Conventional Retailing Research Articles

Community-based management for low-digitalized communities using cross-cutting purchasing behavior

The need for community-based management to revitalize the economy of commercial areas by using consumer behavior analysis focusing on transactions has increased. Low-digitalized shopping communities, commercial communities that include retailing that have not introduced digital technologies, require community-based management using consumer behavior analysis. However, low-digitalized shopping communities cannot collect cross-cutting consumer behavior data using digital technologies such as point of sales (POS) systems. This difficulty obscures the novel management potential of applying such customer behavior analysis to community-based management. Our study aims to bridge the gap between low-digitalized shopping communities and community-based management using customer behavior analysis. To achieve this purpose, this study proposed a novel management approach using data collected using paper-based community currencies and its analysis method. Two field experiments were performed in low-digitalized shopping communities in Japan using two types of community currencies: from-to (FT) and customer attributes (CA). This study illustrated the possibility of community-based management in low-digitalized shopping communities and extending conventional retailing management methods using customer behavior analysis to community-based management.

Middle-ranking household food acquisition: the impact of marketplaces on purchasing patterns and networks of supply in eighteenth-century Bristol and Boston

ABSTRACT Studies of consumption have historically focused on the ways early modern consumers acquired fashionable and novel goods. More recently, the focus has shifted towards the consumption of everyday commodities by rural households. This study addresses the most central component of household consumption, food, and assesses the impact of urban marketplaces on its acquisition. Using a comparative analysis of food provision for middle-ranking households in Bristol and Boston, 1734-1742, it highlights the complexity and range of considerations required to ensure regular, fresh supplies of food. This study demonstrates that, despite the greater prevalence of advertising and conventional retailing in the food marketplace in Boston, factors peculiar to food provision, such as perishability and authenticity, meant both households continued to acquire this essential commodity through trusted, local, often familial, suppliers.

Retailing local food through supermarkets: Cases from Belgium and the Netherlands

The (re)localization of food systems is often presented as an alternative to the ‘globalized’ food system and its presumed unsustainabilities. Studies on sustainability transitions and food systems (re)localization predominantly address the role of Alternative Food Networks whereas the role that conventional supermarket based retail can play has not been as thoroughly studied. Supermarkets, however, take a central position as a main access point for food. Conventional retailing practices are increasingly guided by corporate sustainability principles and therein also increasingly offering locally sourced foods. Supermarkets thus cannot be ignored in discussions on food systems (re)localization and agro-food sustainability transitions. In this paper we assess how food system (re)localization is translated within conventional globalized supermarket-based food retailing in Belgium and the Netherlands taking a practice theory informed approach. First, we discuss the tensions and reinforcing mechanisms between local and conventional food retailing. We demonstrate that to overcome tensions between local and conventional retailing there is a need for increased flexibility (i) in deviating from conventional retailing practices for individual stores; and (ii) within the definition of locality – the definition of ‘local’ determines what local practices look like. Second, we assess how local retailing relates to corporate sustainability. Conventional and local retailing practices are motivated by corporate sustainability strategies. Local retailing is predominantly motivated by social-economic sustainability considerations, whereas the environmental sustainability of local food is implicitly assumed. However, our results suggest that local food retailing may be ineffective and even counterproductive to corporate environmental sustainability objectives. Finally, we address how regional policies pushing food system localization influence local food retailing within supermarkets. Regional policies may drive supermarkets to retail local foods. Nevertheless, in the absence of a centralized strategy, store managers may find themselves stuck between their regional context and their corporate retailing practices.

Organic Food Retailing and the Conventionalisation Debate

We propose an empirical study of French sales in conventional food retailing and in specialised organic stores for 2012. We examine the plant or animal origin of food products, as an indicator of the environmental and health impacts of sales, and their degree of processing, as an indicator of their health impact. The results indicate that sales of organic food products are more plant-based and less processed in specialised organic stores than in conventional retail stores, two criteria for a better health and environmental impact. In conventional stores, organic sales are more plant-based and less processed than conventional sales. Organic sales in conventional stores show some specificity, having the highest share of particular product ranges lacking a clear health or environmental impact, such as processed culinary ingredients or unprocessed or minimally processed animal products. Building a typology of buyers in conventional stores, we find that even purchases by buyers with the highest organic purchase intensity in conventional stores are less plant-based and more processed than average purchases in specialised organic stores. Our results characterise to what extent some of the holistic environmental and health impacts of organic agriculture are lower in conventional retail stores than in specialised organic stores in France in 2012.

Wet markets, supermarkets and alternative food sources: consumers’ food access in Nanjing, China

ABSTRACTBased on a survey of 1,210 households in Nanjing, China, the article looks at the purchasing frequency of various food items in different food retail outlets, the accessibility of these outlets and the use of different food sources. We found that while supermarkets are the top venues for purchasing staple grains, dairy products and processed food, wet markets still prevail for purchasing fresh produce and meat. The data also depict the complexity of food sources beyond conventional retailing outlets. We recommend that Chinese food security policies be broadened to incorporate urban food environment considerations and diverse food sources.

