Beyond the shop: problems and possibilities
Journal of Historical Research in Marketing
ISSN: 1755-750X
Article publication date: 10 August 2010
Abstract
Purpose
Focusing upon British retailing, the purpose of this paper is to review what is known both about the importance of different supply networks at different points in time, and about the attitudes of different groups of consumers towards these networks.
Design/methodology/approach
Relying primarily upon secondary sources, the paper discusses the ways in which the literature on retailing beyond the shop has developed during the past 40 years, and particularly during the past ten years or so.
Findings
The paper shows that although it is difficult to delineate the scale and importance of retailing beyond the shop, there is a growing consensus that shops were by no means the sole, or necessarily dominant, source of supply. It shows too that consumers' attitudes towards both commercial and non‐commercial exchanges were complex and sometimes contradictory, with non‐commercial transactions particularly difficult to disentangle and interpret. However, it should not be assumed, it is suggested, that notions of value and ties of reciprocity inevitably fell victim to the growing forces of industrialisation and urbanisation.
Originality/value
The paper adopts a broad chronological perspective and introduces readers to sources, evidence, ideas and concepts that shed light on British retail development and change.
Keywords
Citation
Benson, J. and Ugolini, L. (2010), "Beyond the shop: problems and possibilities", Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, Vol. 2 No. 3, pp. 256-269. https://doi.org/10.1108/17557501011067806
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited