Companies frequently rely on pricing algorithms to automate their price-setting in online markets; thereby, algorithmic dynamic pricing (ADP) has become a common pricing practice in the digital era, with retailers regularly tweaking products’ prices in their online shops. On Amazon.com alone, millions of price changes occur within a day, which corresponds to a price change approximately every ten minutes for each product. Yet, so far, the effects of such pricing algorithms on consumers are unclear. Since ascertaining consumer reactions is essential for retailers’ pricing strategies and retailers need to know how to mitigate negative reactions, our focal research questions are: How do consumers respond to ADP? How can retailers mitigate negative consumer reactions to ADP?

We explore how young, educated consumers in a collectivist emerging market, utilize social media (SM) to increase self-esteem through interaction with retailers and achieve emotional well-being. Primary data were collected in Vietnam through a survey. 192 responses were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings show that SM provides an online space for value co-creation, where young consumers feel more closely connected with the service provider and express themselves to retailers. Close interaction via a retailer’s mediation “responsiveness” facilitates consumer learning and provides opportunities for consumers to convert initial knowledge to second stage knowledge through conversion. In the process of mediation and interaction, SM is used to facilitate the learning cycle. Also, retailers apply the value-in-use concept by adapting relevant information to better suit a particular individual’s needs. This imbues a sense of self confidence and results in consumers gaining self-esteem.

This article analyzes what factors influence consumers’ choices of the type of retailer in Japan and classifies the types. Firstly, it is evident that several factors affect the choice of retail type significantly. Secondly, different formats of retail business are compared to examine the similarities and differences.

In the era of digital retailing, consumer-empowering technologies greatly facilitate the dissemination of complaint messages. Consumer audiences, who view consumer complaints and the subsequent responses made by retailers, consider these messages as critical information sources for decision-making (Weitzl & Hutzinger, 2017). We argue that retailers can use two types of response strategies (warmth- vs. competence-related response) to regulate the information distributed online, and that these strategies may influence consumer audiences’ perceptions and subsequent attitudes and behaviors differently based on their different levels of power (Rucker, Galinsky, & Dubois, 2012). Two experimental studies using a 2 (retailer response: warmth vs. competence) X 2 (audience power: low vs. high) between-subjects design were conducted. Study 1 (N = 240) revealed an interactive effect of power and retailer response on perceived diagnosticity and perceived fairness; and Study 2 (N = 233) showed that the significant moderated mediation for audiences’ perceptions on the relationship between retailer response X audience power and outcome variables. Theoretically, this study enriches the consumer complaint management literature from the perspective of consumer audience. It also sheds light on the power theory by validating its notion in the context of service failure and recovery. Practically, results demonstrate how retailers can effectively respond to negative consumer reviews to maintain customer relationship management with consumer audiences in digital age.

This paper studies the impact of retailer dominance on the product line design in a distribution channel. We revisit the elegant framework proposed by Villas-Boas (1998) in which a manufacturer sells his products through an independent retailer to heterogeneous consumers. We show that retailer dominance may completely eliminate the possibility of product line offering, irrespective of whether retailer dominance takes the form of price leadership or quality leadership. In addition, when consumers are sufficiently heterogeneous, product line offering may benefit the manufacturer without sacrificing the retailer’s profit, thereby creating Pareto improvement along the distribution channel. Given this Pareto improvement, retailer dominance may lead to an upward-distorted quality and the possibility of product line extension compared with either the integrated channel or the case with a weak retailer. Retailer competition does not necessarily restore the incen-tive to offer the product line, but may generate either quality degradation or quality enhancement. Our analysis establishes a threshold policy on the consumer composition for the retailer to pursue the price or quality leadership.