Typology of Indian e-buyers: clustering on the basis of online shopping motives

The exponential growth in people having access to the internet has led to the dramatic increase in e-buyers. As in conventional retailing, consumers in the online setting vary in their preferences and choices. Marketers tend to address this diversification by segmenting consumers into homogeneous groups. The objective of this study is to identify and profile the segments on the basis of shoppers' online shopping motives. Primary data was collected using a survey questionnaire, administered to online shoppers in India. For identifying clusters of respondents and profiling shoppers, two-step cluster analysis was applied. The findings of the study supported the presence of two unique e-shopper segments. The segments, indifferent shoppers and involved shoppers, varied considerably in terms of their online shopping motivations. Based on the unique characteristics of the two segments, online retailers must carve different marketing strategies to attract and retain them ensuring optimum allocation of marketing expenses. The findings of this research may be used as guidelines for the development of strategic framework by online retailers.

Comparative Study of the Impacts of Conventional and Online Retailing on the Environment: A Last Mile Perspective

Online shopping has an increasing impact on the environment in terms of the related „last mile‟ processes, which lies in the CO2 emissions. Thus, this study compares transport-related CO2 emissions of online and conventional shopping in terms of supply, home delivery and travel data from consumers to a physical store branches in the capital of Jordan “Amman”. Real data were collected from consumers and analyzed to highlight the different factors that affect CO2 emissions, such store supply, consumer trip distance to physical store, firstattempt failed delivery, returns. The results show that online shopping play an important role in minimizing CO2 emissions including all the related processes to such shopping mode. However, conventional hopping can be more environmentally friendly shopping mode in case the store distance to travel is short. In addition, the use of public transport mode for traditional shopping and the shopping behavior of the consumers are considered as advantages for such shopping mode.

A comparative analysis of carbon emissions from online retailing of fast moving consumer goods

Online retailing can lower the environmental impact of shopping under specific circumstances. As a result of the numerous variables involved, most of the studies that have compared the carbon footprints of online and conventional retailing only take a partial view. To make a more holistic assessment, this study develops a framework that accounts for all the relevant environmental factors relating to retail/e-commerce activities. Variables related to consumer shopping behaviour such as basket size, transport mode, trip length and trip frequency are included in the analysis. This framework is used to build a Life Cycle Analysis model. The model is applied to different online retail methods for fast-moving consumer goods in the United Kingdom. We find that, within the “last mile” link to the home, the nature of the consumer's behaviour in terms of travel, choice of e-fulfilment method and basket size are critical factors in determining the environmental sustainability of e-commerce. The nature and routing of van deliveries, the amount and type of packaging used, and the energy efficiency of shop and e-fulfilment centre operations are also identified as significant contributors to climate change potential. The results of this study indicate ways in which e-commerce can be made more environmentally sustainable, encouraging consumers to reduce complementary shopping trips and maximise the number of items per delivery. This study identifies the strengths and weaknesses of a range of e-retail channels and provides a basis for future research on the environmental sustainability of online retailing of fast-moving consumer goods.

The growth of online retailing: a review of its carbon impacts

This paper examines the carbon impact of online retailing and compares it with that of conventional retailing. It discusses the effect of varying the scope of the calculation, the system boundaries and the underlying assumptions. While most of the carbon emissions come from the last-mile delivery, this is also the activity whose carbon intensity is most sensitive to assumptions made about consumer behavior. On the basis of an extensive literature review, the paper also explores the carbon impacts of the upstream supply chain, energy use in information and communication technology and several aspects of travel behavior. This should help researchers to make wider and more realistic assessments of the environmental impact of online retailing. On the basis of these assessments, one can test the conditions under which online shopping is likely to have a lower carbon footprint.

Performance effects of category assortment and stock allocation decisions for a cash-and-carry wholesaler

This study develops and tests a model of how category assortment, category stock level and within-category stock allocation decisions might affect category sales and stock turnover and reflect category-varying levels of sales heterogeneity and sales volatility. In doing so, it addresses recent calls to consider multiple dimensions of assortment planning. It uses the cash-and-carry wholesaling setting to isolate non-space-related assortment planning and performance variables otherwise difficult to treat in a conventional retailing (e.g. supermarket) context. It develops a structural equation model of how category sales volatility and heterogeneity, as antecedents, might influence both category assortments and stock allocations and thus, in turn, influence category performance.

