Editorial

Citation

Towers, N. (2014), "Editorial", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 42 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-09-2013-0180

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Volume 42, Issue 1

The first issue of volume 42 includes a consumer perspective in online, m-commerce and shopping motivation in retail as well as distribution management for international retail firms. The submissions include an understanding of consumers shopping intention on the web, consumer shopping behaviour through mobile devices, identifying segments of hypermarket shoppers based on shopping motivation and thematic analysis of global sourcing and international purchasing issues in international retail firms.

The first contribution by Wu, Lee, Fu and Wang adopts the stimulus-organism- response (S-O-R) framework to illustrate how store layout design and atmosphere influence consumers’ shopping intention on the web. The sample comprised 626 respondents from the internet users and a structural equation model was employed to identify the interrelationships of store layout design, atmosphere, emotional arousal, attitude toward the website, and purchase intention. The analytical results of this study indicate that store layout design has significant impacts on emotional arousal and attitude toward the website, and thus has a positive influence on purchase intention. In addition, atmosphere has a more influential effect on emotional arousal than store layout design. This study provides new insights into the influences of store layout design and atmosphere on consumer online shopping intentions.

The second paper by Holmes, Byrne and Rowley suggests that while there is evidence that adoption of mobile shopping has been slow, the increased functionality offered by smart phones offers significant potential for the development of marketing and retailing through the mobile channel. This article seeks to add to knowledge on consumer shopping behaviour through mobile devices by exploring attitudes to the use of mobiles in shopping, the use of mobile phones at different stages in the consumer decision-making process, the impact of involvement on the mobile consumer decision-making process and mobile shopping location. An online panel survey was conducted with a UK panel of nationally representative consumers. The survey collected data in respect of the following products that were ranked on level of involvement on the basis of the importance and effort consumers’ associated with their purchase: bread (lowest), washing powder, DVD, footwear, phone and TV (highest). Use of mobiles for shopping is significant, but remains lower than use of computers in shopping. In general, respondents were more positive regarding their use of computer shopping than they were in relation to their use of a mobile. In using their mobile phone in shopping, respondents value its convenience and accessibility. There is higher use of the mobile phone in the information search and consideration of alternatives phases, than in the purchase transaction. The extent of use of mobile devices in the decision-making process is higher with higher involvement products, in relation to all stages in the decision-making process. The most frequent location for the use of their mobile in shopping is at home, which is consistent with the finding that the highest level of use of mobiles occurs in the information search and consideration of alternatives phases. Recommendations are offered for retailers and for further research.

The third contribution by Mehta, Sharma and Swami aims at identifying segments of hypermarket shoppers based on shopping motivation. The study profiles the identified segments on demographic characteristics and shopping outcomes, and compares the shopping motivation of hypermarket consumers with that of traditional store shoppers. The study involved a survey of 201 actual shoppers in a hypermarket and that of 117 actual shoppers in 20 traditional stores. Cluster analysis of the factor scores obtained on shopping motivation at hypermarket revealed the typology of hypermarket shoppers. The results revealed different dimensions of motivation to shop at the hypermarket and traditional store and four types of hypermarket shoppers were identified: utilitarians, maximisers, browsers and enthusiasts. The utilitarians are motivated by functional benefits such as the price and variety of products; the maximisers seek functional as well as recreational benefits; the browsers are high on social motivation; and the enthusiasts are high on all dimensions of shopping motivation. These segments showed overall significant differences on demographic characteristics and shopping outcomes. The study contributes to the growing field of cross-cultural research on shopping motivation by highlighting the typology of Indian hypermarket shoppers.

The final contribution by Jonsson and Tolstoy aims to offer a thematic analysis of global sourcing and international purchasing issues in international retail firms. The literature review addresses the purchasing/sourcing activities of retail firms in foreign markets, categorizes this literature into different themes and how these themes are conceptually or empirically linked to performance. The thematic analysis is then used as a foundation for suggesting potential avenues for future research. There is a lack of research that addresses how retail firms can extract value from global sourcing and international purchasing activities. A thematic review, along with a careful classification of different themes could lead to an enhanced understanding of the processes and objectives that underpin global sourcing and international purchasing activities in retail firms.

Neil Towers