Vendor Managed Inventory is a well-known vendor-retailer coordination approach in supply chain management where the vendor manages inventory of the retailer and determines the order interval and order quantity for the retailer. To consider practical situation, the upper limit of inventory for the retailer is set. If the inventory level for the retailer exceeds the upper limit, then the penalty cost is charged to the retailer. Furthermore, maximum allowable inventory level is set for the vendor to prevent the vendor from keeping much inventory. Single-vendor multi-retailer supply chain model with upper limit of inventory for vendor and retailers is studied. All the retailers’ are assumed to have the common cycle time, and a vendor manages retailers’ inventory and replenishes products. The mathematical formulation is introduced to minimize the total cost including the penalty cost violating the upper limit of inventory for retailers with the constraint of maximum allowable inventory level. The solution procedure based on Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions is derived. KKT conditions are often applied to find an optimal solution of nonlinear programming problem with constraints. An illustrative example is used to show the application of the proposed solution procedure. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis is done to find out the relationship between maximum allowable inventory level and other values such as order quantity, the number of shipment, vendor’s cost, retailer’s cost, and total cost. As maximum allowable inventory level decreases, the number of shipment decreases but total cost increases. Order quantity has the trend of decline and is affected by the number of shipment.

As social media platforms (e.g., Facebook) and related online communication channels (e.g., review websites and community forums) grow in quantity and commercial orientation, marketing practitioners and scholars alike have recognised the importance of understanding and influencing online consumer communication processes. Specifically, it is suggested that online opinion leaders (‘Epinion leaders’) can be utilised as a target group to manage negative e-word-of-mouth (‘e-WOM’) and e-complaints. This study identifies and targets Epinion leaders and explores three central personality characteristics – altruism, self-confidence and the need for uniqueness – as a means of understanding Epinion leaders’ motivations to communication and tailoring corporate communication campaigns. The study focusses herby on the rapidly growing and increasingly influential 50-years+ e-commerce segment (i.e., ‘silver surfers’). Based on an online survey of 1,700 e-consumers aged 50 years and older, the proposed structural equation model verifies the positive influence of Epinion leadership on the propensity to spread negative e-WOM and e-complaints while demonstrating the applicability of personality characteristics as means of influencing consumers’ online communication strategies. The findings demonstrate that addressing consumers’ self-confidence can be an essential way of reducing negative e-WOM and encouraging e-complaints, which show opposing effects on customer satisfaction. For practitioners, this study emphasises the usefulness of negative Epinion leaders as a target group and recommends fostering consumers’ self-confidence in order to prevent negative online opinion-cascades and increase overall satisfaction.

Due to the continuous development of international retailers in the Chinese market, and the merger and reorganization among Chinese retailers in recent years, the degree of concentration of the Chinese retail industry has been increasing, and the scale of retailers has been expanding. It is suggested by the report China Powers of Retailing 2014 that an increasing number of large-scale retail groups have been formed in the Chinese retail industry. In large and medium-sized cities in China, such large-scale supermarkets as Wal-Mart, Carrefour and RT-Mart have controlled most market shares of food and daily necessities. And large-scale household appliance chains, such as Gome and Suning, have controlled most market shares of home appliance. Due to the advantage of scale and brand of large-scale retailers, these retailers have gradually occupied a leading role in the supply chain, and formed buyer monopoly power and countervailing power. Intuitively speaking, retailers can acquire obvious advantages in procurement activities, no matter it is the buyer monopoly power or countervailing power that is being utilized. And the advantages are beneficial to the improvement of retailers’ procurement performance. However, it is pointed out by a number of scholars’ research that buyer power’s influence on retail enterprises’ performance is quite complicated. Whether buyer power can improve economic efficiency depends on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship. The quality of the relationships between retailers and suppliers exerts direct influence on the stability, durability and equity of the trade. In the long term, the reinforcement of buyer power will probably exert adverse influence on the suppliers and retailers. By imposing influence on suppliers with buyer power, retailers will cause twisted competition and prifit shrinkage to suppliers in the upstream market. As a result, the quantity of suppliers will be decreased, which will be disadvantageous to the selection of retailers and affect retailers’ utilization of their negotiating advantage. In the meanwhile, by imposing special prices and discounts, collecting extra charges and signing exclusive agreement with suppliers, retailers will lead to suppliers’ impaired benefit. It will further affect the quality of the retailer-supplierrelationship and ultimately exert adverse influence on both parties’ long-term earnings. In the existing research, few scholars have thoroughly discussed the influence of retailers’ buyer power on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship and retail enterprises’ procurement performance. In addition, different conclusions exist in the analysis of the relationships among the three factors, or between two of them. In order to empirically test the influence of retailers’ buyer power on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship and retail enterprises’ procurement performance, we established the theoretical model of this study in figure 1. The research will help us to cognize the influence of retailers’ buyer power more reasonably, and guide retailers better utilize buyer power, an attempt is made to explore the following questions in this research: 1. Does direct positive influence exist between large-scale retailers’ buyer power and retailers’ procurement performance? 2. Are there any differences in the influence of different types of retailers’ buyer power on retailers’ procurement performance? 3. What influence will large-scale retailers’ buyer power exert on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship? 4. When the quality of retailer-supplier relationship is brought in as a mediating variable, what influence will large-scale retailers’ buyer power exert on retailers’ procurement performance? From the perspective of the relationships among channel members, large-scale retailers in the Chinese market, such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour, RT-Mart, OUYA Supermarket and Vanguard, as well as suppliers of their products are taken as the object of the research. Methods like interview, pre-survey and official survery with questionnaire are adopted to verify different hypotheses in the research. During the indepth interview, twelve respondents are invited respectively to the interview. Seven of them are in charge of large-scale retailers’ procurement, and five of them are salespersons of manufacturers, who supply products to retailers. It can be seen from the result of the interview that the twelve respondents hold different opinions towards the relationships among large-scale retailers’ buyer power, the quality of retailer-supplier relationship and retailers’ procurement performance. In terms of the influence of large-scale retailers’ buyer power on retailers’ procurement performance, some believe that there’s positive influence, some believe there’s negative influence, and some believe the influence should be respectively analyzed according to the degree of buyer power. In terms of the influence of large-scale retailers’ buyer power on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship, some believe large-scale retailers’ buyer power exerts positive influence on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship, some believe it exerts negative influence, and some believe the influence depends on specific circumstances. During the pre-survey with questionnaire, scales of retailers’ buyer power, the quality of retailer-supplier relationship and retailers’ procurement performance are developed on the basis of theoretical overview and interview research. Specifically speaking, the scale of retailers’ buyer power is constituted of two level-1 dimensions (buyer’s monopoly power and countervailing power) and seven level-2 dimensions; the scalerelationship and ultimately exert adverse influence on both parties’ long-term earnings. In the existing research, few scholars have thoroughly discussed the influence of retailers’ buyer power on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship and retail enterprises’ procurement performance. In addition, different conclusions exist in the analysis of the relationships among the three factors, or between two of them. In order to empirically test the influence of retailers’ buyer power on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship and retail enterprises’ procurement performance, we established the theoretical model of this study in figure 1. The research will help us to cognize the influence of retailers’ buyer power more reasonably, and guide retailers better utilize buyer power, an attempt is made to explore the following questions in this research: 1. Does direct positive influence exist between large-scale retailers’ buyer power and retailers’ procurement performance? 2. Are there any differences in the influence of different types of retailers’ buyer power on retailers’ procurement performance? 