Search results

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of retailer personality on consumer‐based retailer equity.

The authors developed a retailer personality scale and find its impact on consumer‐based retailer equity by adopting the scale developed by Pappu and Quester. A mall‐intercept survey was undertaken using a systematic sampling of department store shoppers of age 18 years and above in a metropolitan city, Kolkata, India. The questionnaire was used to collect data from seven department retail brands. The impact of each retailer personality dimension on each consumer‐based retailer equity dimension was explored, using structural equation modeling.

The study proposed a five‐dimensional scale to measure department store personality. Results indicated that the three dimensions of store personality, namely sophistication, dependability and empathy, have significant positive impact on each consumer‐based retailer equity dimension except one (empathy→retailer loyalty). The remaining two dimensions of retailer personality, namely authenticity and vibrancy, have no impact on each consumer‐based retailer dimension.

The paper is the first to propose a scale for measuring department store personality and to explore the link between retailer personality and consumer‐based retailer equity.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the personality characteristics Hispanic shoppers ascribe to US retailers. This study is an exploratory attempt to uncover inconsistencies between Hispanic shoppers' views of US retailers and how those retailers believe they are identified.

Focus group methodology used in the study allowed Hispanic shoppers to attribute personality characteristics to some of the most prevalent retailers in the USA.

Analysis revealed Hispanic shoppers' personification did affect their beliefs about retailers.

There are many implications for retailers wishing to capture more of the Hispanic market segment including the importance of brand identity of the retailer and the buyer's self‐image.

This paper explores Hispanic shoppers' actual beliefs about US retailers, and is unique because of the different type of data collection techniques utilized to capture the data. The personification technique allowed individual, detailed descriptions of US retailers to emerge.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the influences of store attributes on store personality dimensions across different consumer segments. Subsequently, the study examines impact of store personality dimensions on consumer store choice behaviour.

A mall-intercept survey was undertaken using a systematic sampling of department store shoppers of age 18 years and above in Kolkata, a metropolitan city of India. Questionnaire was used to collect data from busy shopping malls or centres located in different places of Kolkata. Multiple regression analysis is used to examine the objectives of this study.

Results revealed that different sets of store attributes positively affect the various store personality dimensions differently across the segments. The study also found the positive impacts of store personality dimensions on consumer store choice behaviour.

Arguably, this study is the first to explore the link between store attributes and store personality across the consumer segments, and the impacts of store personality dimensions on consumer store choice behaviour.

The purpose of this study was to develop a synthesized retail brand personality scale (RBPS) framework across retail formats. This research also addresses cultural differences by applying an emic-etic approach to scale development with United States (US) and Taiwanese samples.

After two focus group interviews and a pretest were conducted in both Taiwan and the US, a main test was conducted on consumer samples in Taiwan (N = 412) and in the US (N = 411). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to develop a valid, reliable RBPS.

The results revealed that sincerity and sophistication are comparable dimensions to those in the brand personality scale (BPS), and unpleasantness, traditionalism, enthusiasm, antagonism and innovativeness were found to be unique dimensions for retail brands. The findings also indicated that sincerity, unpleasantness and traditionalism are common dimensions across cultures, whereas innovativeness, sophistication and antagonism are culture-specific dimensions in the US, whereas enthusiasm is a specific dimension in Taiwan.

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to develop a synthesized scale of retail brand personality that compares the identified dimensions to Aaker's (1997) BPS and includes an emic-etic approach. This research contributes to the branding literature and international marketing field, and has implications for retail practitioners.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main determinants of fashion store personality, as perceived by the shopper. It aims to discover factors that are responsible for specific store personality trait perceptions in order to understand how these humanlike personality traits are induced in a retailing context.

With this end in mind, a qualitative exploratory study was undertaken. A total of 70 in‐depth semi‐structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of Belgian adult respondents to systematically assess the connotations of the 34 different store personality trait descriptors put forward by d'Astous and Lévesque. Respondents were asked which fashion stores they considered to embody these specific personality traits and they were probed for the sources of inference they used.

The findings reveal that the store environment and store design particularly is an important factor in determining the personality of fashion stores. Also, other factors such as corporate social responsibility, reputation, service level, the salespeople, the merchandise sold, price/quality perceptions and the consumer base determine perceptions of “genuineness”, “solidity”, “sophistication”, “enthusiasm” and “unpleasantness”.

