• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.242-252
• /
• 2011

The purpose of the study was to investigate customer loyalty programs of diverse types of retailers. As offline retailers, department store and discount store retailers were examined, and as nonstore retailers, online store and TV home shopping retailers were investigated. Types of customer loyalty programs were analyzed based on Dowling and Uncles'(1997) loyalty program framework which included two schemes, types of reward(direct versus indirect rewards) and timing of reward(immediate versus delayed rewards). The study found that different types of retailers utilized different types of loyalty programs: Department store used all the type of rewards, discount store focused on direct/immediate rewards, online store retailers used direct/delayed rewards and/or direct/immediate rewards, and TV home shopping retailers focused on direct/delayed rewards. The study provided diverse managerial and academic implications.

• Journal of Distribution Research
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.21-44
• /
• 2003

The entry of large discount stores into small cities such as Choonchun or Wonju have had a profound impacts on the businesses of small-sized retailers. The impacts of the entry by large discount store will be much larger than those of the entry by department store or other small-scale retailers. Most of research studies on the competitive retail structure focused on the change of retailing in the advanced countries dynamically and investigated macro-trends in sales and market share. As a result, they tend to overlook the micro aspects of consumers" perception and actual behaviors. Furthermore, they tend to limit their research scopes to relatively competitive retailers not to overall competitive structures. In this study, we analyze the overall competitive structures by investigating the retailers" characteristics, perceptions of consumers on retailers and actual purchase of products across different types of retailers We could obtain competitive retail structure. Based on that, we discuss the strategies on the revitalization and enhancement of small-sized retailers" productivities.

• Asia Marketing Journal
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.137-164
• /
• 2011

In the past, retailers secured customer loyalty by offering convenient locations, unique assortments of goods, better services than competitors, and good credit policy. All this has changed. Goods assortments among stores have become more alike as national-brand manufacturers place their goods in more and more retail stores. Service differentiation also has eroded. Many department stores have trimmed services, and many discount stores have increased theirs. Customers have become smarter shoppers. They don't pay more for identical brands, especially when service differences have diminished. In the face of increased competition from discount storess and specialty stores, department stores are waging a comeback war. Growth of intertype competition, competition between store-based and non-store-based retailing and growing investment in technology are changing the way consumers shop and retailers sell. Different types of stores-discount stores, catalog showrooms, department stores-all compete for the same consumers by carrying the same type of merchandise. The biggest winners are retailers that have helped shoppers to be economically cautious, simplified their increasingly busy and complicated lives, and provided an emotional connection. The growth of e-retailers has forced traditional brick-and-mortar retailers to respond. Basically brick-and-mortar retailers utilize their natural advantages, such as products that shoppers can actually see, touch, and test, real-life customer service, and no delivery lag time for small-sized purchases. They also provide a shopping experience as a strong differentiator. They are adopting practices as calling each shopper a "guest". The store atmosphere should match the basic motivations of the shopper. If target consumers are more likely to be in a task-oriented and functional mindset, then a simpler, more restrained in-store environment may be better. Consistent with this reasoning, some retailers of experiential products are creating in-store entertainment to attract customers who want fun and excitement. The retail experience must deliver value to turn a one-time visitor into a loyal customer. Retailers need a tool that measures the full range of components that define experience-based value. This study uses an experiential value scale(EVS) developed by Mathwick, Malhotra and Rigdon(2001) which reflects the benefits derived from perceptions of playfulness, aesthetics, customer "return on investment" and service excellence. EVS is useful to predict differences in shopping preferences and patronage behavior of customers. EVS consists of items measuring efficiency, economic value, visual appeal, entertainment value, service excellence, escapism, and intrinsic enjoyment, which are subscales of experiencial value. Efficiency, economic value, service excellence are linked to the utilitarian shopping value. And visual appeal, entertainment value, escapism and intrinsic enjoyment are linked to hedonic shopping value. It has been found that consumers value hedonic experiences activated from escapism and attractiveness of shopping environment as much as the product quality, price, and the convenient location. As a result, many department stores, discount stores, and other retailers are introducing differential marketing strategy based on emotional/hedonic values. Many researches suggest that consumers go shopping not only for buying products but also for various shopping experiences. In other words, they seek the practical, rational value as well as social, recreational values in the shopping process(Babin et al, 1994; Bloch et al, 1994). Retailers may enhance buyer's loyalty to store by providing excellent emotional/hedonic value such as the excitement from shopping, not just the practical value of buying good products efficiently. We investigate the effect of perceived shopping values on the emotional experience and store loyalty based on the EVS(Experiential Value Scales) developed by Holbrook(1994), Mathwick, Malhotra and Rigdon(2001). This study assumes that the relative effect of shopping value dimensions on the responses of shoppers will differ according to types of stores and analyzes the moderating effect of store type(department store VS. discount store) on the causal relationship between shopping value dimensions and store loyalty. Emprical results show that utilitarian values of shopping experience and hedonic value of shipping experience give the positive effect on the emotional response of consumers and store loyalty. We also found the moderating effect of store types. The effect of utilitarian shopping values on the attitude toward discount store is higher than the effect of utilitarian shopping values on the attitude toword department store. And the effect of hedonic shopping value on the emotional response to discount store is higher than on the emotional response to department store. The empirical results reflect on the recent trend that discount stores try to fulfill the hedonic needs of consumers as well as utilitarian needs(i.e, low price) that discount stores traditionally have focused on