3. What influence will large-scale retailers’ buyer power exert on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship? 4. When the quality of retailer-supplier relationship is brought in as a mediating variable, what influence will large-scale retailers’ buyer power exert on retailers’ procurement performance? From the perspective of the relationships among channel members, large-scale retailers in the Chinese market, such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour, RT-Mart, OUYA Supermarket and Vanguard, as well as suppliers of their products are taken as the object of the research. Methods like interview, pre-survey and official survery with questionnaire are adopted to verify different hypotheses in the research. During the indepth interview, twelve respondents are invited respectively to the interview. Seven of them are in charge of large-scale retailers’ procurement, and five of them are salespersons of manufacturers, who supply products to retailers. It can be seen from the result of the interview that the twelve respondents hold different opinions towards the relationships among large-scale retailers’ buyer power, the quality of retailer-supplier relationship and retailers’ procurement performance. In terms of the influence of large-scale retailers’ buyer power on retailers’ procurement performance, some believe that there’s positive influence, some believe there’s negative influence, and some believe the influence should be respectively analyzed according to the degree of buyer power. In terms of the influence of large-scale retailers’ buyer power on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship, some believe large-scale retailers’ buyer power exerts positive influence on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship, some believe it exerts negative influence, and some believe the influence depends on specific circumstances. During the pre-survey with questionnaire, scales of retailers’ buyer power, the quality of retailer-supplier relationship and retailers’ procurement performance are developed on the basis of theoretical overview and interview research. Specifically speaking, the scale of retailers’ buyer power is constituted of two level-1 dimensions (buyer’s monopoly power and countervailing power) and seven level-2 dimensions; the scaleof the quality of retailer-supplier relationship is constituted of three level-1 dimensions (cooperation, adaption and relationship atmosphere); the scale of retailers’ procurement performance is constituted of three level-1 dimensions (cost performance, time performance and quality performance of procurement). The questionnaire pre-survey is specific to retailers’ procurement staff and suppliers’ sales personnel respectively. A total of valid 179 questionnaires are collected, among which, 86 are from retailers’ procurement staff and 93 are from suppliers’ sales personnel. Based on the survey data, SPSS and AMOS software are utilized in the analysis of items, reliability and validity of the different scales. Finally, the factor structure of the scale regarding retailers’ buyer power is adjusted, and the scale regarding retailers’ buyer monolopy power is re-designed specially. During the official survey with questionnaire, questionnaires are handed out to retailers’ procurement staff and suppliers’ sales personnel respectively. A total of 340 valid questionnaires are collected, among which, 178 are from retailers’ procurement staff and 162 are from suppliers’ sales personnel. The samples, which are quite representative, are evenly distributed. Based on the survey data, SPSS and AMOS software are utilized to further analyze the reliability and validity of the different appraisal scales. Finally, the various hypotheses in the research are tested by causual steps of regression analysis with SPSS. After relatively complicated and elaborate statistical analysis, most of the hypotheses are supported, some are partially supported, and only one is not supported. One of the mediating effect analysis results is show in table 1 and figure 2. Based on direct regression analysis, we can get some important results: First of all, the hypothesis that retailers’ buyer power will overally exert positive influence on retailer enterprises’ procurement performance is supported, but the hypothesis that retailers’ buyer monopoly power and countervailing power will exert positive influence on retailer enterprises’ procurement performance is partially supported. Secondly, the hypothesis that retailers’ buyer power will overally exert negative influence on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship is not supported, and the hypothesis that retailers’ buyer monopoly power will exert negative influence on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship and the dimension is partially supported, and the hypothesis that retailers’ buyer countervailing power will exert positive influence on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship and the dimension is supported. Thirdly, the hypothesis that the quality of retailer-supplier relationship, as well as the dimensions (cooperation and relationship atmosphere) will overally exert positive influence on retailer enterprises’ procurement performance is supported, and the hypothesis that the dimension---the adaptation of the quality of retailer-supplier relationship will exert positive influence on retail enterprises’ procurement performance is only partially supported. Based on causual steps of regression analysis for the mediating effect, we can also get some important results: First of all, the relationship quality plays a complete intermediary role between the retailer’s buyer power and the procurement performance. Secondly, the relationship quality plays a complete intermediary role between the r retailers’ buyer monopoly power and the procurement performance. Thirdly, the relationship quality plays a complete intermediary role between the r retailers’ buyer countervailing power and the procurement performance.Some inspirations are achieved from the research. First of all, basically speaking, the direct influence of retailers’ buyer power on retail enterprises’ procurement performance is significantly positive. Secondly, the influence of retailers’ buyer power on the quality of retailer-supplier relationship is relatively complicated. Thirdly, basically speaking, the influence of the quality of retailer-supplier relationship on retail enterprises’ procurement performance is significantly positive. Fourthly, after the quality of retailer-supplier relationship is brought in as a mediating variable, the influence of retailers’ buyer power on retail enterprises’ procurement performance depends on the specific condition of the retailer-supplier relationship.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of time remaining to use mileage in the notification message from retailers on consumer responses. A total of 577 consumers participated in experiments involving different notification messages of the time remaining to use mileage. Results showed: 1) a significant difference in mileage benefit perception, positive emotion, negative emotion, attitude toward retailers, and repurchase intention according to the remaining time to use mileages, 2) benefit perception positively affected positive emotion and negatively affected negative emotion; positive emotion positively affected and negative emotion negatively affected attitude toward retailers; and attitude positively affected repurchase intention on retailers, and 3) the remaining time to use mileages moderates the relationship between attitude and repurchase intention. Findings highlighted the importance of timing of the message to notify the consumer as to remaining time to use mileage. In the case of a message indicating long remaining time to use mileage, consumers showed more positive responses toward retailers than did consumers who had a message indicating short remaining time to use mileage. These results can be used as guidelines to select the optimal time to send notification messages of remaining time to use mileage in order to generate positive consumer responses.