Comparative carbon auditing of conventional and online retail supply chains: a review of methodological issues

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine the various stages in online and conventional retail supply chains in order to assess their relative environmental impacts. With reference to boundary issues, utilisation factors and carbon allocation, it seeks to highlight some of the difficulties in establishing a robust carbon auditing methodology.Design/methodology/approachAuditing issues are considered from the point of divergence in the respective supply chains (downstream of this point a product is destined either for conventional or online retailing channels, and will receive different treatment accordingly).FindingsThe paper explores methodological issues associated with carbon auditing conventional and online retail channels. Having highlighted the problems, it suggests resolutions to these issues.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is mostly conceptual in nature.Practical implicationsThe approach outlined in this paper, once applied, allows the identification of inefficiencies in the respective retail supply chains.Originality/valueThe paper is the first to discuss carbon auditing in relation to upstream supply chain analysis for both conventional and online retail channels. Previous work has tended to focus on the last mile delivery.

A Second-hand Shoppers’ Motivation Scale: Antecedents, Consequences, and Implications for Retailers

In view of growing interest in alternative consumption channels and critiques of conventional retailing, this study proposes a scale of second-hand shopping motivations. After defining the concept, we present the characteristics of second-hand shopping and explain the importance of a motivation-based approach. Through qualitative and quantitative studies and two data collections carried out in France with 708 subjects, we propose a reliable, valid, eight-factor scale that includes motivations related to products and distribution channels. A second-order hierarchical structure supports the tripartite nature (critical, economic, and recreational) of this form of shopping. Furthermore, the measure reveals, through a typological analysis, four consumer segments: “polymorphous enthusiasts”, “thrifty critics”, “nostalgic hedonists”, and “regular specialist shoppers”. We discuss the applications of this new scale and their implications for both research and retailing strategies.

Who controls store atmosphere customization in electronic retailing?

PurposeTechnology now allows e‐tailers to customize online store atmosphere at the individual level, with the customization controlled and executed by either the retailers or the customers, or both. Since in conventional retailing the manipulation of store atmosphere is controlled mainly by retailers (e.g. store layout, product display techniques, store theatrics, etc.), the potential for mass customization with consumer involvement radically changes the way research regarding online store atmosphere must be approached. Positioned in the e‐tailing research area, the purpose of this paper is to summarize the research challenges presented by virtual store atmosphere customization and control and to formulate specific research propositions.Design/methodology/approachThis viewpoint paper employs an interdisciplinary “desk‐research” approach. It elaborates on the emerging research challenges of customizing store atmosphere in electronic retailing highlighting the differences that exist among the conventional and the virtual retail channels. It then justifies the interdisciplinary nature of store atmosphere studies, investigates the customization challenges available online and formulates specific research questions and direct research propositions.FindingsE‐tailing store atmosphere customization capabilities at the individual level, revolutionizes the established relevant theory from conventional retailing. However, the control of the customization process is a quite complex issue and should be treated as that, by e‐tailers.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper sets the research agenda and builds avenues for further research.Practical implicationsThe paper provides direct managerial implications for effectively placing online store atmosphere customization in the hands of the consumer‐user.Originality/valueThe paper clearly justifies why current online store atmosphere studies should be adapted to the mass customization challenge applicable online. Similarly, it demonstrates the promising role that consumer control could potentially play on this topic.

Comparative analysis of the carbon footprints of conventional and online retailing

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on the carbon intensity of “last mile” deliveries (i.e. deliveries of goods from local depots to the home) and personal shopping trips.Design/methodology/approachSeveral last mile scenarios are constructed for the purchase of small, non‐food items, such as books, CDs, clothing, cameras and household items. Official government data, operational data from a large logistics service provider, face‐to‐face and telephone interviews with company managers and realistic assumptions derived from the literature form the basis of the calculations. Allowance has been made for home delivery failures, “browsing” trips to the shops and the return of unwanted goods.FindingsOverall, the research suggests that, while neither home delivery nor conventional shopping has an absolute CO2 advantage, on average, the home delivery operation is likely to generate less CO2 than the typical shopping trip. Nevertheless, CO2 emissions per item for intensive/infrequent shopping trips by bus could match online shopping/home delivery.Research limitations/implicationsThe number of items purchased per shopping trip, the choice of travel mode and the willingness to combine shopping with other activities and to group purchases into as few shopping trips or online transactions as possible are shown to be critical factors. Online retailers and home delivery companies could also apply measures (e.g. maximising drop densities and increasing the use of electric vehicles) to enhance the CO2 efficiency of their logistical operations and gain a clearer environmental advantage.Practical implicationsBoth consumers and suppliers need to be made more aware of the environmental implications of their respective purchasing behaviour and distribution methods so that potential CO2 savings can be made.Originality/valueThe paper offers insights into the carbon footprints of conventional and online retailing from a “last mile” perspective.