A better understanding of the determinants of fashion store personality is essential for retail managers who wish to (re)position their stores. Retailers and store designers should be aware of the important role of “atmospherics” in this regard.

Apart from conceptual work, no empirical research has yet systematically investigated determinants of each of the main store personality dimensions.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impacts of store attributes on consumer-based retailer equity (CBRE) dimensions.

A mall-intercept survey was undertaken using a systematic sampling of department store shoppers of age 18 years and above in Kolkata, a metropolitan city in India. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from busy shopping malls or retail stores located in different places of Kolkata. The impact of store attributes on CBRE dimensions was explored using stepwise regression analysis.

Results revealed that different sets of store attributes affect various CBRE dimensions differently.

This paper is probably the first to explore the link between store attributes and CBRE dimensions in an Indian and department stores contexts.

There is a stream of literature which implies that for supermarkets, as organisations that operate with low staff‐customer interaction, within a price competitive environment and are dependent on high economies of scale, the return on investment in a relationship marketing (RM) approach does not justify the expense. The purpose of this paper is to explore how supermarkets select and implement RM strategies and seek value from that investment.

In‐depth, semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with senior marketing managers in German and UK supermarkets. The interview themes were drawn from the RM literature. Loyalty frameworks provided guidelines for the data analysis.

The results suggest that definitions of RM have historically been too narrow due to research having been focussed on the sectors with a high‐service element and undertaken at a time when customer data collection and analysis were more expensive than currently. In addition to those already identified in the literature, further factors into which retailers could invest to build an RM strategy are suggested.

The marketing perspective of only seven supermarkets was examined. Future researchers should undertake a more exhaustive approach in order to fully establish how the management of RM in one sector differs from that in another.

A “retail RM mix” framework was developed and guidelines for the cost‐effective management of RM are provided.

This is the first study to examine supermarkets' perspectives on RM approaches, by seeking responses from the retailers rather than the customers.

Internet shopping has received considerable attention in the popular press as the future of in‐home shopping. Although actual sales figures attributed to this direct mode of shopping are relatively modest in comparison to predictions, there are too many potential benefits to consumers and retailers alike to ignore Internet shopping as a fad. The authors present findings from an exploratory, empirical investigation of perceptions of Internet catalog shopping and more traditional print catalog shopping. The study extends previous research on strategy developments for direct modes of shopping and examines two factors (personality and important other people) that might influence perceptions. Preliminary results suggest that there are significant differences in individuals’ perceptions of Internet catalog shopping and print catalog shopping, and perceptions differ by individual differences in personality (levels of need‐for‐cognition) and influence of important other people. Finally, the authors present research propositions that deserve further attention.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents and consequences of trust in online shopping from an e-tail branding perspective.

A structured questionnaire was used to collect data online from Indian e-tail shoppers (n=309). A structural equation modelling (CB-SEM approach) was used to analyse the data.

The results found e-tailer awareness, e-tailer associations, and e-tailer perceived quality as antecedents of trust in online shopping. The results also showed online trust positively influences the behavioural intentions, namely, purchase intention, repurchase, and recommendation.

This study examines the applicability and branding and brand management principles in an e-tail branding context. Theoretical and managerial implications of these results are further discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to examine gender differences in store loyalty and how those differences evolve with age.

Data for the study were collected in a survey of 32,054 shoppers in more than 50 grocery stores belonging to the same chain. In total, 20 satisfaction items were factor-analysed, resulting in four satisfaction factors. A logistic regression with store exclusivity as the dependent variable was then run to test the research hypotheses.

This study finds that men are more loyal than women to the store chain, while women are more loyal than men to individual stores. Women’s loyalty is more influenced by their satisfaction with interaction with store employees, while for men loyalty is more influenced by satisfaction with impersonal dimensions. Store loyalty increases with age, an effect that cannot be explained solely by declining mobility and cognitive impairment.

This research examines declared behavioural practices rather than actual behaviour. However, in view of the high frequency of purchases in the retail category examined, and also because of the large sample of over 50 different stores, declared practices should be highly correlated with actual behaviour.

Results from satisfaction surveys should be interpreted differently for men and women. Loyalty programmes may want to adapt their approach, to incorporate gender differences into their loyalty reinforcing measures.

This paper should also help to a better understanding of loyalty programs for both men and women, younger and older people.

This is the first demonstration from an in store customer survey that the shopping experience drives store loyalty differently for men and women.