Editorial

Citation

Towers, N. (2016), "Editorial", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 44 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-12-2015-0182

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Volume 44, Issue 2.

The focus of the second issue of Volume 44 includes retail supply chain management (SCM), and retail and brand experience reflected in the six international submissions. The topics include two Austrian-based papers; the impact of key supplier relationship management (KSRM) and how the retail experiences impact shopper life satisfaction, then the influence of corporate brand experience on customer value co-creation attitude and behaviour in Malaysia, different modes of mobile payment systems in Australia and New Zealand, how variations in weather affect demand and supply chain performance in sport goods in Switzerland, and different naming, packaging and pricing strategies adopted by private label (PL) retailers in India.

The first submission by Teller, Kotzab, Grant, and Holweg investigates the impact of KSRM – understood as an aggregated SCM process in the upstream direction – on the overall level of the execution of SCM within organisations. A conceptual model is developed from a theoretical framework and proposes the capability to do KSRM as a mediator between internal and external SCM resources and SCM execution. A survey of 174 managers representing different supply chain stages in Austria is used to test the model through variance-based structural equation modelling. The findings reveal that external SCM resources directly affect the capability to do KSRM. Nevertheless, internal resources show a considerable indirect impact through external resources and can thus be considered an indirect determinant. The capability to do KSRM in turn impacts upon the level of SCM execution, measured in terms of the integration of business processes, directly and substantially, as well as mediating the effect between SCM resources and the level of SCM execution.

The second contribution by Grzeskowiak, Sirgy, Foscht, and Swoboda investigates how the retail experiences impact shopper life satisfaction. The research context of this study is grocery retailers (neighbourhood convenience stores, super markets, and grocery discounters) in Austria. Using stratified random sampling across store types with nearly 400 personal interviews with grocery store shoppers. OLS regression analysis was conducted to test the research model. The study results suggest that satisfaction with a store type impacts shopper life satisfaction depending on store-type congruity with shoppers’ identity. Satisfaction with a store type (e.g. neighbourhood convenience stores, super markets, and grocery discounters) is found to influence life satisfaction if the store type is congruent with the shoppers’ self-image and lifestyle. This research introduces store-type congruity with shopper’s identity as a key concept that connects shopping experiences to shopper life satisfaction. It demonstrates under what conditions shopping experiences impact consumer life satisfaction – a research topic that has received little attention in the retailing literature to date.

The third contribution by Shamim, Ghazali, and Albinsson investigate the influence of corporate brand experience on customer value co-creation attitude and behaviour. By integrating congruity theory with the theory of reasoned action, the study proposes an integrated model for developing customer value co-creation behaviour in a retailing context. structural equation modelling, using AMOS software was conducted using a sample of 711 respondents from four hypermarkets located in five Malaysian states. The research findings indicate that corporate brand experience plays a significant role for developing customer attitude and behaviour of value co-creation activities. Results show that corporate brand experience has a strong positive influence on customer value co-creation attitudes and subjective norms which further lead to customer value co-creation behaviour. Subjective norms were found to be a partial mediator between corporate brand experience and customer value co-creation attitudes. Customer value co-creation attitude was found to be a partial mediator between subjective norms and customer value co-creation behaviour. Full mediation of customer value co-creation attitude and subjective norms between corporate brand experience and customer value co-creation behaviour is confirmed.

Retailers and suppliers are facing the challenge of reconfiguring systems to accommodate increasingly mobile customers expecting multichannel options supporting quick and secure digital payment. The fourth paper by Taylor harnesses the learning from the implementation of self-checkout and combines it with available information relating to mobile scanning and mobile point of sale. The main focus, drawing upon telephone interviews with retail security professionals in Australia and New Zealand, is on anticipating and mitigating against the potential risks, vulnerabilities and impact on shrinkage. With the market being flooded with software and products, retailers are exposed to a compelling case for mobile payment, but it was found that they are not as cognisant of the potential risks. The paper links research from diverse fields to elucidate the potential impact of mobile technologies on retail theft and internal technological and process issues before offering possible solutions.

The fifth contribution by Appelqvist, Babongo, Chavez-Demoulin, Hameri, and Niemi studies how variations in weather affect demand and supply chain performance in sport goods. The study includes several brands differing in supply chain structure, product variety, and seasonality. Longitudinal data on supply chain transactions and customer weather conditions were analysed. The underlying hypothesis is that changes in weather affect demand, which in turn impacts supply chain performance. In general, an increase in temperature in winter and spring decreases order volumes in resorts, while for larger customers in urban locations order volumes increase. Further, an increase in volumes of non-seasonal products reduces delays in deliveries, but for seasonal products the effect is opposite. In all, weather affects demand, lower volumes do not generally improve supply chain performance, but larger volumes can make it worse. The analysis shows that the dependence structure between demand and delay is time varying and is affected by weather conditions. Well-managed supply chains should prepare for demand fluctuations caused by weather changes. Weekly weather forecasts could be used when planning operations for product families to improve supply chain performance.

The purpose of the final contribution by Sarkar, Sharma and Kalro is to present different naming, packaging and pricing strategies adopted by PL retailers in India. This study also aims to identify preferred private label brand (PLB) categories, factors influencing their selection, and the importance of cues in evaluation of PLBs. The overall purpose is to identify important areas for future research of PLBs in the wake of organised retail growth in the emerging Indian economy. This study is based on in-store observations of major Indian retail chains, longitudinal analyses of customers’ shopping bills, qualitative analyses of consumer interviews, and focus group discussions. The results indicate that retailers primarily adopt "Sub-branding" (using the store name along with a separate brand name) and "House of Brands" (using a separate brand name only) strategies to sell PLBs in the Indian market. Groceries, food and beverages, and apparel are the preferred categories in PLB. Price, quality, and convenience are the major factors influencing PLB. Taste, ingredients, packaging, price, brand name, and store name are the main factors that are used to evaluate PLBs.

Neil Towers