• Innovations in Shopper Marketing: Current Insights and Future Research

    Shankar Inman Mantrala…JR 2011

    by Venkatesh Shankar, J. Jeffrey Inman, Murali Mantrala, Eileen Kelley, and Rozz Rizley

    This article was published in the Journal of Retailing, 87S (1, 2011), S29-S42.

    Shopper marketing refers to the planning and execution of all marketing activities that influence a shopper along, and beyond, the entire path-to-purchase, from the point at which the motivation to shop first emerges through to purchase, consumption, repurchase, and recommendation. The goal of shopper marketing is to enable a win-win-win solution for the shopper-retailer-manufacturer. Shopper marketing has emerged as a key managerial practice among manufacturers and retailers, who are eagerly embracing innovations in the different aspects of shopper marketing. We review current and potential innovations in shopper marketing. We identify the managerial challenges to achieving new win-win-win solutions among shoppers, manufacturers, and retailers in shopper marketing and outline future scenarios and research issues related to these challenges.

  • Multiple-Category Decision-Making: Review and Synthesis

    Russell_Ratneshwar_- Shankar_MLetters_1999

    by Gary J. Russsell, S. Ratneshwar, Allan D. Shocker, David Bell, Anand Bodapati, Alex Degeratu, Lutz Hildenbrandt, Namwoon Kim, S. Ramaswami, and Venkatesh Shankar

    This aricle was published in Marketing Letters, 10 (3, 1999), 319-332.

    In many purhcase environments, consumers use information from a number of product categories prior to making a decision. These purchase siuaions create dependences in choice outcomes across categories. As such, these decisions cannot be modeled using a single-category, single-choice paradigm commonly used by researchers in marketing. We outline a conceptual framework for categorization, and then discuss three types of cross-category dependence: cross-category consideration, cross-category learning, and product bundling. We argue that the key modeling choice dependence across categories is knowledge of the goals driving consumer behavior.

  • On the Efficiency of Internet Markets for Consumer Goods

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    Brian T. Rachford, Xing Pan, and Venkatesh Shankar

    This article was published in Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 22 (Spring 2003), 4-16.

    Despite claims that electronic commerce lowers search costs dramatically, and therefore makes it easy for consumers to spot the best buy, empirical studies have found a substantial degree of price dispersion in electronic markets for consumer goods. This study investigates the consumer welfare implications of observed price levels and price dispersion in electronic markets. We examine the consumer welfare implications of changes in the structure of electronic commerce markets employing comprehensive data sets on e-tailer prices and services collected from BizRate.com in November 2000 and 2001. We find that price dispersion decreased substantially between these two periods, and that measured differences in e-tailer services bear little relation to e-tailer prices.

  • The Roles of Channel-Category Associations and Geodemographics in Channel Patronage

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    by J. Jeffrey Inman, Venkatesh Shankar, and Rosellina Ferraro

    This article was published in the Journal of Marketing, 68 (April 2004),  51-71.

    Consumers purchase goods from a variety of channels or retail formats such as grocery stores, drug stores, mass merchandisers, club stores and convenience stores. To identify the most appropriate channels and to efficiently allocate the distribution of products among channels, managers need a better understanding of consumer behavior with respect to these channels. We examine the moderating role of  “channel-category associations” in consumer channel patronage by extending the literature on brand associations to the context of channels and estimate a model linking channel-category associations with consumer geodemographics and channel share of volume. We identify the product categories associated with particular channels through a correspondence analysis of a field intercept survey. We then use these channel-category associations, along with geodemographic factors to estimate their direct and interactive effects on channel share of volume. These channel-category associations have significant main effects and interaction effects with channel type and geodemographic factors on channel share of volume and account for the majority of the explained variance (72%) in channel share of volume. Overall, the findings provide several conceptual and managerial insights into consumer channel perceptions and patronage behavior.

  • Shopper Marketing

    by Venkatesh Shankar

    http://www.msi.org/books/shopper-marketing/

    http://www.amazon.com/Shopper-Marketing-Relevant-Knowledge-Series/dp/0982387733 

    This book in MSI’s Relevant Knowledge Series will help managers think systematically about shopper marketing challenges and opportunities. By defining shopper marketing to encompass all marketing activities that influence a shopper along, and beyond, the path-to-purchase, Shankar provides a unified framework for manufacturer and retailer collaboration. He encourages a “win-win” perspective in which manufacturers and retailers align their marketing activities to meet shopper needs and build better relationships with customers. 50 pages.

    Contents: 1.  What Is Shopper Marketing? 2.  Research Insights about Shopper Behavior 3.  Industry Practices 4.  Implications of Shopper Marketing Insights for Manufacturers and Retailers 5.  Emerging Trends and Underexplored Issues and Questions

  • Cutting Edge: Gillette’s Journey to Global Leadership

    Book Review: Cutting Edge: Gillette’s Journey to Global Leadership
    Author: Gordon McKibben

    This book documents the story of Gillette, one of the most successful global consumer packaged good companies that is well known for product innovation. It offers insights on the innovation, acquisition, and global strategies of Gillette.  It is chronologically well organized and is filled with interesting examples and facts, as can be expected from its journalist author, Gordon McKibben. A few limitations apart, the book offers important lessons for managers.   First, it is possible to succeed through greater focus on quality and innovation over price leadership.  Second, having a global vision for a new product may be the key to long-term leadership.  Finally, successful growth strategy involves pursuing a combination of acquisition and home-grown innovation.

    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0875847250/

    The detailed review was published in Journal of Product and Innovation Management – Reviews Innovation and Entrepreneurship International Business Marketing NO 4 .

    Cutting Edge: Gillette’s Journey to Global Leadership