Leyland Pitt, Esmail Salehi‐Sangari, Jean‐Paul Berthon and Deon Nel
This paper aims to investigate the relationship between a firm's “ICON” archetype, turbulence in its operating environment and its performance.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the relationship between a firm's “ICON” archetype, turbulence in its operating environment and its performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire‐based survey of 258 marketing managers in South Africa used a modified ICON scale to identify archetypes, assess perceived turbulence, and measure performance with respect to profitability, market share and growth rate.
Findings
The archetype to which a firm conforms depends to some extent on its perception of environmental turbulence, and has an influence on all aspects of its performance. “Isolate” firms tend to under‐perform on all measures; “shapers” exhibit significantly higher rates of growth.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations are associated with mail surveys, single‐respondent bias, and subjective assessment of performance. The study nevertheless demonstrates the validity and usefulness of the ICON matrix and scale, and sets directions for further investigation.
Practical implications
Offers a simple yet powerful way for marketing managers and planners to identify their firm's ICON archetype, and illustrates the impact it can have on performance.
Originality/value
A managerially useful adaptation of the original ICON scale is applied beyond the conventional setting of North America or Europe, in a challenging managerial environment.
Details
Keywords
Deon Nel, Raymond van Niekerk, Jean‐Paul Berthon and Tony Davies
This paper investigates a structure of commercial Web sites, and then attempts to analyse various patterns that emerge which may be of future use as a guideline to businesses that…
Abstract
This paper investigates a structure of commercial Web sites, and then attempts to analyse various patterns that emerge which may be of future use as a guideline to businesses that intend establishing a Web presence. Key to the understanding of these patterns is a clearer grasp of the implications of human interaction with the new medium. The focus is on an experiential construct, namely flow, and how this might vary by Web site, and on using this to begin to unravel the secrets of good commercial Web site design and its implications for business.
Details
Keywords
Abhijit Roy, Marat Bakpayev, Melanie Florence Boninsegni, Smriti Kumar, Jean-Paul Peronard and Thomas Reimer
Technological progress and the advancement of the 4th Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) are well underway. However, its influence on the transformation of core sectors from the…
Abstract
Purpose
Technological progress and the advancement of the 4th Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) are well underway. However, its influence on the transformation of core sectors from the perspective of consumer well-being remains under-explored. Seeking to bridge this gap in the marketing and public policy literature, this study aims to propose a conceptual framework to explicate how data-driven, intelligent and connected IR 4.0 technologies are blurring traditional boundaries between digital, physical and biological domains.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual paper using primarily a literature review of the field. The authors position the work as a contribution to consumer well-being and public policy literature from the lens of increasingly important in our technology-integrated society emerging technologies.
Findings
The authors define and conceptualize technology-enabled well-being (TEW), which allows a better understanding of transformative outcomes of IR 4.0 on three essential dimensions of consumer well-being: individual, societal and environmental. Finally, the authors discuss public policy implications and outline future research directions.
Originality/value
The authors highlight specific gaps in the literature on IR 4.0. First, past studies in consumer well-being did not incorporate substantial changes that emerging IR 4.0 technologies bring, especially across increasingly blurring digital, physical and biological domains. Second, past research focused on individual technologies and individual well-being. What is unaccounted for is the potential for a synergetic, proactive effect that emerging technologies bring on the aggregate level not only to individuals but also to society and the environment. Finally, understanding the differences between responses to different outcomes of technologies has important implications for developing public policy. Synergetic, proactive effect of technologies on core sectors such as healthcare, education, financial services, manufacturing and retailing is noted.
Details
Keywords
Marelise Pitt, Johan Bruwer, Deon Nel and Paul Berthon
Considers the quality of service between internal partners within a company looking at how this can influence performance and quality. Looks at the different ways of defining the…
Abstract
Considers the quality of service between internal partners within a company looking at how this can influence performance and quality. Looks at the different ways of defining the internal customer and suggests that measurement is most effective when complex procedures are broken down. States that internal marketing is a critical issue facing marketing professions, human resources and other executives. Argues that if poor service is provided between employees it is unlikely that good service will ultimately be provided to the external customer. Invites further research in this area.
