The Greydollarfella: An endangered species or a market opportunity?

This paper identifies an ignored and endangered species: the mature male shopper, who we have named the Greydollarfella. Based on current research and interviews, we describe this fellow and attempt to differentiate him from other consumer segments. The Greydollarfella, unlike younger men, appears not to like shopping and so is often ignored by retailers or excluded from the retail environment. We argue that the Greydollarfella should be included in, not sidelined from, retail and marketing considerations. He is much wealthier and less time-poor than younger men, and deserves a retail environment that suits his preferences and consumer requirements. We present some examples of how retailers are attending (and not attending) to the Greydollarfella. We conclude that Greydollarfella is not very well understood, is undervalued, and is often marginalised by retail marketing strategies. We believe he offers great value for marketers and retailers (both niche and mass) willing to take the time to understand his psyche, product and service needs, and views on the retail experience. Finally, we call for more attention to be paid to this segment.     

The influence of retailing-mix levers on private label market share: The case of the Italian FMCG market

An in-depth analysis of the impact of retailing-mix levers on private label market share in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector in Italy is made. The direction and intensity of the impact of assortment, price and sales promotion is measured for different product categories. OLS and GMM regressions run on an IRI Group dataset indicate a strong positive effect of product range, which can be considered as a proxy of on-shelf brand visibility. Increasing private label assortment share thus appears to constitute the key supply-side factor in augmenting sales share on the Italian grocery retailing market.     

Linking customer resources to firm success: The role of marketing program implementation

Drawing from both resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theory, this research investigates how customer resources (i.e., knowledge and network size) influence firm performance through marketing program implementation. The current research shows that customer resources are critical to the development and execution of marketing programs, which can then lead to firm success. Through surveying 269 retailers, this study finds that while customer knowledge directly affects marketing program implementation, it does not directly influence firm performance. In contrast, customer network size not only directly contributes to marketing program implementation and firm performance, but also serves as a significant moderator.     

Current issues in retailing: Relationships and emerging opportunities: Introduction to the special issue from the American Collegiate Retailing Association 2005 and 2006 conferences

Retail innovation impacts the entire marketing channel, from manufacturers to retail employees, franchisors to international distributors, and Internet marketers to final consumers. Increased global expansion, a re-emphasis on relationship building, and the explosive growth of e-commerce have transformed all facets of retailing. The papers appearing in this special issue, consisting of the best papers from the Spring and Winter conferences of the American Collegiate Retailing Association held in 2005 and 2006, capture these cutting-edge issues. The papers have gone through two rounds of a double-blind review process and been screened by one of two selection committees.     

Forecast information and traditional retailer performance in a dual-channel competitive market

Independent firms in a dual-channel competitive market are expected to have their own information about the nature of the market. In this research, we develop a game-theoretic model to examine the value of forecast information about consumers' willingness to pay. The model is based on a simultaneously played Bertrand game. Our results indicate that the profits of online as well as traditional retailers always increase with forecast accuracy, and that forecast accuracy has a greater effect on the performance of the traditional retailer than on that of the online retailer. Our results also show that the difference in profit between that of the traditional retailer and the online retailer increases with forecast accuracy. In addition we find that forecast accuracy is much more valuable to the traditional retailer when there is an increasing volatility in the market, an increasing level of consumer valuation of the product, and an increasing intensity in market competition. Based on our results, we derive optimal market strategies and identify directions of future research.     

Local and international knowledge search and product innovation: The moderating role of technology boundary spanning

Drawing on the external knowledge search literature and the literature on international diversification, this study examined the interactive effect of local and international search for new knowledge on product innovation and the moderating role of a firm's technology boundary spanning activities. Specifically, it proposed that extensive local and international search interact to positively predict product innovation success and this relationship is weaker for firms entering a new technology domain. The results using data on 343 Chinese manufacturing firms across 5 industries indicated the support for the predictions.     

Creating and consuming experiences in retail store environments: Comparing retailer and consumer perspectives

This article investigates the substance of arguments about an experience-oriented economy and experience-seeking consumption in retailing. Employing a case study research approach (n=7) and the Critical Incident Technique (n=252), we show how retailers as well as consumers relate to in-store experiences. The results point out that retailers’ use ever more advanced techniques in order to create compelling in-store experiences to their consumers. In contrast, the depiction given by consumers reveals that their in-store experiences to a large extent are constituted by traditional values such as the behavior of the personnel, a satisfactory selection of products and a layout that facilitates the store visit.     

