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1 – 10 of 46The rapid growth of the solo economy in the Asia-Pacific area indicates an economic transition. In East Asia, solitary households are growing along with low marital rates and…
Abstract
Purpose
The rapid growth of the solo economy in the Asia-Pacific area indicates an economic transition. In East Asia, solitary households are growing along with low marital rates and birth rates under high economic pressure. Because of these population changes, malls must provide good quality service to meet the specific needs of solitary households and social households. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, relationships among service quality, customer satisfaction (CS), perceived value, corporate image and customer loyalty were compared between social and solitary customers of Taiwan click-and-mortar malls. The effects of five service quality dimensions on CS and customer loyalty were investigated by structural equation modeling.
Findings
The analytical results show that all hypothesized relationships among factors were supported with the exception of the impact of perceived value on satisfaction and the impact of the corporate image on satisfaction. Additionally, the comparison between solitary and social customers showed that service quality, corporate image and customer loyalty have strong relationships without differences between both kinds of customers. Solitary and social customers only differed in the impact of perceived value on loyalty.
Practical implications
The managerial implication of this study is that, to satisfy both social and solitary customers and to increase their loyalty, Click-and-mortar malls (CAM malls) should apply different service quality strategies for social and solitary customers. To satisfy both types of customers, a strategy for increasing visible cares should be applied in social customers, and a strategy for increasing the perception of reliability, assurance and visible cares should be applied in solitary customers. To enhance the loyalty of solitary customers, a CAM mall should enhance the value perceived by solitary customers, which can help CAM malls increase the loyalty of solitary customers in the solo economy.
Originality/value
The solo economy is a hot topic in East Asia because the issue of solo economy impacts the market. A CAM mall must evolve its business to attract solitary customers. However, no studies compared perceived quality, satisfaction, perceived value, corporate image and loyalty between solitary customers and social customers. This study is the first study investigated the business model of CAM malls.
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Sameer Kumar, Jessica Eidem and Diana Noriega Perdomo
The motivation for this paper arises from the evolution of the e‐commerce which has provided new means for retailers to serve customers. Pure e‐tailers and clicks‐and‐mortars are…
Abstract
Purpose
The motivation for this paper arises from the evolution of the e‐commerce which has provided new means for retailers to serve customers. Pure e‐tailers and clicks‐and‐mortars are two business models of this new paradigm. It aims to study the particularities of pure e‐tailer (Amazon.com) and clicks‐and‐mortars (Walmart) with special focus on their dot com supply chains.
Design/methodology/approach
Strengths, weaknesses, oppositions, threats (SWOT), the Five Forces Model and Financial Performance Metrics analyses were used to draw comparisons and contrasts between Walmart.com and Amazon.com supply chains.
Findings
The paper finds that both companies serve their customers effectively through their efficient supply chains; however, due to the infancy of e‐commerce, both business models still face important challenges.
Originality/value
Amazon.com and Walmart.com have different supply chain models, as well as, strengths and weaknesses. They both face the same opportunities and threats as the e‐commerce industry grows rapidly. Analysis shows how lessons from one business entity can be applied to the other in order to bring even more efficiencies to both e‐tailers’ and clicks and mortars’ supply chains.
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The key to success in the internet business lies in how you carry out the integration between virtual and physical channels. The purpose of this paper is to aim at defining the…
Abstract
Purpose
The key to success in the internet business lies in how you carry out the integration between virtual and physical channels. The purpose of this paper is to aim at defining the solution to the integration.
Design/methodology/approach
Channel coordination is grounded on a new governance of integration strategy which bridges the channels. This study proposes a novel research model with three stages: first, click-and-brick strategies; second, channel coordination for three purchase stages; and third, synergy realizations. A survey was conducted for collecting empirical data. PLS was used for path analysis. In total, three separate statistical analyses were performed for three defined integration strategies.
Findings
Click-and-brick strategies have different degrees of impact on channel coordination in different purchase stages and in turn, different degrees of impact on synergy benefits. Specifically, the in-house division strategy is more important in determining channel coordination in the three purchase stages.
