Special issue on kids and retailing

Citation

(2013), "Special issue on kids and retailing", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 41 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijrdm.2013.08941baa.002

Special issue on kids and retailing

Article Type: Call for papers From: International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Volume 41, Issue 2

Guest Editor: Professor Brigitte de Faultrier, Centre of Expertise and Research in Retailing, ESSCA School of Management, Angers, France

Introduction

This research topic is of particular interest because six-12 years olds have an increasing buying power and prescription power in the retail sector. Children have been previously studied but their links and relationships with retailers have been lacking from previous theoretical, empirical and scientific investigation from the research community. However it has the potential for a rich and broad area of contributions from retail and distribution management scholars. There are a number of research areas of interest, including consumer behaviour throughout the retail process, virtual and physical retailing through the high street and internet, distribution management and channels to market, retail marketing communication, and ethical and societal issues within the retailing context. Different country situations would also add to the diversity of possible contributions. This is not an exhaustive list and writers focusing on other areas that impact on ``Kids and retailing'' will be encouraged to submit to this call.

Relevance of the topic

Children aged between six and 12 years of age, known as kids are frequently in contact with the point of sales, within the family buying context or as self-sufficient buying. They are also the first generation born with the internet, which places them in a different position compared to the previous generation of children from whom they experiment new ways of being together: digital communication between themselves, instant electronic messaging (like Skype or MSN), social networks. They also have more tools than the former children such as tablets or smartphones. This specific context is interesting because, as children are tomorrow's adults the retail activity is very concerned with understanding their characteristics and requirements from the marketplace from an earlier point in their lives.The special issue is aimed at capturing and informing the different drivers and contributions to the retail experience applied to children in this age group and to gain a greater understanding of the varied influencing topic areas. In the last decade the number of papers and books dealing with kids has significantly increased, driven by recognition of the importance of the young consumer in the consumption context. However there has been limited contextualisation of the connection between the retailer and children to provide a greater understanding of their interaction.There is a substantial and diverse market for young consumers, as categories of products linked with children account for more or less 50% of the household's expenses. Numerous categories of products are concerned, such as toys, snacking, sweets and fashion products. However, kids are a complex target audience that needs a particular attention from the retailers. Kids form a double target, as their parents or guardians have to be taken into account as a secondary target and they are also a sensitive target because not yet grown up, so they need to be protected from unsolicited and unwanted attention. The social responsability of the retailers is an important agenda and has to be part of the education of the children.The retail sector is currently confronting a number of changes with the increasing number of marketing channels available, the strategic coherence between marketing channels and the need of orchestration of the role of each channel at each step of the consumer purchasing process. It raises the question of the place of the children in all these changes and in the development of cross channel strategy.

Contents focus

Papers on all topics related to the research and practice for the child consumers and retailing processes are welcome. The topics may include, but are not limited to:

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  Understanding young consumer behaviour in the retail process

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  Multiple channel retailing for young consumers

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  Internet-based retailing strategies

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  Cross channel virtual and physical retailing through the high street and internet

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  Product packaging and information considerations for young consumers

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  Distribution management and channels to market for kids

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  Tailored and targeted retail marketing communication techniques and practices

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  Ethical and societal issues throughout the retail supply process, such as sexualisation of children or the purchase incentive

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  Different country considerations for kids and retailing

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  Cultural considerations

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  Kids' preferences in different sales channels

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  Experiential marketing applied to kids in a commercial space (point of sales: physical store, digital, website, smartphone \ldots)

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  Children and digital marketing channels: m-commerce (smartphones and tablets) f-commerce (social network) and y-commerce (YouTube)

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  Children's socialisation process thoughout the retail environment

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  Children's relationship to the retailer brand

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  Understanding today's children's mindset and motivations for retail activities.

Submission

Authors of the best papers included in the workshop's proceedings will be invited to submit an extended version eligible for publication, with initial selection from the workshop review process.

Submissions in English should be made via ScholarOne Manuscripts, IJRDM's online submission and peer review system.

Registration and access is available at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijrdm Full information and guidance on using ScholarOne Manuscripts is available at the Emerald ScholarOne Manuscripts Support Centre: http://msc.emeraldinsight.com/

The Full Author Guideline for the journal can be found here: www.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/author_guidelines.htm?id=ijrdm Submission deadline: August 31, 2013