PurposeThis paper sets out to determine the benefits offered to customers and activities taken by retailers, whether or not they have formal customer loyalty programs, whether there are differences in the benefits/activities of retailers with and without formal loyalty programs and finally, whether specific benefits/activities of retailers can predict whether or not they have formal loyalty programs.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was sent to a random sample of retailers in one US state. In addition, respondents reporting that they had formal loyalty programs received a telephone call lasting less than ten minutes designed to gather further information regarding their loyalty program. χ2, Kendall's W and logistic regression analysis were used to test the purposes of this study.FindingsThe most used benefits/activities of participating retailers are: demonstrating having the customers' interests at heart, providing financial incentives to selected customers, sending thank you notes to customers, and identifying customer preferences and recording them to guide future actions. In addition, a model was developed that was used to predict those retailers that had formal loyalty programs.Research limitations/implicationsGiven the nature of the sample, there is a need for replication to corroborate these findings. A larger‐sized sample would be needed to determine the presence of moderating and mediating factors that should be taken into account, such as size, environment, and competition.Practical implicationsCustomer loyalty is one critical key to business success and retaining an existing customer costs far less than acquiring new ones. One way to do this is to create customer loyalty programs that effectively reward one's best or potentially important best customers. Further, these program participants will spend more than the non‐participants.Originality/valueThis empirical research provides support for retailers' usage of loyalty programs. Further, insights are provided into the activities that can be used to retailers' competitive advantage by identifying the types of benefits they can offer.
In this study, we examined the moderating effect of locus of control on the relationship between Machiavellianism and job performance of store managers in a retail setting. Our results indicated a significant moderating effect for managers who perceive that they have an external control orientation but not for managers with an internal control orientation.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explain how buyers can more effectively and efficiently utilize technologies to improve their performance and to inform top executives in retail firms how these technologies can be used to improve the overall performance of the retail store. Design/methodology/approach -Using a descriptive approach, the paper identifies current technologies that are being used and shows how technology can be used by retail buyers. Findings -Technologies developed over the past 20 years have changed the way buyers execute their responsibilities with advancements in various technologies; faster transmission of data results in the ability of buyers to immediately react to inventory and pricing issues. However, given that technology investments can exceed millions of dollars, and that many retailers' margins and inventory productivity have been eroding over the last ten years, the stakes for information technology decisions have grown exponentially, so care must be taken in making these decisions. Practical implications -This subject matter is most important for retail practitioners because it identifies areas where the performance of buyers can be improved. It is also valuable to college professors who teach retailing and buying and to their students because it provides current subject matter that should be incorporated into classes. Originality/value -This paper identified the most current technologies being used by buyers in a variety of stores to improve their performance. In addition, this paper identified the future trends in technology adopted by innovative retailers.
The purpose of the present study is to examine the practice of planning engaged in by small-scale retailers and to determine if the activities of planners can be distinguished from those who do not report the presence of formal planning. In addition, another objective is to determine the impact of planning on performance as measured by both sales and profits. Implications of the results of the study are discussed, and directions for future research are given.
Considers benchmarking to be an important decision making tool for marketing executives. Describes the value of benchmarking to marketers in improving decision making with respect to the “Four Ps”. Outlines steps for implementing such a program.
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