Editorial

Citation

Towers, N. (2015), "Editorial", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 43 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-05-2015-0070

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Volume 43, Issue 8

There is a contemporary retail emphasis to this issue. The topics of the submissions include the consumer-to-store employee and consumer-to-self-service technology (SST) interaction qualities contribution to consumer retail patronage; independent small business owners’ perceptions of franchisees relationships with their franchisors; the effect of age, gender and education level on customer evaluations of store atmospheric attributes; the service-profit chain (SPC) on e-service quality dimensions, online customer value dimensions, e-satisfaction and e-loyalty in an e-commerce context; outcomes of consumer confusion and to investigate the moderating role of broader-scope trust; and the range of realignment strategies employed by retailers in the USA in response to the 2008 economic recession.

The main purpose of the first contribution by Lee is to understand the underlying mechanism of how consumer-to-store employee and consumer-to-SST interaction qualities contribute to consumer retail patronage. The methodology included a total of 300 surveys for each type of in-store kiosk with data analysis using structural equation modelling. The study suggests a direct link from SST usage frequency to perception of SST service quality. Also, retail patronage intentions were positively influenced by both interpersonal service quality and SST service quality, and SST usage intentions were positively affected by retail patronage intentions. Lastly, three causal links were shown to be dissimilar between the two types of in-store kiosk: interpersonal service quality-retail patronage intentions, SST service quality-retail patronage intentions and SST service quality-SST usage intentions. The remaining links were similar for both types of in-store kiosks. The current study incorporates both interpersonal service quality and SST service quality as critical factors affecting retail patronage intentions and thus provides an important opportunity to advance the understanding of consumer-to-store employee and consumer-to-SST interaction qualities and their contribution to consumer retail patronage.

The second paper by Perrigot, Hussain and Windsperger study explores independent small business owners’ perceptions of franchisees relationships with their franchisors, their fellow franchisees within the chain, their employees and their customers. A qualitative approach was employed with twenty six in-depth interviews conducted with independent small business owners from various business sectors. These independent small business owners perceive that franchisees have a dependency-based relationship with their franchisors; a competition-based relationship with their fellow franchisees; a rather complicated relationship with their employees and a superficial relationship with their customers. The findings may have practical implications for franchisors, enabling them to better understand the concerns of independent small business owners as potential franchisee candidates.

The third contribution by Yildirim, Cagatay and Hidayetoglu seeks to ascertain the effect of age, gender and education level on customer evaluations of store atmospheric attributes (colour, lighting type, musical genre/tempo/volume, circulation area, lighting, climatic conditions, ambient scent and cleanliness) in the context of retail furniture stores. A questionnaire was administered to nearly 300 customers who shopped at furniture stores in Ankara, Turkey. The reliability coefficients of the data were defined based on their percentage values with the appropriate χ2 analysis. Significant differences in customer evaluations of store atmospheric attributes emerged based on age, gender and education level. Based on those results, certain store atmospheric attributes preferred by customers were suggested to enhance the design of furniture stores. In addition, the store’s circulation area, lighting, climatic conditions, ambient scent and cleanliness were found to have a significant impact on the duration of customer visits to furniture stores.

The aim of the fourth contribution by Bressolles, Durrieu and Deans to study the SPC on e-service quality dimensions, online customer value dimensions, e-satisfaction and e-loyalty in an e-commerce context. A total of nearly 3,000 internet customers filled in an online questionnaire after completing a specified task on one of 28 wine web sites from seven countries. The results highlight the impact of the dimensions of e-service quality (information, aesthetics, ease of use, security/privacy and reliability) on the dimensions of online customer value (functional, economic and social value) as they affect e-satisfaction, which in turn influences e-loyalty. The results validate the SPC in an e-commerce context and also stress the partial mediating role of the dimensions of online customer value between the dimensions of e-service quality and e-satisfaction. From a managerial point of view, online retailers especially in the wine sector can positively affect customer value, satisfaction and loyalty by focusing on information, aesthetics, ease of use, security/privacy and reliability.

The aim of the fifth submission by Wobker, Eberhardt and Kenning is to identify outcomes of consumer confusion and to investigate the moderating role of broader-scope trust on the negative outcomes of this confusion. Due to the rising number of product, service and shopping possibilities available to consumers, food shopping has become increasingly more complex. As a result, consumers can become confused, and this state of confusion may influence their purchase behaviour (e.g. may cause them to not buy a product) and the personal needs they have in a shopping environment (e.g. certification to signal product quality, salesperson consultation for assistance in decision-making or governmental regulation). A conceptual model was developed to study potential negative outcomes of consumer confusion. In order to assess consumer confusion and the degree of negative outcomes, a telephone survey method for the questionnaire was applied to over five hundred participants who regularly bought food products. The results clearly suggest that consumer confusion evokes various negative outcomes that are of relevance for food retailing. The intensity of the influence of consumer confusion on several of those negative outcomes could be decreased by broader-scope trust. Further, an interaction effect linked to gender was observed.

The final contribution from Mann, Byun and Li examined the range of realignment strategies employed by retailers in the USA in response to the 2008 economic recession. Following the grounded theory approach, NRF News Briefs published between 2008 and 2011 were analysed by thematic categories and comparing trends in strategic decisions during the recession (2008-2009) and after the recession (2010-2011). Based on the emergent categories, propositions were developed to provide theoretical explanations of the findings. Five thematic categories of realignment strategies were identified: promotional, organisational, price, operational and product realignments. In line with contingency theories, retailers used these strategies to achieve a greater fit with the altered business environment and consumer consumption patterns. While promotional realignment was most prevalent, followed by organisational realignment, different realignment strategies were pursued based on the strategic focus and long-term vs short-term orientation of the retailers.

Neil Towers