Practical implications
Customers initially perceive online services with a nature of low trust and view them as highly risky. This integration is useful for a firm to successfully start a new online business. Further, it provides insight into allocating a firm’s resources to critical multi-channel activities to realize synergy benefits.
Originality/value
Multi-channel marketing is dynamic and complex in nature. Existing theories provide limited insight into effectively defining them. This study attempted to define a strategy-based implementation model. This model demonstrated the capability to effectively reduce the complexity of defining channel integration.
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Jihyun Lee and Yuri Lee
The purpose of this study was to find different effects of e‐tailer attributes on consumer attitude in fashion product purchase situations according to e‐tailer types.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to find different effects of e‐tailer attributes on consumer attitude in fashion product purchase situations according to e‐tailer types.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative study with a survey method was adopted to test the significance of the paths which construct the structural equation model.
Findings
As a result of the study, e‐tailers were classified into three types: comprehensive mall, fashion specialty mall, and limited brand mall. In addition three attribute dimensions were derived from the statistical analyses: transaction fulfillment, variety, and accessibility. Transaction fulfillment and variety were the critical dimensions for the comprehensive mall and the limited brand mall, whereas variety was the only significant dimension for the fashion specialty mall. According to the multi‐group comparison, it was found that similar strategic implications can be applied to comprehensive and limited brand malls.
Research limitations/implications
The variety dimension be further researched. With variety being equally important for all of the e‐tailer types, specific sub‐dimensions need to be identified.
Originality/value
The paper provides value in classifying the e‐tailer type and investigating the attributes.
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Solitary dining is a growing worldwide trend, but still evokes a strong emotional response. Some solo diners choose to be alone; others feel lonely due to circumstances. This…
Abstract
Purpose
Solitary dining is a growing worldwide trend, but still evokes a strong emotional response. Some solo diners choose to be alone; others feel lonely due to circumstances. This study aims to explore solitary dining in Japan and Taiwan, moderated by negative emotions.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a survey of 372 participants, this study uses structural equation modeling to examine anticipated loneliness and anticipated negative evaluation from others (the “spotlight effect”) associated with solitary dining intention among university students in Japan and Taiwan.
Findings
Taiwanese university students report solo dining behaviors and intentions with as much frequency as their Japanese counterparts. While Japanese university students associate solitary dining with neutral or positive emotions, Taiwanese university students associate solitary dining with negative emotions, anticipating loneliness and negative evaluation from others.
Research limitations/implications
This study concludes with future research directions for both cross-cultural and post-colonial studies of solitary dining behavioral intention.
Practical implications
From a managerial perspective, the findings provide useful insights to restaurant practitioners and managers in East Asia, recommending settings designed to enhance warmth, quiet and a sense of belonging.
Social implications
This study examines colonial and post-colonial influences, and concludes with recommendations for future research on both cross-cultural and post-colonial approaches solitary dining behavioral intention.
Originality/value
This study contributes to existing cross-cultural studies in Europe and East Asia, but is the first to compare solitary dining in a Chinese linguistic context and the first to compare solitary dining in Taiwan and Japan.
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Aileen Kennedy and Joseph Coughlan
The purpose of the paper is to examine the benefits delivered to traditional retailers from using shopping portals as their entry mechanism to the online trading environment. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to examine the benefits delivered to traditional retailers from using shopping portals as their entry mechanism to the online trading environment. The paper also aims to highlight the possible drawbacks inherent in such an approach.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study approach was used with an online portal, combining documentary analysis and semi‐structured interviews, using a team‐based interviewing approach. This facilitated the development of a multi‐layered picture of the organisation.
Findings
Using a shopping portal delivers several benefits to traditional retailers in terms of marketing synergies, site traffic generation, access to web site management and fulfilment services, and the ability to offer customers a multi‐channel retailing experience. Drawbacks may include partner interdependence and turnover, restricted organisational learning and restricted delivery capabilities.
Practical implications
Highlighting the benefits and drawbacks of shopping portals generates guidelines that traditional retailers can consider to help them decide whether such portals are the right choice for their individual firm or not.
Originality/value
This paper expands the literature on the phenomenon of the online portal by demonstrating its potential as a mechanism for traditional retailers to engage in electronic retailing.
