Technology and Retailing and Firms

Increasing globalization and competitiveness in the retail environment is thrusting retail firms to reach high levels of consistent experimentation of new technology in store management, product information, and customer services. Technology management can be used to help retailers test new ideas and implement the most successful ones.

Consumer Response to High Technology Mobile Phones in Emerging Markets

The principal objective of the study is to identify the primary variables that can make an impact on the buying decision for a mobile phone. The focus of this study is to suggest developing a high performing customer-centric marketing plan to guide the mobile telecommunication companies to gain competitive advantage in the market.

Building Shopping Arousal Through Direct Marketing in Retail Environment

This study attempts to analyze behavioral drivers which influence consumers’ leisure shopping behavior and measure customers’ value through empirical investigation in Mexico. The role of outsourced salespeople who act as sales promoters in stimulating arousal and satisfaction as behavioral drivers, which influence buying behavior of consumers and measures the extent of satisfaction, has been analyzed. Also, customer prospecting as direct marketing strategy through outsourced salespeople in swaying the leisure shopping and driving brand loyalty is discussed in the study.

Internet, Reengineering and Technology Applications in Retailing

The rapid growth in computer technology and commercial needs have allowed significant changes in the information management systems. There emerged in early nineties many commercial network backbones to link with the NSFnet to provide market information to the business firms. The Internet today is a combination of NSFnet and commercially available backbone services disseminating information on the decentralized networks all over the world. It is estimated that there are over 30,000 computer networks connecting over 2 million computers with each other on the Web. In view of the increasing use of electronic information sources through the networks the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) has been designed and made essential for each user networks to abide with the protocol standards which enables the data transfer and retrieval at source.

Performance Enhancement of Team Retailing Through Six Sigma Applications

The basic attributes of a good team include clear identification of goals, clarity of roles, common feeling, motivation, commitment and collaborative attitude (Rajagopal and Rajagopal, 2006a). The team selling approach is followed by many multinational companies for various products and services, which the customer faces as a firsttime buy and salespeople need to support such negotiations with comprehensive information needs. Team selling would also be advantageous when an account requires special treatment or a large number of people are involved in the process of buying decision. In addition, team selling is more likely to be employed when the potential sale is large for the representative firm and when the product is new to the product line of salespeople (Rajagopal, 2007). In a sales team each member of the group shows interest in the achievement and follows a systems approach which provides the framework or organizational principal for evaluating task in parts (Cummings, 1980). The members develop confidence, trust, and commitment to work in a team and rely on group communication on the given tasks and schedule.

Profit Impact on Marketing Strategy and Brand Management

In developing strategy, both corporate and business unit management need to be able to realistically appraise the level of performance that should be expected for a given business, and to be clear as to what factors explain variations in performance between businesses, and within a business over time. Important guidelines that help address these questions have been developed from the Profit Impact of Market Strategy (PIMS) program1.

Decision Support Systems in Indian Organized Retail Sector

Retailing is in a rapid state of change due to speedy technological developments, changing competitive positions, varying consumer behaviour as well as their expectations and liberalized regulatory environment. In such a scenario, information is crucial to plan and control profitable retail businesses and it can be an important source of competitive advantage so long as it is affordable and readily available. DSS (Decision Support Systems) which provide timely and accurate information can be viewed as an integrated entity providing management with the tools and information to assist their decision making.

Measuring Variability Factors in Customer Values, Technology Convergence and Profit Optimization in a Retailing Firm

Estimating value drivers for a new product can be tricky because there is no direct historical data. However, we can assume that the impact from changes in price or availability of complements will be similar to what other markets have experienced. Following discussion in the chapter develops the framework for measuring the consumer values in reference to establishing the long run relationship by the firm and optimizing its profit levels. The discussions in the chapter attempt to endure the core issues of consumer values in retailing the products and services as how to conceptualize consumer values, how to measure it, and how to manage it.

Dynamics of Buyer-Seller Co-Dependency in Optimizing Functional Efficiency

The role of sales network is fundamental within the value creation chain of the firm, as creating shareholder value is strictly linked with creating buyer value. As supplier networks are the main point of contact with buyers, choosing the best possible supply structure is vital. Firms are increasingly implementing electronic distribution strategies to augment existing physical infrastructure for product and service delivery. The study analyzes the impact of channel function performance on relationship quality which is moderated by the extent dependence structure of the relationship. In this process, the impact of supplier function performance on different dimensions of relationship quality in reference to satisfaction, trust, commitment and conflict under various dependence structures have also been diagnosed and analysed.

Loyalty Cards in Retailing Industry

This chapter attempts to analyze drivers of compulsive buying behavior induced by store based promotion through empirical investigation in Mexico. The role of point of sales promotions in stimulating arousal and satisfaction among customer andcustomer relationship management for building store loyalty have been analyzed in the chapter. Also, acquiring new customers through innovative in-store promotions towards driving the compulsive shopping tendency and swaying store-brand loyalty through point of sales promotions in chain self service stores are discussed in the following text. This study builds arguments towards convergence of attractiveness of point of sales promotions and effectiveness of customer services as a tool for gaining competitive advantage in the retail business environment.