Details
Keywords
Rian van der Merwe and James Bekker
The corporate Web site is an indispensable part of any e‐commerce venture. If users find it difficult to do electronic transactions, they will visit another online source, or go…
Abstract
The corporate Web site is an indispensable part of any e‐commerce venture. If users find it difficult to do electronic transactions, they will visit another online source, or go to a physical source instead. Evaluating the performance of e‐commerce Web sites has received some attention in the past few years, but there is still a pressing need for a more comprehensive approach. This paper attempts to address this need by providing an e‐commerce Web site evaluation framework and method built on solid business principles, and using multidimensional scaling to analyse evaluation data and present the results in a graphic manner for easy interpretation.
Details
Keywords
Virginie Silhouette-Dercourt and Christel de Lassus
The purpose of this paper is to focus on mothers as key influencers in luxury retailing contexts.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on mothers as key influencers in luxury retailing contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a semiotic interpretation of mothers’ discourses, the authors underline the identity motivations for purchasing luxury apparel for their pre-adolescent children.
Findings
The paper shows that when shopping for luxury brands for their pre-adolescent children, mothers manage discrepancies between their “real” and “idealised” selves as well as the pushes and pulls of being a mother and a woman.
Research limitations/implications
The findings point to possible future research on this topic, particularly with regard to investigating how luxury stores and retailers can adapt so as to satisfy mothers’ identity quest.
Practical implications
Managers of luxury brand retail spaces looking at the future of retailing could analyse their store environment in the light of these mothers’ identity-related motivations. As well as focussing on how children look, store layout and merchandising should provide different spaces for mothers’ identity expression, using new in-store digital technologies.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to analyse luxury shopping for children taking the point of view of mothers. The paper underlines how young mothers build their new maternal identity and their projected relationship with their child through purchases of children’s luxury goods in specific retail environments.
Details
Keywords
Giuseppe Leonardo Pinto, Claudio Dell’Era, Roberto Verganti and Emilio Bellini
Notwithstanding the importance innovation scholars have accredited to design-driven innovation (DDI), no attempts have been made so far to systematically study whether and how…
Abstract
Purpose
Notwithstanding the importance innovation scholars have accredited to design-driven innovation (DDI), no attempts have been made so far to systematically study whether and how this innovation strategy can be used in the retail context in order to gain and nurture competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to make a first step towards closing this gap, and therefore understand whether and how companies involved in retail service can create competitive advantage by the adoption of a strategy based on innovation of meanings.
Design/methodology/approach
Due to the complex ecosystem of variables that inevitably influence the problem, the case study approach represents the best option to grasp the different aspects highlighted by the research objectives. The analysis undertook a thorough and systematic comparison with the use of an ad hoc “paired comparison method”, in which common systemic characteristics have been intended as a controlled variable in order to minimise the variance and quantity of factors that can have an impact on the selected case studies; intersystemic differences have been understood as explanatory variables to decree the contribution in terms of novelty in relation to the current paradigm.
Findings
The paper provides empirical insights about how radical innovation in meanings can be a very important lever on which retail firms can act to gain and nurture their competitive advantage.
Research limitations/implications
Of course the study has several limitations, which represent however opportunities for future research. The authors say that the findings, given the exploratory nature of the study, cannot be generalised to any population of firms or markets, rather they should be used as a basis to develop theoretical understanding of a complex phenomenon and draw research propositions and hypotheses to be tested in subsequent deductive empirical research.
Practical implications
This paper highlights the importance to think, beyond shopping experience, at the role of new meanings when designing service innovation in retail firms. Although the findings do not have statistical relevance, given the exploratory nature of the study, they suggest that DDI can be a viable option for retail firm managers to improve their firms’ competitiveness.
Originality/value
The study presented in this paper has merit to broaden the generalisability of the DDI model to other industries, different from those where it was initially studied and applied. This is an important step toward conceptualising DDI as a novel management paradigm.