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The use of “special events” as an attractor for destinations in the smart tourism paradigm has been suggested as one element of an effective destination strategy. This study aims to create new understandings of this potentiality by exploring an event from a participant perspective in smart tourism contexts by creating a model integrating factors impacting the smart event experience.

The authors conducted five online focus groups by using Facebook secret groups to engage spectators of an international sports event. Discussions focussed on the digital event experience with particular reference to the event app. A subsequent interpretative phenomenological analysis facilitated the examination of how people make sense of this digital phenomenon and the impact on the overall event experience.

The findings demonstrate an increasing demand for real-time event integrative information, with more immersive and augmented experiences often sought by users. This has significant implications for the management of the digital event experience for all event stakeholders.

This study is limited in its analysis of the smart event experience because of the use of a purposive sample from the International NW200 Event in Northern Ireland, which may limit the generalisability of research findings.

The study therefore, meets a critical gap in existent literature by providing the first event experience model in a smart tourism context and presenting the interlocking elements through the 4P’s (people, processes, personalisation and places) and 7R’s (rituals, realms, realities, renewal, review, relational and resourcing) of digital event experience.

This paper is the result of empirical research funded by The British Academy. The overall purpose of the study is to investigate the initial barriers to internationalization experienced and perceived by small retailers based in the UK and the role of government support in addressing such obstacles.

A qualitative, multiple case research design is adopted. This involves semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with the senior manager/decision‐maker in six retail SMEs based in the UK and the analysis of company documentation and information from a range of secondary sources.

The findings from the case study data highlight internal and external barriers to internationalization relating to management: lack of vision, fear of losing control, lack of knowledge; the company: transfer of retail concept overseas, lack of resources, lack of consolidation in domestic market; and the external environment: legislation, currency, cultural differences and logistics. The findings also highlight an overall negative experience and perception of government support in assisting smaller retailers to overcome these barriers and aid expansion outside the UK.

The findings of this study provide important insight into the perceived and actual barriers encountered by retail SMEs. On one hand, the focus on SMEs provides fresh evidence to the retail internationalization literature, which has focused primarily on the barriers faced by large multinational retailers. On the other hand, the context of this study, yields new insight into research conducted in the field of SME internationalization, which has to date ignored smaller firms in the retail industry. The findings of this study also allow for recommendations to be made to both owner‐managers and government organizations.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the internationalisation process of small, specialist retailers with the aim of identifying the key characteristics that define this specific category of international retailer.

Qualitative case studies of nine UK‐based small international retailers, coupled with interviews with government and consultancy organisations, form the empirical basis of the work.

Findings highlight five characteristics of small specialist international retailers: possession of a strong company brand image/identity with luxury/middle market appeal; niche strategy; dual strategy of expansion; ownership characteristics defined either by the founder or parent company; and vertical integration from manufacturing to retailing.

With the increasing internationalisation of retail operations, the specialist sector comprises a significant number of retailers operating in international markets or contemplating the move into the international marketplace. The findings of the current work highlight the key factors that characterise those small specialist firms that operate outside their domestic market.

The paper identifies the key characteristics that define a significant category of international retailer, hitherto unexplored in the literature.

This paper seeks to examine the internationalisation process of small, specialist retailers with the aim of identifying the key characteristics that define this specific category of international retailer.

Qualitative case studies of nine UK‐based small international retailers, coupled with interviews with government and consultancy organisations, form the empirical basis of the work.

The findings highlight five characteristics of small specialist international retailers: possession of a strong company brand image/identity with luxury/middle market appeal; niche strategy; dual strategy of expansion; ownership characteristics defined either by the founder or parent company; and vertical integration from manufacturing to retailing.

With the increasing internationalisation of retail operations, the specialist sector comprises a significant number of retailers operating in international markets or contemplating the move into the international marketplace. The findings of the current work highlight the key factors that characterise those small specialist firms that operate outside their domestic market.

The paper identifies the key characteristics that define a significant category of international retailer, hitherto unexplored in the literature.

The purpose of this paper is to understand how small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) retailers adopt and implement a loyalty card programme as a marketing management decision-making tool.

A qualitative and longitudinal case study research design is adopted. Data were collected from multiple sources, incorporating semi-structured interviews and analysis of company documents and observation within a retail SME.

The findings presented focus on the loyalty card adoption process to reflect both the organisational issues and impact upon marketing management decision-making.

This research is restricted to one region within the UK, investigating loyalty card adoption within a specific industry sector.

SME retailers operate in an industry environment whereby there is a competitive demand for loyalty card programmes. SME retailers need to carefully consider how to match the firm’s characteristics with customer relationship management (CRM) operational requirements as highlighted in this case.

The evidence presented extends current knowledge of retail loyalty card programmes beyond the context of large organisations to encompass SMEs. The study also illustrates the value of a structured, formal CRM system to help SME retailers compete in a complex, competitive and omni-channel marketplace, adding new insights into the retail literature.

