The development of research explaining the structure and operations of interfirm relations and networks in marketing channels and business markets is described. The focus is on the main contributor...

https://impgroup.org/uploads/papers/4192.pdf

A History of Network and Channels Thinking in Marketing in the 20th Century

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the logistical transformation of British retailing over the last three decades and to discuss likely challenges that face logistics managers in the future.Design/methodology/approach – Reviews the key works on retail logistics, including the research undertaken by the authors over the last 20 years.Findings – Illustrates how retailers have control of the supply chain in the UK, drawing upon examples from both the grocery and fashion sectors. Challenges for the future include macro‐environment issues such as climate change and recession in addition to improvements in existing in operations with regard to e‐fulfilment and implementation of technologies such as RFID.Originality/value – This paper provides one of the few contributions to appraise the research undertaken on retail logistics in the UK over the last 20‐30 years.

/pdf/retail-logistics-in-the-uk-past-present-and-future-1p99y1s3l2.pdf

Retail logistics in the UK: past, present and future

Casual observation suggests that firms use contrasting practices and procedures when offering customized products to individual customers. Some firms take a “hands-off” approach and let customers self-select their desired product. In contrast, other firms are proactively involved in designing customized solutions to individual customer needs. The authors call the former “low vendor customization control” and the latter “high vendor customization control.” Despite the strategic importance of customization, no research has shed light on the rationale for using these contrasting approaches to customization and their normative consequences. The authors develop a conceptual model that contends that the appropriate level of vendor control over the customization decision is a function of technology and knowledge considerations. They use data on 304 procurement arrangements for customized products to test their hypotheses and to explore the normative ramifications for three key measures of performance: c...

Customizing complex products: When should the vendor take control?

As service organizations increasingly use physical and virtual channels for customer contact, a seamless customer experience within and across channels reflects the integration quality of multichan...

Misalignment and Its Influence on Integration Quality in Multichannel Services

Customers acquired through a referral program have been observed to exhibit higher margins and lower churn than customers acquired through other means. Theory suggests two likely mechanisms for this phenomenon: (1) better matching between referred customers and the firm and (2) social enrichment by the referrer. The present study is the first to provide evidence of these two mechanisms in a customer referral program. Consistent with the theory that better matching affects contribution margins, (1) referrer–referral dyads exhibit shared unobservables in customer contribution margins, (2) referrers with more extensive experience bring in higher-margin referrals, and (3) this association between the referrer’s experience and margin gap becomes smaller over the referral’s lifetime. Consistent with the theory that social enrichment affects retention, referrals exhibit lower churn only as long as their referrer has not churned. These findings indicate that better matching and social enrichment are two m...

How customer referral programs turn social capital into economic capital

Logistics and Retail Management

Continued inflation at a high rate for some time seems to be inescapable. In this situation management must bring ever closer attention to bear on the issue of cost control, and particularly cost‐benefit analyses of their operations. One activity likely to come under close scrutiny is that of distribution. For some time physical distribution has been subject to rigorous examination in terms of “total” costs and “system/cost benefits”. By expanding the analysis to include channel considerations it is possible to consider all influences within a distributive process. This article therefore seeks to determine an approach to channel management which considers all the functions, activities and institutions comprising a distribution channel.

VERTICAL MARKETING SYSTEMS: A cost˜benefit approach to channel marketing decisions

This monograph considers recent developments in management techniques and proposes their use in physical distribution system planning. The recent developments in physical distribution management are reviewed and the author considers how such techniques as missions analysis and systems thinking may be combined into a useful planning model with which the problems of physical distribution system design may be analysed and solved. The monograph is not specific in that it does not offer management “ten easy steps to system design”. It takes a broad view of the problems involved and is concerned with an approach to system planning rather than specific problem solutions.

Planning the Distribution System: an operational approach

Customer account profitability can provide a much clearer understanding of the relative profitability of all customers; and the use of it may well prompt a company to seek a more cost effective distribution channel This is the first of a series of articles in which CAP will be discussed; this article will define CAP and develop a basic model; it will also report on initial research conducted within the food industry to establish the extent to which it is used in management decision making

Customer account profitability

In Dr Walters' last article (RDM, Nov/Dec), he discussed deficiencies in current approaches to site location. A Retailing Unit System was discussed in the context of a total systems approach whereby the retail unit system becomes part of a larger environmental system, which considers the needs and reactions of both suppliers and customers. Five basic elements were examined and the argument put forward that when investigating a new location, emphasis should not be on sales revenue or profit from the proposed site alone, but rather the total profit situation which results after the impact of the new site has been assessed on the total retail unit system. These five basic elements were: finance, personnel, merchandising management, property management, and logistics. For each, possible problems associated with the addition of a new location were discussed. It was argued that no matter how attractive a new location might at first appear, it is not until all effects have been considered that the “real” profitability can be established.

David Walters

Papers

Logistics and Retail Management

VERTICAL MARKETING SYSTEMS: A cost˜benefit approach to channel marketing decisions

Planning the Distribution System: an operational approach

Customer account profitability

Applying the monte carlo simulation