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Ching-Hsuan Yeh, Hsin-Hui Lin, Yu-Ling Gau and Yi-Shun Wang
To examine the effectiveness of a multichannel strategy, this study mainly investigates two issues: (1) whether customers' five value perceptions (i.e. product quality, service…
Abstract
Purpose
To examine the effectiveness of a multichannel strategy, this study mainly investigates two issues: (1) whether customers' five value perceptions (i.e. product quality, service quality, innovation, price and store image) extend from e-stores to physical stores and (2) whether customers' five value perceptions derived from e-stores/physical stores facilitate purchase intention within and beyond the channel context.
Design/methodology/approach
This study develops a research model to elaborate on the relationships between the focal constructs and collects 177 useable responses via an online community and personal contacts survey. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) methods and mediation analyses are conducted to validate the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
The results show that the values perceived in e-stores/physical stores generally motivate online/offline purchase intention, respectively. Next, based on Tversky's belief/feature matching process, the five value perceptions correlate with their counterparts across online and offline channels. The results of the mediation analyses suggest that the advantages established in online channels may be contagious to offline channels at the belief level. Specifically, four of the five online value perceptions may have different effects on offline purchase intention: (1) product quality perceived in e-stores directly (negative) and indirectly (positive) results in offline purchase intention, demonstrating cannibalization effects and (2) service quality, innovation and store image perceived in e-stores indirectly and positively contribute to offline purchase intention, indicating synergetic effects.
Originality/value
The findings of this study provide several important theoretical and practical implications for multichannel and omnichannel retailing strategies.
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To examine shopping orientation, information search, and demographics of multichannel customers in comparison to traditional single channel customers.
Abstract
Purpose
To examine shopping orientation, information search, and demographics of multichannel customers in comparison to traditional single channel customers.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was used to assess research variables and mailed out to 10,000 individuals in South Korea who were randomly selected from a purchased national database. A total of 2,926 usable questionnaires were returned for a 29 percent response rate.
Findings
Shopping orientation, information search, and demographics differentiated shopper groups: single‐channel offline users, single‐channel online users, multichannel offline users, and multichannel online users.
Research limitations/implications
A lack of theoretical approaches, a direct self‐assessment for store choice behavior, and duplicated measures for independent and dependent variables perhaps limit its usefulness.
Practical implications
Provides guidance to global retailers who plan to pioneer new markets with multichannel retailing strategies. Shopping orientations, perceived usefulness of information sources, and demographics can be effectively used to identify target markets in Korea.
Originality/value
This study first explored Korean consumer profiles in the context of multi‐shopping channels and added valuable empirical findings to the current limited literature in multichannel retailing in the international market and to help global retailers identify consumer segments based on channel choice behavior.
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Rajasree K. Rajamma, Audhesh K. Paswan and Gopala Ganesh
This study seeks to explore the idea that consumers select a particular shopping mode – i.e. bricks and mortar versus online outlet – based on their perceptions about whether a…
Abstract
Purpose
This study seeks to explore the idea that consumers select a particular shopping mode – i.e. bricks and mortar versus online outlet – based on their perceptions about whether a product or service is best bought from one or the other. It aims to posit that this perception is associated with the importance allocated to various shopping motivation dimensions.
Design/methodology/approach
Data for this study were collected using a self‐administered mail survey from 689 internet‐enabled US households. They represent a 28 percent response from 2,500 households that received the survey. Extensive non‐response analysis ruled out serious bias in the data.
Findings
The results from this empirical study suggest that different shopping motivations indeed influence perceptions of service type and shopping mode congruence differently. In addition, the results also suggest that services are more likely to be associated with the online shopping mode, whereas more tangible products are likely to be associated with bricks and mortar stores.
Originality/value
The findings have significant implications for services retail managers of both bricks and mortar and online service outlets in the areas of segmentations, targeting, and retail mix strategies. Apparently, consumers also tend to group related services or products into homogeneous shopping baskets based on their perception of congruence between the product or service and the shopping mode – online versus bricks and mortar store. These findings should help a manager plan for retailing mix strategies, catering to various shopping motivation dimensions, thus enhancing consumer satisfaction. In addition, the results hold important implications in the areas of segmentation and targeting decisions.
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