Elke Pioch

Making himself attractive: the growing consumption of grooming products

Explores men’s increasing use of grooming products by considering the link between the construction of the male concept under postmodern conditions and the consumption of toiletries. Applies an interpretist research approach, incorporating phenomenological interviewing and emic as well as interpretative group techniques to data analysis. Suggests that men consume male grooming products to alter their body and body image and proposes that through changing this image, the respondents aimed either to create or to alter their “self‐identity”. Also suggests that the respondents consume male grooming products not simply for the tangible benefits they provide but also for the meanings conveyed by consuming them. Concludes that image creation, concerns about enhancing one’s attractiveness, reducing the ageing process and the maintenance of health are factors combined with the pleasure of using grooming products which fuel the current market growth.

Small independent retail firms and locational decision-making: outdoor leisure retailing by the crags

The importance of location to retail organisations has long been recognised in the geography and retail marketing literatures, with subjective and “gut feel” methods of evaluation emerging as highly significant factors in the decision‐making process. Through the application of existing frameworks we seek to highlight the importance of location to small independent retailers in the context of outdoor leisure retailing. The case of “UpFront”, a pseudonym for a retailer operating four outlets in Great Britain, is presented. It is shown that, although based largely on luck and opportunism, the firms locational “strategy” has been crucial to its success as a leading player in the sector. Based on detailed interviews with the managing director and employees, the role and importance of location as a critical success factor to the organisation is presented. In conclusion, a call is made for greater engagement with the nuances of location to small retail organisations, given its impact on a large number of retail operations.

“Web‐weaving”: An approach to sustainable e‐retail and online advantage in lingerie fashion marketing

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore antecedents for online success and conceptualizes the stages by which a small‐sized “pure‐player” has achieved profitable and sustainable e‐retail in the fashion sector by utilizing a multi‐niche strategy involving an e‐portfolio of five fashion‐related cyberstores. Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative critical‐case utilizes the in‐depth interview technique and rich thematic data analysis to provide insight into e‐retail development, with conceptualizations inductively developed from the data. Findings are linked to business growth, e‐business strategy, portfolio management and entrepreneurship literatures. Findings – Findings identify a staged, evolutionary approach to transactional cyberstore development and outline 20 key factors for e‐retail success. The “web‐weaving” process is conceptualized: this strategic “e‐portfolio management” approach identifies a multi‐niche opportunity for e‐retail, which spreads risk, maximizes revenue streams, utilizes knowledge economies/synergies across multiple‐web sites, promotes customer added value and offers potential for competitive advantage and sustainability for the smaller‐sized e‐retailer. Research limitations/implications – This is an in‐depth study of a single, long‐standing e‐retailer maintaining superior retention levels across an international customer base. That this enterprise bucks current trends by surviving (when 75 per cent e‐retail ventures fail) adds validity to web‐weaving as a sustainability strategy. Future research should explore this phenomenon within a wider inter/intra‐niche context to further contribute to the enhancement of e‐retail strategic marketing/enterprise development. Practical implications – Implications indicate that a (niche) e‐portfolio strategy is perceived as defensible, from an owner‐director perspective, for sustaining a fashion e‐retail enterprise. Targeting multiple‐niches via “web‐weaving” provides a clear route to critical‐mass and sustainability, which could prove a valuable lesson for many small e‐retailers – potentially providing a framework for internet‐strategy development in other marketing domains. Originality/value – This research presents a rich picture of how an e‐retail enterprise, in a highly competitive/dynamic market, can develop and sustain transactional e‐business over the longer‐term – presenting obvious implications to SME retail/marketing management.

‘Business as usual?’ Retail employee perceptions of organizational life following cross-border acquisition

The question of whether strong organizational cultures can be exported across borders has been continually debated in the management and business literature. With increased retail internationalization, the question arises in how far global retailers will be able to transpose their cultural values – which are regarded as key levers to business success – into other national contexts. A case study of the acquisition of a UK retailer reveals workforce compliance to behavioural norms and consent to company values at Scheins (2004) second tier of organizational culture. However, the cultural integration espoused in the retailers literature is not achieved, but differentiation and fragmentation (Martin, 1992, 2002) prevail at store level, despite the probable existence of a strong sectoral culture (Ogbonna and Harris, 2002).