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.570-581
• /
• 2003

The purpose of this study was to investigate competitive structure between the department store and the discount store based on consumers' purchase intention. Female consumers who purchased clothing both in the department store and the discount store participated in the study by completing questionnaires (N=533) . Data were analyzed using factor analyses, paired t-test, Cronbach's $\alpha$, and chi-square analyses. The result was as following: 1 . Overall, the department store and the discount store are competing complementarily. However, this competitive structure varied with clothing items and consumers' age. 2. As a result of factor analyses, the two retailer's service quality could be evaluated with four dimensions: price and A/S, store atmosphere and VMD, store policy, and salesperson. 3. The department store was expected to provide the highest level of service in ‘price and A/S’, ‘store atmosphere and VMD’, ‘salesperson’ whereas the discount store in ‘store policy’ 4. Respondents were classified in four groups according to how frequently they use department store and discount store as following: shopper of both retailers (68.35％), discount store shopper(20.97%), department store shopper(4.70%), shopper of neither retailer(3.97％). Each group showed differences in service satisfaction and demographic characteristics.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.47-55
• /
• 2016

The proliferation of the Internet and related technologies has led to a new form of distribution channels, namely online retailers. The conventional offline and the new online retailers have different transaction costs perceived by the consumers in the following perspectives: the accessibility to the product information, the traffic cost and the opportunity cost for the time to visit the store, the delivery time and the possibility of 'touch and feel' to test the quality of the product. In particular, the online retailers have lower distribution cost structure in that they do not have physical stores, which results in lower selling price. Thus they continuously offer price competition against offline retailers using the lower selling cost as competitive weapon. Moreover the emergence of the social commerce is likely to intensify the competition between the online and offline retailers. To survive in this fierce competition, the offline retailers are trying to defend their business interests by sticking to offline transaction in anticipation of increased customer loyalty, customer's preference for 'touch and feel' style shopping, and others. Despite of these efforts, customers who touch and feel a product in an offline store but purchase the product through an online retailer are increasing. To protect such customers, recently, some of the offline retailers began to provide the mobile discount service (MDS) which enables the offline customers to purchase a product at a discounted price through the mobile applications. In business competitions, the price discount strategy is usually considered to secure more market share at the cost of lower profit. In this study, however, we analyze the effect of MDS as a weapon for securing more profit. To do this, we set up a game model between the online and offline retailers which incorporates the effect of the MDS. By numerically analyzing the Nash equilibrium of the game, some managerial implications for using the MDS for more profit are discussed.

• Korean Business Review
• /
• v.14
• /
• pp.95-128
• /
• 2001

The entry of large discount stores such as LG-mart, E-mart into small cities such as Choonchun or Wonju have had a profound impact on the business of small-sized retailers. The impact of the entry by large discount store is too big compared to that of the entry by department store. Now, it becomes the matter of survival for small-sized retailers. Regulation and protection are not the best solutions to solve these problems. It cannot solve the fundamental problems. Consumer buy products based on their needs not retailers' problems. Without satisfying consumers' various needs and wants, retailers can not survive. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand retail competition from the perspective of consumers and investigate overall retail competition not competition between two different types of retailers. In this study, we analyze the relationship between products and purchasing places, the competitive relationship among retailers. As a result, we get big picture of retail market and discuss the revitalization of conventional retailers. In addition, we propose new solutions to conventional retailers' problems from the perspective of consumers.

• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.13 no.7
• /
• pp.33-40
• /
• 2015

Purpose - This study aims to find out what impacts large retailers' behaviors appearing when they promote the strengthening of their market dominating power in the trade relations with small and medium suppliers or in the market can have on consumers. Research design, data, methodology - This study analyzed negative information (news) on large retailers (Lotte Mart, E-Mart and Homeplus) based on the monthly data over the past five years from 2008 to 2012 and also analyzed the correlation between dependent variables that are likely to affect sales through large retailer economic index, Results - This study conducted a correlation analysis on the time lag of the factors that have an impact on the negative information and sales of large retailers in order to analyze how consumers respond to the choice of large retailers' store (store sales) when they perceived negative information about the un- ethical behaviors of large retailers. Conclusions - Unfair and negative information on large retailers appeared significant for the hypothesis that sales will be affected by the image of large retailers and change of consumer attitudes.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
• /
• v.14
• /
• pp.145-169
• /
• 2004

With the full liberalization of distribution sector in 1997, both multinational and domestic discount retailers have been competing to gain more market share in Korea. Increased competition among domestic and international retail stores forces marketing academics and practitioners to understand the various factors affecting discount retail store satisfaction and loyalty. This study examines how store image of a retailer influences consumers' attitudes, satisfaction and intention to re visit that store. The data, collected from a sample of 416 customers in Busan, Korea, indicate that store image is exerting positive influences in the formation of attitude, satisfaction. But favorable store image does not have positive impact on the intention to revisit the store. Rather the impact of store image on intention to re visit is mediated by attitudes and satisfaction. And unlike the overall store image, attitudes have positive effect on the formation of consumers' intention to revisit, not mediated by satisfaction. And satisfaction also results in higher possibility of forming intention to revisit that same discount store. Based on these results, we provide theoretical and managerial implications, limitations of this research, and useful directions for future study.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
• /
• v.7
• /
• pp.209-238
• /
• 2001

Objectives of this study were: First, to review the effect of buyer position in power retailer on job performance and store performance. Second, to set up research model specifying relationships between the PAQ dimensions of retailer's buyer, job performance and store performance. Third, to test hypotheses derived from the research model of this study and to establish strategy for managing discount store and department store. Marketing Implications of this study were: First, buyers of power retailers should respond more actively to rapidly changing purchasing situation. Second, job content of buyers in power retailers can be redesigned based upon results of this study. Third, as the size and the length of operation of retailers increase, an innovative system should be invented to enhance the effectiveness of power retailers. Limitations of this study were: First, validity and reliability of data collection methods used in this study were questionable for the lack of past researches in Korea. Second, static research method was employed in this study. Generalization over different time interval was almost impossible from results of this study.

• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.123-133
• /
• 2016

Purpose - Understanding how service convenience drives shopping performance is imperative for retailers such as department and large discount stores. Retailers have to enhance shopping productivity by reducing the costs of shopping, as convenience triggers customers' perceived shopping value, leading to customer satisfaction, and ultimately patronage behavior. Consumers, generally considering time as a scarce resource, are more sensitive to the time costs of tasks in regard to shopping trip, differently from forming perceptions of convenience in time orientation. Therefore, this study attempts to examine the moderating effects of consumers' time orientation on the relationships among service convenience of retailers and shopping performances such as shopping value and service performances. Research design, data, and methodology - The department and discount store chains were chosen as the point of analysis in this study. Data were collected from a survey of real-life consumers and all respondents were screened to ensure only those who had visited in the department and discount store chains within past six month prior to the day of data collection. Out of 600 self-reported surveys that were distributed, a total of 530 responses were returned and after excluding 20 incomplete responses, the final sample size was 510. The three hypotheses were proposed and tested in this study. The one hypothesis was on the moderating effects of time orientation for the effects of service convenience on shopping value (hedonic and utilitarian shopping value). The other two hypotheses were on the comparisons between high and low time-oriented customers with the effects in shopping value from service performance. Hierarchical moderated regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Results - The results suggest that the effect of service convenience on utilitarian shopping value and the positive effect of utilitarian shopping value on customer satisfaction are greater in low time orientation than high time orientation customers. Conversely, when customers are highly oriented toward time, the effects of hedonic shopping value on customer satisfaction and revisit intention are greater than for customers who are lowly oriented toward time. Conclusions - This study has two-fold significance. First, this study contributes to the consumer behavior and services marketing literature by incorporating customers' time orientation into the service convenience-shopping performance. Although the effect of service convenience on shopping performance might differ from customers' perceptions concerning shopping, there has been little investigation or comparison between customers' perception on time. This study is a first attempt to consider how the effects of service convenience on shopping value and service performance vary with differing levels of customers' time orientation. This study advances prior studies by showing that the service convenience-shopping value and service convenience-service performance relationships vary across different combinations of the customer's time orientation. The findings of this study suggest that the retailers need to enhance the experiential aspects of the stores for their high time-oriented customers. Conversely, for the low time-oriented customers, the retailers should boost the visual distinctiveness and ease of store navigation.