The purpose of this paper is to identify how small to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) fashion retailers can achieve a true understanding of customer trends to close the needs to offer gap in a highly dynamic sector.

A single case study approach is adopted in light of the limited research in this area. Data collection involved a multi‐stage and multi‐methods approach over a six month period to increase the validity of findings and the triangulation of data.

The findings of this paper highlight, first, the need for formal CRM intervention; and, second, the issues involved in the implementation of a loyalty program.

In the absence of specific knowledge in this area, a framework is developed to advance both theoretical and practical understanding of how SME fashion retailers can build and manage close customer relationships in the new economy.

The purpose of this research is to specifically explore the role of management characteristics in the international development of SMEs.

Since the intention of this study was to build theory from an unexplored area of research, a multiple case approach was deemed most appropriate. In doing so, this paper responds to recent calls in the literature for in‐depth case research (e.g. Westhead et al., 2002; Doherty, 2003).

This paper highlights the importance of objective and subjective characteristics as factors which impact not only the initial decision to expand and the support of overseas operations, but the subsequent path and pace of international development.

While this paper confirms the pivotal role of the owner manager in the international decision‐making of retail SMEs, it is recommended that future research examines the role of management characteristics in SMEs based in other industries.

The findings from this empirical study have important implications for both managers of SMEs and private and public sector organisations, and these recommendations are discussed in the conclusions of this paper.

While the effect of management decisions upon the internationalisation of SMEs is at a relatively developed stage in the literature, one of the less studied aspects is the role of decision‐maker characteristics. Given the manufacturing focus of research contributions in the field, this paper yields new insights into SME foreign development and the role of management in the context of the retail sector and the broader service industry.

The aim of this paper is to explore the meaning of the term “retail brand” to small‐ to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) owner managers and how this impacts upon brand management practice.

This research utilises a case study approach, which involved 12 SME retailers located in two regions of the UK, combining qualitative interview data with desktop research and documentary evidence.

The findings of this paper confirm that the owner manager is central to the brand management function in SME retail firms. Furthermore, it was found that the retail brand encompasses both symbolic and functional meaning to the owner manager.

This research contributes to the retail and SME literature by offering a conceptual framework, which presents the interpretation of the retail brand from abstractive, service and environmental perspectives.

It is recommended that SME owner managers set an overall direction for branding across all aspects of the retail business. In doing so, existing retail brand models may be utilised as a tool kit for SME brand managers.

The research begins to address a significant empirical lacuna in branding at the SME retail marketing interface. This paper also adds to wider marketing discourse, through the presentation of terminological adaptation within a small retailing situ.

The internationalisation of large multinational retailers is well documented and much research attention has been given to their motives and strategies for expansion. Yet, no research in this field has specifically addressed the internationalisation of small‐ to medium‐sized companies (SMEs) operating in the retail industry. The theoretical insights from the literature revealed important gaps in extant research, which relate to the barriers, stimulants, drivers, facilitators, process, and market entry strategy of retail SME internationalisation.

This paper aims to fill these gaps. Since the intention of this study was not to describe, but rather to build theory from an unexplored area of research, an in‐depth case approach was deemed most appropriate. Therefore, the paper presents the findings from a number of case studies of SME retail internationalisation operating from the UK.

Key findings from this study not only confirm that smaller British retailers have both the potential and capability to enter international markets successfully, but provides initial insights into how they overcome the constraints of size and establish an international market strategy. The findings from this study also offer insights into the SME sector of the retail industry in the UK in terms of their experience and adoption of government exporting programmes, and details the main implications for managers of small international firms.

Although knowledge on SME retailer internationalisation, as it stands, is at a very early stage of development, this analysis of actual company activity in the UK retail industry provides important insights into a neglected area of international retail study and should help to develop the body of knowledge on SME internationalisation in general.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how product knowledge is utilised by specialist independent grocery retailers (SIGRs) and how it can enhance competitive advantage for these firms.

A case study approach was deemed most appropriate to gain insight into an unexplored area of study. A total of 30 in‐depth interviews were conducted over a six‐month period supported by the collection of observation data and documentation. A purposive sampling method was adopted and the owner managers of the chosen retailers were interviewed as key informants for the study.

It was found that four main resources created the concept product strategy and ultimately explained the success of SIGRs. These relate to knowledge of how to provide a unique product; knowledge of identifying and sourcing from quality suppliers; knowledge of recipes, preparation and storage methods; and knowledge of how to merchandise products.

It is argued that if these specialist grocery firms can achieve sustained competitive advantage from building and exploiting product knowledge, so too can other independent retailers in the sector.

This paper provides empirical evidence and theoretical understanding of product knowledge as a competitive advantage for SIGRs, which is a neglected area of study in the retail literature.