The impact of selected store image dimensions on retailer equity: Evidence from 10 Chinese hypermarkets

Building retailer equity increases revenue and profitability by insulating retailers from competitors. Store image is the basis of retailer equity, but extant literature offers little insight into the empirical research which takes store image dimensions as antecedents of retailer equity. This paper establishes a theoretical and empirical basis that shows the impact of selected store image dimensions on retailer equity. The authors propose a conceptual framework in which store image dimensions are related to three dimensions of retailer equity, i.e., retailer awareness, retailer associations, retailer perceived quality. These dimensions are then related to retailer loyalty. The empirical tests using a structural equation model support the research hypotheses. The results indicate the positive effect of convenience, perceived price, physical facilities, employee service, and institutional factors on retailer equity dimensions as antecedents of retailer equity.     

The efficacy of marketing skills and market responsiveness in marketing performance of emerging market exporting firms in advanced markets: The moderating role of competitive intensity

Emerging market exporting firms in advanced economies must manage a highly dynamic landscape owing to factors such as changing market needs and fierce competition. Hence, these firms need to develop unique marketing skills for superior performance. Accordingly, this study draws on the resource-based and dynamic capability theory to empirically examine the role of marketing skills in developing a dynamic capability—market responsiveness—for improved marketing performance, and the changes in this relationship under highly competitive intensity. Using a sample (n = 98) of firms originating from an emerging market (Pakistan) mainly exporting to advanced markets (the United Kingdom, the United States or both), the findings show that marketing skills, positively mediated by market responsiveness, influence the marketing performance of such firms in advanced markets. The indirect relationship is positively moderated by a higher level of competitive intensity. This study extends the dynamic capability and export marketing streams of literature, particularly for emerging market exporting firms in advanced markets, and provides useful performance implications to export marketing managers.     

The influence of innovation orientation in human resource management on new product development: The moderating role of innovation type

Despite substantial prior research on new product success, there are still high failure rates. Why might this be the case? This paper argues that (1) the most important determinants of new product success involve managerial behavior and therefore a need exists to examine the influence of innovation orientation of human resource management (IO-HRM) on these determinants, and (2) these relationships are moderated by the type of innovation, product versus service. Data from 275 product innovation projects suggest that IO-HRM is a significant predictor of not only new product success but also its prime determinants: the proficiency of development activities, product advantage, marketing synergy, and top management support. Further, the linkage between IO-HRM and new product success and marketing synergy is found to be stronger in service than in product innovation projects.     

Engaging the unengaged customer: The value of a retailer mobile app

Mobile apps are becoming a go-to tactic for retailers because they offer the promise of highly convenient digital engagement. We hypothesize that two types of customers are best served by these apps — “offline-only” customers currently purchasing exclusively from the retailer's physical store, and “distant” customers who reside far from the physical store. For offline-only customers, the app complements the physical engagement they currently have. For distant customers, the app offers convenient engagement their remoteness currently precludes. We model app access and purchase behavior of 629 customers who downloaded a retailer's app. We find that apps generate more incremental sales among distant customers compared to near customers, and more incremental sales among offline-only customers compared to online customers. On an illustrative base of 100 K app users, we find accessing the app would generate $2.3 M in incremental sales. Consistent with our segmentation results, we find that the users with the greatest purchase lift (9.5%) due to app usage are those that are distant and offline-only. Our results confirm the economic value of retailer apps and their role as a segmentation strategy to enhance customer engagement.     

Country-of-Origin Premiums for Retailers in International Trades: Evidence from eBay's International Markets

Using real-world transaction prices in the Internet auction Web site eBay's U.S., U.K., and global markets, the authors study the price dispersion of homogeneous products related to the sellers’ country-of-origin. For both tangible and intangible products and services, sellers from the United States enjoy a price premium. This premium appears to stem from country-of-origin equity instead of trading risk or product quality. The findings of this research suggest potential profitable opportunities in international trade by employing the retailer's country-of-origin as an arbitrage tool.     

On the role and nature of alliance management capability in family business: Empirical evidence from a developing market

Despite the research on alliance management capability (AMC) has evolved in recent years, we still lack a clear understanding of its antecedents and performance outcomes in the context of family businesses, a setting that is inherently different from a typical firm-to-firm corporation. Collecting data from the Libyan family firms sector, we found that alliance experience, family culture (as internal antecedence), and political instability (as external antecedence) are crucial for AMC development, where the latter has a significant effect on the alliance performance of these firms. We also discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our study.     

The role and function of the independent small shop: the situation in Scotland

Independent shops are numerically dominant in the British retail system, providing a range of functions and roles in various locational situations. Reporting on survey work in Scotland with independent shop owners and their customers, this paper details these roles and functions as well as attitudes towards the provision. The community and social role played by these shops in certain locations is emphasized, while in others a breakdown of trust between retailers and consumers is identified. Policy making about independent retailing needs to understand more closely these differences by locational type.     

How category characteristics affect the number of store brands offered by the retailer: a model and empirical analysis

Our research examines why retailers offer, not one, but multiple store brands in some product categories. More specifically, we are interested in how certain product category characteristics affect the number of store brands. We model a product category consisting of two incumbent national brands that may differ in strength. The retailer may introduce one or two store brands depending on which maximizes category profits. Our analysis suggests that the retailer is likely to carry two store brands in categories where (i) the national brands are similar in strength; and (ii) the price sensitivity between the national brands is low. Interestingly, the conditions that support the introduction of more than one store brand are quite different than the conditions that would facilitate the introduction of additional national brands. We provide empirical evidence that support our model-based predictions.     

Retail formations: tracing the fluid forms of an online retailer

ABSTRACT

Change has often been said to characterise retailing, and research on retail change is extensive. However, though much of that research has focused on retail formats, it has not sufficiently addressed the fluid nature of retailing and how its formats emerge. This paper offers a more dynamic conceptualisation of retail format change by introducing the concept of retail formation. Taking a constructivist market studies approach and drawing upon an ethnographic study of a Swedish consumer electronics retailer, the paper shows how retail formations are continually being made in a dynamic process that can be initiated by various actors, does not necessarily follow a logical order, and commonly produces unexpected results. The concept of retail formation allows us to better understand the increasing fluidity of retailing enabling us to trace complex market processes, examine multiple actors simultaneously, and taking into account the socio-historical and socio-cultural dynamics involved in shaping retail markets.     

Barriers and enablers for innovation in the retail sector: Co-innovating with the customer. A case study in grocery retailing

This article aims to analyze innovation barriers and drivers in the retail sector and report on a successful product innovation case study of a leading grocery retailing firm in Spain. The firm, Mercadona, successfully launched an original co-innovation initiative with its customers consisting of bringing consumers to co-innovation labs set up by the company, having them analyze, in a home environment setting, how they use the firm's products and what suggestions they have for alternative methods, improvements, or completely new developments. The research findings were conclusive that a combination of customer focus culture, brand development, and cooperation with suppliers was crucial for the success of the project. Technology contributed as well as a supportive tool of the communication with consumers. The method followed a new and unique ethnographic approach.     

Product Placement: The UK and the New Rules

This article considers product placement as an advertising vehicle. The topic has been the subject of debate, consultation and policy making in the United Kingdom for several years, both as a matter of principle and as a requirement of EU Directive implementation. Product placement had been banned since 1954. It is now legal but limited. The article begins with a brief, historical and transatlantic view of this promotional activity. Despite resolute government statements about preserving the ban, the same administration later reversed its view. It is suggested that the change is not to obtain commercial advantage, but to avoid commercial disadvantage. It is submitted that despite the uproar these changes caused, they will only marginally affect audiences and revenues and that they amount to a reversal rather than a revolution.     

The mediating role of alliances in the international market orientation-performance relationship of smes

Enhancing international performance is a critical issue for internationalizing SMEs. Researchers have suggested that firms need to enhance their international market orientation (IMO) in order to increase performance; but the way this association works is rather unexplored. This is important for both theory and practice since its exploration would lead to a better understanding on how SMEs can effectively enhance their international performance. In this paper, we examine whether alliances through which firms access knowledge and resources play a mediating role in the IMO and performance relationship. We investigate our hypothesis on a sample of 94 companies based in the United Arab Emirates. We discovered that alliances mediate the IMO-performance relationship and we extend the knowledge- and resource-based views of the firm.     

Market orientation,product innovation and export performance: evidence from Chinese manufacturers

Based on resource-based view (RBV), this study examines the impact of marketing-related resource (market orientation) and innovation-related resources (innovation orientation and innovation resources) on exporters' performance (new product performance and overall export performance), as well as moderating role of environmental turbulence in the market orientation and export performance link. The questionnaire survey conducted among 220 manufacturing exporters reveals that there exist positive relationships among the constructs in question. This research departs from the majority of past research investigating the relationship among market orientation, product innovation and business performance in three aspects: (1) it examines the impact mechanism how market orientation improves new product performance and export performance through innovation orientation and innovation resources based on RBV, (2) it distinguishes among three constructs involved in product innovation activity, and (3) it extends the research from domestic markets to export markets. We conclude by discussing our contributions, the implications, and possible future extensions.