Community pharmacies under pressure: issues of deregulation and competition

As providers of emergency medication, expert advice and specialist healthcare services, retail pharmacies are central to their neighbourhoods. Traditionally, recognition of this vital contribution to the community has been reflected in special protective measures at the macro level, making the pharmacy sector one of the most highly regulated within the UK retail industry. However, recent deregulation measures in relation to all aspects of the services marketing mix, namely products, price, place, promotion, physical evidence, people and processes, have made for a dynamic competitive climate with increasing pressures on the livelihood of small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises. Strategies for success are discussed.

Community pharmacies as good neighbours? A comparative study of Germany and the UK

Located as intermediaries between patients/customers and national health systems, community pharmacies have to negotiate increasing government demands for free advice, pressure on their earnings and an increasingly deregulated market. A comparative assessment of the German and UK markets highlights the tensions pharmacists face as healthcare providers and retailers, assessing the ways in which each group copes with growing competitive challenges. Based on a grounded theory study of community pharmacies in Berlin/Brandenburg and the Greater Manchester area the role of pharmacies within their local neighbourhoods is discussed and the potential for the transfer of marketing intelligence between the two countries evaluated.

German retail pharmacies –‐ regulation, professional identity and commercial differentiation

In a highly regulated yet increasingly competitive environment the professional self‐ perception of German retail pharmacists is increasingly put under pressure. Whilst the professional image focuses on the pharmaceutical care side, survival and future profitability also depend on successful commercial differentiation as a means of counteracting declining average margins. Presents the findings from a grounded theory study amongst retail pharmacists in Berlin and Brandenburg. Legal restrictions on manipulating the conventional marketing mix are discussed and alternative strategic moves towards differentiation explored. A tentative typology of pharmacies is developed, highlighting the importance of collaborative links and a strategic business perspective to future survival and prosperity.

Community pharmacies under pressure – can branding help?

Purpose – Despite their essential role as providers of emergency medication, expert advice and specialist healthcare services UK community pharmacies are coming under increasing competitive pressure. Deregulation measures and heightened competition from supermarkets and multiples have led to increases in market concentration and forced many independents into closure. This paper aims to explore the potential of retail branding as a tool for independent pharmacists who wish to complement their role as therapeutic experts with a strong retail proposition and enhance their competitive positioning.Design/methodology/approach – Based on a qualitative study using key informant interviews with independent pharmacists in the Greater Manchester area, this paper takes a grounded theory approach. NVivo qualitative analysis software was applied to develop theoretical categories, explore themes and offer a starting point for theory building.Findings – The UK pharmacy market is polarized into the highly branded large sc...

Ten years after: the impact of German unification on retail pharmacies

Building on a previous study of retail change the impact of the German unification on retail pharmacies is conceptualized in terms of the interaction between changes in system and life world with the retail pharmacist located at the interface between the two realms. A series of key informant interviews with retail pharmacists located in Berlin and Brandenburg forms the basis for grounded theory building. Differences between the previous system and the current status quo are examined and a tentative typology of eastern pharmacies posited.

Social network sites and relationship marketing communications: challenges for UK football clubs

The remarkable rise of social network sites (SNS) and associated developments in consumer behavior presents research opportunities as well as challenges for marketing practitioners engaged in push-based traditional and digital marketing communications. This paper seeks to contribute to SNS literature by investigating its impact on organizational digital relationship marketing communications and how such organizations may respond strategically in the age of social media. A multiple case study approach was used to examine the challenges and concerns of English football clubs in relation to SNS. Within-case analysis preceded across-case analysis in order to identify emergent themes and key issues. The results provide empirical insights into current levels of integration of relationship marketing initiatives. Concerns of SNS include inertia, control and monetisation. The willingness and ability of cases to harness online community value is also tempered by concerns related to brand control. This paper is perhaps one of the first studies to focus on the organizational perspective of the SNS phenomena. Findings identify factors organizations should consider when devising a strategic response to the challenges and opportunities faced by SNS, with a view to influencing consumer behavior to mutual benefit. Such factors are tempered by the short-term commercial focus of cases concerned. Further research may include other countries, wider elements of social media and research from the consumer perspective.