Retailer-Customers Relationships in the Online Setting

Internet merchants are compelled to collect personal information from customers in order to deliver goods and services effectively. However, the ease with which data can be acquired and disseminated across the Web has led to many potential customers demonstrating growing concerns about disclosing personal information. This chapter analyzes the interaction between two strategies that firms can use to alter potential customers' cost/benefit evaluation and increase information disclosure: the development of initial trust and compensation. The derived hypotheses are tested by means of two experimental studies, whose findings are compared across two different consumer target groups.

A Dilemma for Retailers

Retailers use a number of ambient, design, and social elements with the aim of creating a unique, pleasant, and engaging Customer Shopping Experience (CSE). However, a store may be made paradoxically less attractive by the feelings of insecurity generated by the fact that the same elements can also encourage shoplifting. As a result, retailers have to balance their efforts to enhance a store's attractiveness by ensuring a high level of sales environment surveillance without interfering with the shopping experience. The aim of this chapter is to propose a conceptual framework that enriches the analysis of the development of retailer/consumer relationships by highlighting how retailers can make store surveillance simultaneously secure and appealing to shoppers. The analysis draws heavily on theoretical evidence in the marketing, environmental psychology, service, and retail management literature, and indicates that retailers' investments in store design, staff training, and technological systems can ensure adequate security levels without compromising customers' shopping experiences as long as the surveillance allows them to have direct contact with the store, its articles, and staff.

Frontline Employees' Self-Perception of Ageism, Sexism, and Lookism

The aim of this chapter is to identify whether frontline employees perceived themselves as having feelings of sexism, ageism, and appearance discrimination against customers in retail services. This investigation is a quantitative research, a conclusive description (Gil, 2002), and ex post facto study, which utilises a survey to collect the data and sampling by convenience. Three protocols are used (1) to format the questionnaire, (2) to produce 12 different standards combining age, gender, and appearance, and (3) to create social classification (Rattam, 1998). In a previous study (Palmeira, Palmeira, & Santos, 2012), customers of different ages and genders perceived some degree of prejudice and discrimination in face-to-face retail services. Now, on the other side of the coin, frontline employees who work in Fashion and Food retailing recognise that there is prejudiced behaviour against customers, depending on their age, gender, and appearance, when providing them with face-to-face retail services. More than 95% of female and more than 64% of male attendants believe that well-dressed, young female customers are given priority when being served. Almost 80% of female and only 58% of male frontline workers believe that badly-dressed middle-aged men (not younger men) are the last to be served when there is no clear queuing process in the retail spatial area. This context strongly suggests the growing importance of an interpersonal skills training process for an organisations' staff as a way of avoiding behaviour that makes the customers think that there are prejudice and discrimination in the service process, as well as ASL development (T&D against Ageism, Sexism, and Lookism) being part of the strategic statements.

The Use of Sensorial Marketing in Stores

The main concern of this chapter is to develop a state-of-the-art of the literature referring to the use of sensorial marketing within the store. For this purpose, a deep interdisciplinary review of the theoretical and empirical works related to this discipline has been carried out. Thanks to this review, the link between some sensorial stimuli and consumer behavior has been demonstrated, but also the lack of research in some areas of study has been identified. This chapter provides a general overview of the sensorial variables used within the store by the managers, their main effects in the consumer behavior, and the most important model, the SOR model, to explain these relations. Conclusions, managerial implication, and recommendations for future research are provided.

Personally Engaged with Retail Clients

This chapter examines how social and economic changes of recent years have led to a new consumer profile. Furthermore, it explores how current responsible concerns regarding consumption, as well as a greater concern for welfare sustainability and the environment, are affecting purchasing behavior. With these ideas in mind, this chapter analyses how organizations have to evolve towards a new marketing paradigm in order to link to their customers emotionally. In this regard, the evolution of the marketing concept is reviewed—departing from a Marketing 1.0 paradigm, passing through a Marketing 2.0 paradigm—in order to understand how the so-called Marketing 3.0 emerged. The chapter concludes by analyzing the different rules that guide this new approach and how companies in the distribution sector are applying them in their daily activities.

Meanings and Implications of Corporate Social Responsibility and Branding in Grocer Retailers

The chapter demonstrates the extent to which companies operating in the Retailing Grocery industry use Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as driver to enhance their brand and pursue commercial value, or to purely redefine their business priorities in accordance to evolving consumers' needs and expectations by making CSR a new concrete business model and evolving towards the concept of Corporate Shared Value (CSV). The study is addressed to analyse the matter of facts in two different European geographical areas: Italy and United Kingdom, chosen because of the peculiar approaches in companies' attitude towards CSR and CSV, ultimately. Many differences and some relevant similarities in the implementation of CSV as new strategic model between the countries have emerged, with UK showing the most formalized and standardized integration between social and economic value within its Grocer Retailer companies' business activities.

About the Challenges to Start E-Commerce Activity in SMEs

This chapter introduces the challenges that SMEs face while starting e-commerce activity in the Northern Finland context. Based on the project results, six interviews, and the preliminary outcomes of the questionnaire, this study focuses on push-pull effects to start e-commerce activities. Following this framework, the structure of this study is twofold. At first, the authors ask why a firm, which already has an existing traditional brick-and-mortar shop, would develop its business exploiting digital solutions and e-commerce. In other words, what is the attainable incremental value for this kind of firm via e-commerce? Second, what kinds of attractive possibilities will e-commerce provide for the business of the firm? Both of these perspectives are concentrated on the phase in which the firm takes in the use e-commerce activities. The authors study this phase, basing the analysis on the literature review, questionnaire, and six interviews of SME entrepreneurs. The outcomes of this chapter show the relevance of push-pull perspective in the studies about the first steps of e-commerce.

Atmosphere as a Store Communication Tool

Many studies have found that within an intensely competitive market, it is difficult for retailers to gain advantages from products, prices, promotions, and location. They have to work hard to keep their stores favourable in the mind of consumers. Both practitioners and researchers recognize store atmosphere as a tool for creating value and gaining customers. This chapter provides a conceptual framework for studying the influence of store atmosphere on the store patronage. The chapter presents the main dimensions that constitute conventional retail stores' atmosphere and clarifies the manipulation of elements such as colour, lighting, signage, etc. within the store to communicate retailers' messages to customers. The topic is investigated from both retailers` and customers` perspective. The chapter concludes that both consumers and retailers prioritize functional cues in modern retailing forms.

City Trees and Consumer Response in Retail Business Districts

Many cities and communities are working toward urban sustainability goals. Yet, retailers and merchants may not find environmental benefits to be compelling when compared to the direct costs of landscape and trees. Nonetheless, a quality outdoor environment may provide atmospherics effects that extend store appeal to the curb and heighten the positive experiences and psychological reactions of visitors while in a shopping district. A multi-study program of research shows that having a quality urban forest canopy within business districts and commercial areas can promote positive shopper perceptions and behavior. Positive responses include store image, patronage behavior, and willingness to pay more for goods and services. This chapter provides a summary of the research, connects results to psychological marketing theory, provides evidence-based design recommendations, and makes suggestions for potential future research activity.

Evolving the Private Label Role in the Retailer-Customer Relationship

The chapter focuses on the role played by Private Labels (PLs) in the retailer-consumer relationship. Specifically, the results of a survey aimed at investigating the ability of a specific kind of PL, namely Premium Private Label (PPL), to improve customer loyalty to the retailer are presented. After reviewing the literature on the PLs' role in the retailer-customer relationship, a theoretical model is proposed and tested by administering a questionnaire to a sample of retail customers and then applying structural equation modeling. Four key components of PPLs' image, namely quality, assortment, access, and value, are studied as antecedents of customer satisfaction to the PPL, while customer loyalty to the PPL is considered as a mediator between customer satisfaction to the PPL and customer loyalty to the retailer. Results show that PPLs positively impact on customer loyalty to the retailer through a causal relationship driven by PPL quality and PPL value.