What are the similarities and differences between chains and franchising?
> How could a small retailer devise a retail information system?
> Can a retailer ever have too much information? Explain your answer.
> What would you recommend to guard against this comment? “Traditionally, retailers and suppliers just don’t like to share supply-chain information with each other.”
> Relate the information flows in Figure 8-1 to a bakery near your college or university.
> How could a small Web-only retailer engage in relationship retailing?
> Do you believe that customer service in retailing is improving or declining? Why?
> Define the term total retail experience. Then describe a recent retail situation in which your expectations were surpassed and state why.
> Explain the retailing concept. Apply it to your school’s bookstore.
> On the basis of the chapter description of the Home Depot, present five suggestions that a new retailer should consider.
> What is the purpose of developing a formal retail strategy? How could a strategic plan be used by a restaurant chain?
> 1. How should the organizational missions of convenience stores and QSRs differ? Why? 2. What are the competitive advantages of convenience stores versus QSRs? Explain your answer. 3. Comment on the information in Figures 1 and 2. What are the strategic
> Describe how the special characteristics of retailing offer unique opportunities and problems for local gift shops.
> Why would one retailer seek to be part of an exclusive distribution channel while another seeks to be part of an intensive distribution channel?
> What are the pros and cons of a firm such as Apple having its own retail stores and E-commerce Web site as well as selling through traditional retailers?
> What kinds of information do retailers communicate to customers? To suppliers?
> What is your favorite consumer electronics retailer? Discuss the criteria you have used in making your selection. What can a competing firm do to lure you away from your favorite firm?
> How would you deal with consumer concerns about privacy in their relationships with retailers?
> Differentiate between social responsibility and consumerism from the perspective of a retailer.
> Describe three unethical, but legal, acts on the part of retailers that you have encountered. How have you reacted in each case?
> Will the time come when most consumer purchases are made with self-scanners? Explain your answer.
> What are the pros and cons of ATMs? As a retailer, would you want an ATM in your store? Why or why not?
> 1. Why do you think that there has been a proliferation of job titles? Is this good or bad? Why? 2. State how the issues raised in this case relate to a retailer conducting a situation analysis. 3. Should retailers have a chief of digital operations posi
> What are the unique aspects of service retailing? Give an example of each.
> Devise a consumer loyalty program for Barnes & Noble.
> How would you measure the level of customer satisfaction with your favorite restaurant?
> What is the connection between customer service and employee empowerment? Is employee empowerment always a good idea? Why or why not?
> Why should a retailer devote special attention to its core customers? How should it do so?
> What are the expected and augmented value chain elements for each of these retailers? a. Home Depot. b. Ikea. c. Local fruit-and-vegetable store.
> When a consumer shops at an upscale apparel store, what factors determine whether the consumer feels that he or she got a fair value? How does the perception of value differ when that same consumer shops at a low-end apparel store?
> What checklist item(s) in Figure 1-11 do you think would be most difficult for Home Depot, the global home improvement retailer, to address? Why?
> Should a catalog-based men’s wear retailer use the strategic planning process differently from an Internet retailer? Why or why not?
> How are the control and feedback phases of retail strategy planning interrelated? Give an example.
> 1. Relate the material in this case to the value chain and the value delivery system. 2. Are services related to physical accommodations typically considered as expected customer services or augmented customer services? Why does this distinction matter?
> Describe how a retailer can use fine-tuning in strategic planning.
> A competing bicycle store has a better location than yours. It is in a modern shopping center with a lot of customer traffic. Your store is in an older neighborhood and requires customers to travel further to reach you. How could you use a merchandising,
> Marsha Hill is the store manager at an apparel store located three miles from a large university. She has saved $100,000 and wants to open her own store. Devise an overall strategy for Marsha, including each of the controllable factors listed in Figure 3
> Discuss local examples of a retailer applying mass marketing, concentrated marketing, and differentiated marketing.
> Draw and explain a positioning map showing the kinds of retailers selling tablets such as the iPad and Kindle Fire.
> Why do retailers frequently underestimate the financial and time requirements of a business?
> Develop a checklist to help a prospective service retailer choose the proper service category in which to operate. Include personal abilities, financial resources, and time demands.
> What are the pros and cons of starting a new hair salon versus buying an existing one?
> How would situation analysis differ for a shoe store chain and an online shoe retailer?
> Why is it necessary for a small retailer to develop a thorough, well-integrated retail strategy? What could happen if a firm does not develop such a strategy?
> 1. What do you think are the best uses of VR for retailers today? What are the limitations? 2. Is the typical retailer ready for VR? Why or why not? 3. How can VR enhance a firm’s ability to generate a great total retail experience and relationship retai
> Would REI be as successful if it operates as a traditional chain? Explain your answer.
> How could a small independent restaurant increase its channel power?
> What are the pros and cons of Sherwin-Williams using dual marketing?
> Why would a supermarket want to lease space to an outside operator rather than run a business, such as dry cleaning, itself? What would be its risks in this approach?
> From the franchisee’s perspective, under what circumstances would product/trademark franchising be advantageous? When would business format franchising be better?
> What competitive advantages and disadvantages do regional chains have in comparison with national chains?
