocery stores, convenience stores, and specialty stores. Six studies provide evidence that store-format price image exerts influence on consumer price expectations and store choice decisions, and that these retailer categorization effects are distinct from the effects of retailer price image.     

浅议河北省农村信用社自助银行业务的发展

作为一种高智能化的银行服务方式,自助银行业务依托现代通讯和计算机技术,延长了银行的有效营业时间,满足了客户随时可能发生的金融服务需求。合理的布局可以弥补银行营业网点的不足,增加业务网点覆盖面。减轻柜员的劳动强度,有效地提高银行的服务效率。加快发展河北省农村信用社自助银行业务不仅是必要的,而且是可行的,并有着广阔的发展前景。     

Regional Patterns in Gasoline Station Rationalization in Canada

The number of gasoline stations in Canada fell by 40 % over the 1990s. Over the same period, the industry evolved from a large number of small stations with full service and automotive service bays, to large self serve stations with car washes and convenience stores. Demand and cost related theories of rationalization can explain the nationwide trends, but seem less able to explain city level variation in the timing and magnitude of rationalization. In this paper, we make use of a brand-level panel data set of station counts, shutdowns and characteristics for 12 Canadian cities from 1990 to 2005 to examine the relative importance of different region-level events and changes to the evolution of gasoline retailing. We find that market structure events and regulations are more strongly associated with the shutdown patterns of independent gasoline retailers than refinery-brand stations.     

The Effect of Overconfidence and Underconfidence on Consumer Value

Although the effect of knowledge miscalibration (i.e., the inaccuracy in subjective knowledge relative to objective knowledge) on consumer purchase decisions has been investigated, its effect in the usage stage of consumption is little understood. This paper examines the effect of knowledge miscalibration in terms of both overconfidence (i.e., when subjective knowledge is inflated) and underconfidence (i.e., when subjective knowledge is deflated) on the dimensions of consumer value (i.e., efficiency, excellence, play, and aesthetics). The paper makes the case that overconfidence and underconfidence should be treated separately as they trigger different consumption consequences. Several hypotheses are tested through two studies: a covariance‐based study (Study 1) and an experimental study (Study 2). In Study 1, overconfidence and underconfidence are measured, while in Study 2 they are experimentally manipulated. Findings of both studies show that underconfidence negatively influences efficiency, excellence, and aesthetics, and overconfidence negatively influences play. Also, Study 1 finds a negative effect of underconfidence on play and Study 2 finds a negative effect of overconfidence on excellence and aesthetics. Findings reveal that knowledge miscalibration negatively impacts consumers’ usage experiences. This implies that in designing product or service experiences suppliers benefit from ensuring that consumers achieve a reduced level of knowledge miscalibration.     

The evolving role of organisational and personal networks in international market venturing

In a study of 1304 Australian manufacturing industry SMEs, we investigate the relationships among networking (i.e., inter-personal and inter-organisational networks), international market venturing (i.e., export intensity), and family ownership. We find evidence that (1) inter-personal networking and inter-organisational networking positively influence SME international market venturing, but this relationship is contingent on a time lag effect, and (2) family ownership negatively moderates the effect of inter-organisational networking on international market venturing. Implications for managerial practice and public policy are discussed.     

To err is human: Tolerate humans instead of machines in service failure

Full automation and self-service technologies have become popular in service marketing. However, customers often face multiple issues when dealing with self-service technologies. This paper examines the effect of service-failure type (employee failure vs. self-service technology failure) on customers' negative responses (dissatisfaction, forgiveness, willingness to switch between employee and self-service technology, and negative word of mouth). Through four experiments with Amazon Mechanical Turk workers and undergraduate students, this research finds that customers have more negative responses for a self-service technology failure than for an employee failure. This is because they get angrier with machines' mistakes than with those of humans. Moreover, empathy alleviates anger and customers’ negative responses in employee failure, but not in self-service technology failure. This research offers service providers new insights by scrutinizing the flip side of complete automation in service marketing.     

Influence of family ownership on small business growth. Evidence from French SMEs

The performance implications of family ownership have been studied extensively. However, studies that investigate the influence of family ownership on small business growth remain scarce and suffer from several shortcomings. To remedy these shortcomings, this paper uses a very large sample of French SMEs to explore the relationship between family ownership and small business growth. First, this study shows that there is a negative, although non-monotonic, relationship between family ownership and small business economic growth. Second, it explores the channel through which family ownership affects firm growth. Results suggest that firms with greater family ownership are prone to below-potential rates of economic growth, given their internal financing resources. Overall, the results suggest that small family businesses have a propensity to deliberately limit their growth (i.e., they adopt conservative growth behavior).     

基于便利店的电子商务物流配送模式研究

通过整合社会资源,充分发挥连锁便利店信息平台、门店网络、物流配送的优势,建立基于便利店社区网络化的物流宅配体系,形成基于便利店支持下的电子商务配送模式,解决困扰电子商务交易中的物流瓶颈问题。     

Developing a framework to improve virtual shopping in digital malls with intelligent self-service systems

Growing movements to urban places, increasing unemployment, decreasing buying power, rising real estate cost and demanding consumers for convenience and price are creating challenges for retailers. This paper reviews a sample list of retail channels, and proposes a systematic framework for conceptualizing the data-driven, and mobile- and cloud-enabled intelligent self-service systems to improve virtual shopping. With adoption of intelligent self-service systems, – more service oriented, more instrumented (from sensors to smart phones for monitoring consumers׳ behaviors), interconnected (patterns of interactions), and intelligent (algorithms help recognize patterns) – retail organizations can provide more cost effective quality retail service experiences to consumers.     

Sam Walton: on a wing and a prayer

Sam Walton built a network of mass-merchandise discount stores. Always keen to embrace innovation, Walton pioneered the self-service concept, was one of the first retailers to adopt network technology via satellite to link stores and championed hypermarts.