Search results for "Retail"
showing 10 items of 163 documents
Franchising: the dilemma between standardisation and flexibility
2014
Both standardisation and flexibility are naturally linked to franchising and the balance between them has become an important research issue. Literature states that cost minimisation, brand image and innovation are the main reasons that push towards standardisation, while flexibility is claimed (for those that advocate for it) in order to achieve a higher adaptation to local markets and enhance franchisees’ entrepreneurial attitudes. This research will focus on the computer retail sector to find out how franchise networks in services settle this dilemma. Here, franchisors have decided to focus on economies of scale and strong common corporate image as key goals and thus allow franchisees to…
The Centre-Periphery Dialectics in Eastern Sicily Retail System. An Exploratory Research
2020
This paper aims at scrutinizing from an historical perspective the deep transformations shaped by retail spaces and new consumption patterns challenging long-entrenched dichotomies, such as the centre-periphery one. In particular, the exploratory research explores the territorial reconfiguration of the main Eastern Sicily metropolitan areas, Catania and Messina, from the lens of the retail geography, namely after the diffusion of new suburban retail formats which have completely upset deeply-rooted relations between urban core and suburban rings.
Effect of customer heterogeneity on the relationship satisfaction–loyalty
2014
Abstract The need to study the differences among consumers due to their behavioural heterogeneity and the highly competitive consumer markets is recognized. In this paper, we analyse the potential heterogeneous shopping assessment in retail and how that experience may influence on consequent customer loyalty in a different way. The effects of satisfaction on attitudinal and behavioural loyalty and positive word of mouth are estimated by a finite-mixture structural equation model, and unobserved heterogeneity is analysed simultaneously. The results show that there are three latent segments where the strength of causal relationships differs which mean that there is an overestimation of the im…
New dispatching strategy for the integration of active-demand and distributed storage in the electricity market
2015
The proliferation of Distributed Generation (DG) in power systems calls for a redesign of electricity network management, which should be able to accommodate large amounts of intermittent generation. This issue requires a discussion about the current dispatching regulation, giving distributed storage systems and qualified electricity consumption the opportunity to provide ancillary services to the distribution grid. In this work, a new dispatching strategy for the integration of active-demand and distributed storage in the Italian electricity market is presented. The strategy is focused on a distribution Smart Grid (SG), where customers can indirectly participate to the Day-Ahead (DA) and t…
Brand stores' functions : an approach through brand experience
2022
In-store brand experience leverages brand equity and customer equity which are clear value sources for brands (literature review and exploratory studies). The experience quality is linked to its capacity to meet these goals. Compared to generalist distributors and multi-brand experiences, brand stores are dedicated and focused. They are key places since service and experience items are crafted by the brand itself. The brand is therefore able to grant a genuine, i.e., authentic brand experience (brand content recognition and brand authentication through in-store experience). It is less the case in its distributors’ stores, where brand experience competes with its competitors’ and its distrib…
Retail brand equity: a model based on its dimensions and effects
2013
International audience; Brand equity has been recognized as a key variable in both the academic and professional literature. This article aims to deepen the nature of the retailer equity construct and identify the variables that contribute to its formation, proposing an integrative model based on their dimensions and effects. From an empirical perspective, a survey is carried out with 300 consumers in three retailer categories, in order to analyze the relationships of the model. Due to the formative nature of two of the constructs, the analysis is developed through the partial least squares technique. From the analysis of the results, the importance of store image, perceived store value, an…
How Do QR Codes Enhance Customer Experience? : Omnichannel Customer Experiences in a Brick-and-Mortar Fashion Store
2023
In this qualitative study, we investigate how customers perceive QR codes enhancing their customer experience (CX) in the brick-and-mortar (B&M) store environment. Introducing QR codes to B&M stores is a part of the larger phenomenon of retailers creating omnichannel CXs by utilizing digital and cyber-physical elements in B&M stores. To collect data from real customers’ CXs, we displayed QR codes in a Finnish fashion brand’s B&M store and interviewed customers who had authentically visited the store. The QR codes displayed in the store were linked to a product information page on the brand’s online store, a brand ambassador’s Instagram posts, and an online survey. The data consist of 15 ind…
An Integrated Retailer Image and Brand Equity Framework : Re-examining, Extending, and Restructuring Retailer Brand Equity
2017
Retailers are amongst the world's strongest brands, but little is known about retailer brand equity. In spite of their extensive use, we argue that current operational models are too abstract for understanding the uniqueness of the retail industry and too simplistic to understand the interrelationships among the dimensions in the retailer brand equity building process. This study contributes to the existing and largely generic retailer equity frameworks in three ways: first, by incorporating retail specific dimensions from the retailer image literature; second, by re-examining and developing the structures and relationships between the dimensions of retailer equity by testing alternative st…
Flexibility, Segmentation and Use of Labour in Finnish Retail Trade
1990
The purpose of the study is to analyse the effects of management strategies on the segmentation of five department store labour markets in Finland. (1) The competitive strategies of firms are expected to have different con sequences for the use of labour (2) Within firms, the differentiated use of labour is examined in relation to the use of different flexibility strategies In department stores the most important strategy for obtaining (numerical) flexibility has been the fast growth of part-time work.
What is meaningful for responsible shoppers in online fashion retail?
2022
This qualitative study investigates what is meaningful for responsible shoppers in online fashion retail. The study aims to identify and describe these essential themes from the customers’ perspective. The data were collected by interviewing nine self-proclaimed responsible shoppers aged 26–51 years. All participants were female. The findings highlight six meaningful themes for responsible shoppers. These include 1) comprehensive and versatile information; 2) familiar brands and retailers; 3) domesticity; 4) pricing; 5) justification of purchase; and 6) the durability of fashion wear. The study indicates that these meaningful themes are related to the online store characteristics and brands…