> What difficulties might an independent encounter if it tries to expand into a chain?
> How can an independent retailer overcome the problem of little computerization?
> Why does the concept of ease of entry usually have less impact on chain retailers than on independent retailers?
> 1. What overall conclusions do you draw from this case? Explain your answer. 2. What is the biggest “disconnect” between retailers and their customers today? How could this be fixed? 3. What could other retailers learn from John Lewis and Warby Parker? 4
> Do you believe that independent retailers will soon disappear from the retail landscape? Explain your answer.
> What are the characteristics of each of the ownership forms discussed in this chapter?
> Comment on the decision of many membership clubs to begin selling gasoline.
> Do you expect factory outlet stores to keep growing? Explain your answer.
> What must the off-price chain do to succeed in the future?
> Contrast the strategy mixes of specialty stores, traditional department stores, and full-line discount stores.
> What are the pros and cons of Sephora carrying more than 200 brands of personal care products?
> Do you think U.S. combination stores (supercenters) will dominate grocery retailing? Why or why not?
> Contrast the strategy mixes of convenience stores, conventional supermarkets, food-based superstores, and warehouse stores. Is there room for each? Explain your answer.
> What strategic emphasis should be used by institutions in the growth stage of the retail life cycle compared with the emphasis by institutions in the maturity stage?
> 1. Based on the information presented in this case, how would you describe Shake Shack’s retail image? 2. How would you describe the store atmosphere that Shake Shack seeks to maintain? 3. The Gramercy Tavern is more upscale than Shake Shack. Explain how
> How could these retailers best apply scrambled merchandising? Explain your answers. a. Kay Jewelers b. 1-800 Flowers c. A local delicatessen d. Dunkin' Donuts
> Develop a high-end retail strategy mix for a toy store. Include location, operating procedures, goods/services offered, pricing tactics, and promotion methods.
> Explain the wheel of retailing. Is this theory applicable today? Why or why not?
> What future role do you see for video kiosks? Why?
> What must retailers do to improve customer service on their online stores?
> From a retailer’s perspective, what are the advantages and disadvantages of having the World Wide Web?
> From a consumer’s perspective, what are the advantages and disadvantages of the Web?
> Select a product not heavily sold through vending machines and present a brief plan for doing so.
> Differentiate between direct selling and direct marketing. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?
> How should Walgreens pharmacy (www.walgreens.com) handle consumer concerns about their privacy?
> 1. Present a five-item ethics code that a retailer could impose on its suppliers with regard to fake and counterfeit merchandise. 2. As the buyer for a retail chain, what would you do if you found out that one of your long-time suppliers had been passing
> What are the two main decisions to be made in the business definition stage of planning a direct marketing strategy?
> Explain the “30-day rule” for direct marketers.
> How would you increase a direct marketer’s response rate from less than 1 percent of those receiving E-mail sales offers by the firm to 3 percent?
> Do you think that nonstore retailing will continue to grow faster than store-based retailing? Explain your answer.
> Contrast omnichannel and multi-channel retailing. What do you think are the advantages of each?
> Describe how a small shoe store could be a destination retailer.
> Why is it valuable for retailers to understand the complexity of the standard-of-living concept?
> Visit a nearby Modell's store or look at its Web site (www.modells.com) and then describe its target market strategy.
> Contrast the mass market approach used by a supermarket with the concentrated marketing approach used by a health food store. What is the key to each firm succeeding?
> Differentiate among the three types of impulse purchases. Give an example of each.
> 1. What are the three most important trends cited in this case? Explain your answer. 2. To date, what are the three most accurate predictions cited in the case? Explain your answer. 3. To date, what are the three least accurate predictions cited in the c
> Look at the most recent online edition of the American Community Survey (www.census.gov/acs/www) for the area in which your college is located. What retailing-related conclusions do you draw?
> Describe how the consumer decision process would operate for these goods and services. Include “what” and “where” in your answers: a smartphone, a lawn-care service, and an everyday watch. Which elements of the decision process are most important to reta
> Is cross-shopping good or bad for a retailer? Explain your answer.
> Why do some consumers engage in outshopping? What could be done to encourage them to shop closer to home?
> Why is it important for retailers to know the difference between needs and desires?
> Explain how a retailer selling expensive bicycles could reduce the six types of perceived risk.
> How could a self-service frozen yogurt chain use the U.S. population data presented in Table 7-2?
> Analyze the global population data in Table 7-1 from a retailing perspective.
> Comment on this statement: “A competitive retail sector, facing an uncertain economic future, is being challenged by consumers to compete for their business. In this environment, only the fittest and those really listening to what their customers really
> How could a Web-based retailer determine the level of saturation for its product category? What should this retailer do to lessen the impact of the level of saturation it faces?
> If a retail area is acknowledged to be “undersaturated,” what does this signify for existing retailers? For prospective retailers considering this area?
> 1. How important are store locations in Food City’s overall retailing strategy? Explain your answer. 2. Enumerate several criteria that Food City should consider when choosing a new location to open a supermarket? 3. Outside of Arizona, where should Food
> What are the major advantages and disadvantages of Census of Population data in delineating trading areas?