Retailers' Multichannel and Price Advertising Strategies

Online retailing boasts two major advantages: convenience of home shopping and easy access to information. In this paper, I argue that these two features have important implications for retailers' channel and advertising decisions. Two major questions are addressed: When should a conventional bricks-and-mortar retailer adopt a multichannel strategy? When should a multichannel retailer use its website to advertise offline prices? Analysis shows that the answers hinge on the nature of the product, the retailer's costs, and the competitors' strategies as well as the competitiveness of the market. Multichannel retailing is not necessarily the best strategy for all retailers; no adoption, asymmetric adoption, and symmetric adoption of the strategy are all possible equilibria. Advertising the in-store prices online is not always optimal. Price advertising in multichannel retailing has a different effect when compared with conventional single-channel retailing. It helps coordinate the channels by shifting the sales from online to offline, which is particularly useful when margins online are relatively low. The finding that multichannel retailers can benefit from drawing consumers back to physical stores highlights the risk of boosting online sales without considering the adverse effect on the offline channel and indicates a shifting role of the Web in retailers' businesses.

A Dynamic Agent-Based Analysis for the Environmental Impacts of Conventional and Novel Book Retailing

The dynamics of an e-commerce market and the associated environmental impacts from a bottom-up perspective using an agent-based model is explored. A conceptual meta-theory from psychology is adopted to form the behavioral rules of artificial consumers choosing different methods of buying a book, including conventional bookstores, e-commerce, and a proposed self-pick-up option. Given the energy and emissions savings that result from a shift to e-commerce from bookstore purchase, it appears that reductions in environmental impacts are relatively probable. Additionally, our results suggest that the shift to e-commerce is mainly due to the growth of Internet users, which ties energy and emissions savings to Internet penetration. Moreover, under any scenario, the energy and emissions savings will be provided by the introduction of the proposed self-pick-up option. Our model thus provides insights into market behaviors and related environmental impacts of the growing use of e-commerce systems at the retail level, and provides a basis for the development and implementation of more sustainable policies and practices.

Virtual store layout: an experimental comparison in the context of grocery retail

Interface design and the interaction between customer and computer are factors critical to business effectiveness over the Web. A key aspect of conventional retailing is store layout; an analogous aspect in virtual retail is virtual store layout. This paper reports on an experimental investigation into the use of three different layouts in online grocery retailing: freeform, grid, and racetrack. These three most common conventional retailing layout types were transformed into virtual layouts for computer-mediated interfaces. Subjects in Greece and the UK participated in a laboratory experiment: they were given a planned shopping task with money to spend, and performed their shopping through a virtual store with layout as the manipulated variable. The results show that layout significantly affects online consumer behavior, but that predictions generated from the literature of conventional retailing about differences in the outcome of layouts do not generally hold in a virtual setting. Some of the findings can be explained by reference to research in Human Computer Interaction (HCI).

Discourse, Displacement, and Retail Practice: Some Pointers from the Charity Retail Project

We develop a particular approach to the analysis of retailing, one in which the importance of retailers' talk/practice and the connections between talk/practice and its displacement within retail organisations is emphasised. Displacement means that executive talk is not necessarily powerful, but must be reworked, forged anew, in the specifics of particular stores. Retail (executive) talk/practices have to be translated, and this is the source of their potential instability. We use a particular example to illustrate this argument: that of charity retailing. The authors examine how charity retailing has been reimagined and reworked in head offices, and how this is displaced through charity retail chains. We show the instabilities of charity retailers' (head office) talk, particularly with respect to implementation, and argue that charity retailers' ability to effect the changes they seek to make are limited by the copresence in charity shops of multiple understandings of charity which, themselves, map into particular in-store zones: back rooms, front sales areas, and shop windows. These are: charity as gift; acting charitably (towards other deserving cases or causes); and charity as fundrasing. We also reflect on the likely implications of these findings for the charity retail project; the significance of these findings with respect to future analyses of conventional retailing, its talk and practice; and on the complex intersections between talk/practice, discourse, and space.

The Competitiveness of On-Line vis-a-vis Conventional Retailing

The Competitiveness of On-Line vis-a-vis Conventional Retailing

Exploring the Implications of the Internet for Consumer Marketing

Past commentaries on the potential impact of the Internet on consumer marketing have typically failed to acknowledge that consumer markets are heterogeneous and complex and that the Internet is but one possible distribution, transaction, and communication channel in a world dominated by conventional retailing channels. This failure has led to excessively broad predictions regarding the effect of the Internet on the structure and performance of product and service markets. The objective of this article is to provide a framework for understanding possible impacts of the Internet on marketing to consumers. This is done by analyzing channel intermediary functions that can be performed on the Internet, suggesting classification schemes that clarify the potential impact of the Internet across different products and services, positioning the Internet against conventional retailing channels, and identifying similarities and differences that exist between them. The article concludes with a series of questions designed to stimulate the development of theory and strategy in the context of Internet-based marketing.