In this empirical study, an attempt is made to show how the Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) can be computed by modeling multiple components of the customer and firm behavior. Specifically, attention will be given to modeling (1) the probability that a customer is likely to buy, (2) the quantity of purchase given that they will buy, and (3) the cost of marketing to each customer. Once the authors compute each of these inputs, they combine them to compute CLV using the net present value concept. The authors will examine multiple ways of computing purchase probabilities depending on the customer’s buying pattern. They will also discuss the estimation challenges in obtaining such inputs for computing CLV. The authors will demonstrate the implementation with a case study for a fashion retailer and what kind of managerial actions can be taken. Finally, a generalizable framework for all fashion retailers to maximize profits will be presented and discussed.

How to measure and evaluate the performance of managing a store? Although it is important for a retailer to execute good management in a store, there are few efficient measurement tools and methods for In-store management. Also few people are trying to deal with variety of goods (number of categories), depth of a catagory (number of stock-keeping units within a category), and stock level (the number of individual items of a particular SKU) in a store. To solve the problem, this paper suggests the Customer-Retailer Collaboration (CRC) model that utilizes Gamification. By embedding gaming elements, the store management activities can be viewed as more game-like processes. Customers find some problems they encountered in the store and send the related signals via mobile APP, and the relevant store personnel copes with the signals. As the return for their collaboration, they both will obtain points and badge. This paper designs the CRC model and shows the flow of the model briefly.

Recently, online grocery shopping has been increasing with the development of internet, mobile, and IT technology due to the proportion of consumers changes like increasing single households and double-income couples. Therefore, online sales from distributors with offline stores have also increased, and the offline retailers are facing their limits in dealing with store-based online channel they have carried out. Domestic offline retailers benchmarked overseas advanced retailers to solve this problem by reviewing about developing the online-only distribution center. However, much investment is needed in order to operate the distribution center with the new concept from abroad. In this study, we have reviewed the current online grocery market trend and the theory related to developing distribution system of the online mall. For offline retailers, we have reviewed the case which developed the distribution center applied to the nation’s first online-only distribution center. The purpose of this study is reducing trial and error for local retailers in developing online-only distribution centers and suggesting ways to improve investment effect.

Power asymmetry in highly concentrated retail markets is an unavoidable consequence within supplier-retailer relationships. This paper investigates the existence of power asymmetry in an Australian context and outlines the impacts on the industry. A documentary analysis was undertaken using documents from three major investigations into the grocery retail sector in recent years. These documents allowed us to gain insights into the industry using reports submissions and transcripts of public hearings. In addition in-depth interviews were carried out with suppliers of the two major supermarket chains. Combining these two approaches provided rich data. This paper contributes to the literature on power in supply channels. The findings support the existence of power asymmetry across many product categories but contrary to other studies find that the major supermarket chains are not averse to exerting coercive power for their own benefit. We find that the highly concentrated nature of the grocery retail market sees the power imbalance exaggerated in this context. We conclude that power asymmetry in the short-term is benefitting consumers but the long-term impacts on the supply chain may be detrimental to the food industry in Australia if nothing is done to curb the market power of the two major supermarkets chains.

Modern consumers have significantly changed their shopping patterns, so that retailers must employ competitive and innovative strategies to counter the many new types of stores such as outlets offering premium services. In addition, customers have become smarter shoppers, refusing to pay more because of brand loyalty, especially when service and price differences have diminished. This study is an analysis of consumer shopping behavior in an effort to find effective marketing strategies to appeal to consumers who shop in outlet stores. Previous research has shown that shoppers may be clustered according to whether they are oriented toward convenience, brands, hedonism, economics, or trends. Different consumer types have different attitudes toward retailer types and also vary in their retailer loyalty. Some types have strong customer loyalty to outlet stores, but others do not. In this study, we examine the relationship between consumer attitude toward the outlet store and retailer loyalty according to consumer shopping types. Hedonism-oriented and economics-orientated consumers are expected to have more interest in outlet shopping than are brand-oriented consumers.

Perceived risk associated with online shopping has a critical effect on consumer decision making. Cultural values provide a good theoretical basis for understanding perceived risk. Given the rapid globalization of online shopping, an understanding of the mechanism of perceived online shopping risk and consumer repurchase intention in different cultures is crucial. The research question furnishing the main impetus for this study is: What are the different effects of various determinants of perceived risk in the context of online clothing shopping. We will study this question through the lens of Chinese and French cultural differences. A total of 195 and 221 questionnaires used for the analysis were collected from Chinese and French respondents respectively. Structural equation models with the maximum likelihood estimation method were employed to test all the hypothesized relationships. The research produced the following findings. Privacy concerns, security protection, and website retailer reputation have different effects (too large) on consumer perception of non-personal risk and personal risk as a result of cultural differences. Additionally, for both the Chinese and French samples, non-personal perceived risk significantly effects intention to repurchase. We found personal perceived risk has a significant effect only on Chinese consumer intention to repurchase.

The purpose of this study is to find method to meet the greater retailer’s supplier assessment requirement So, this study analyze the greater retailer’s requirement for supplier assesment and research global standard which is used instead of supplier assessment requirement that is recognized by global retailers initiative. Next, this study analyze domestic aquaculture certification requirement and compare the global standard with the domestic requirement by using The Most Similar Systems Design. As a result, this comparing has founded all of two domestic certifications are similar to global standard’s Good Aquaculture Practice module but those are a little bit different from System Element module. Therefore, this study suggest tree alternative. First, make up for the weak points in the current domestic aquaculture certification system. Second, the introduction of global aquaculture management system certification as supporting by government. Third, development of new standard in accordance with global food standard. This study has major implications for research into development of domestic aquaculture standard.

공급사슬상에서의 구성원간 협력이 보편화되어가는 현재의 추세에 따라 본 논문은 공급자-판매자로 구성된 공급 사슬에서의 옵션 계약을 통한 구성원간 협력 문제에 대해 연구하였다. 구체적으로, 본 논문은 가격이 공급자에 의해 결정되고 옵션 계약 물량이 판매자에 의해 결정될 경우에 대한 공급사슬 전체 관점 및 각 구성원 관점에서의 최적 옵션 가격, (옵션) 행사 가격, 현물 시장 가격, 옵션 계약 물량 결정 문제를 계량적으로 연구하였다. 본 논문의 연구결과를 통