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•We compare the impact of multiple touchpoints on consideration in four categories.•Respondents report on six touchpoints using the real-time experience tracking method.•Touchpoint positivity and not just touchpoint frequency influences consideration.•In-store communications positivity is more influential than that of ads, WOM or PR.•Peer observation, a hardly studied touchpoint, is both pervasive and persuasive. Marketers face the challenge of resource allocation across a range of touchpoints. Hence understanding their relative impact is important, but previous research tends to examine brand advertising, retailer touchpoints, word-of-mouth, and traditional earned touchpoints separately. This article presents an approach to understanding the relative impact of multiple touchpoints. It exemplifies this approach with six touchpoint types: brand advertising, retailer advertising, in-store communications, word-of-mouth, peer observation (seeing other customers), and traditional earned media such as editorial. Using the real-time experience tracking (RET) method by which respondents report on touchpoints by contemporaneous text message, the impact of touchpoints on change in brand consideration is studied in four consumer categories: electrical goods, technology products, mobile handsets, and soft drinks. Both touchpoint frequency and touchpoint positivity, the valence of the customer's affective response to the touchpoint, are modeled. While relative touchpoint effects vary somewhat by category, a pooled model suggests the positivity of in-store communication is in general more influential than that of other touchpoints including brand advertising. An almost entirely neglected touchpoint, peer observation, is consistently significant. Overall, findings evidence the relative impact of retailers, social effects and third party endorsement in addition to brand advertising. Touchpoint positivity adds explanatory power to the prediction of change in consideration as compared with touchpoint frequency alone. This suggests the importance of methods that track touchpoint perceptual response as well as frequency, to complement current analytic approaches such as media mix modeling based on media spend or exposure alone.

As past research has identified frontline employees as the primary communicators of a company's CSR, this paper reports on a large-scale quasi-field experiment aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the levers of successful in-store, pointof-sale, CSR communication. In cooperation with a large international retailer, the authors analyzed the effects of varying in-store CSR communication strategies in 48 unique stores, combining data from a customer survey (N = 38,999), company records of customers' real visits and purchases, and interviews with store managers. Taking into account the nested structure of the data, the authors reveal that CSR-related training of frontline employees bestows its favorable effect on customers and customer behavior only if it is accompanied by the store managers' personal support for CSR.

The present study explores some marketing mix effects on private labels brand equity creation. The research aims to study the effect of some elements under retailer's direct control such as in-store communications, in-store promotions and distribution intensity as well as other general marketing mix levers such as advertising, perceived price, and monetary promotions. The results indicate that the most efficient marketing mix tools for private label brand equity creation are private labels in-store communications, private labels distribution intensity and the perceived price. These results highlight the importance of the store as a key driver for the private labels brand equity creation. As opposed to manufacturer brands we find no effect of advertising on the private labels brand equity and an opposite effect of the perceived price. This study is a pioneering contribution in the domain of private labels brand equity research exploring a more comprehensive and in-store specific set of marketing mix initiatives as sources of brand equity. The results suggest important implications for retailers when managing their own brands.

Abstract The predominant role played by large-scale retailers in consumer goods markets has led to substantial changes in the promotion and advertising flows of companies operating in this sector. Manufacturing companies are in fact investing an increasingly larger share of their resources in communication strategies managed by retailers by way of in-store communications, taking advantage of both traditional and digital media. As a result, besides being a place of purchase, the point of sale has become an environment where customer relationships are being built and developed over time. In this book chapter, we take a closer look at current in-store communications via cutting-edge digital media solutions designed to boost customer experience and brand loyalty. To gain a better understanding of these new forms of communication, we have also conducted a qualitative case study on “The Supermarket of the Future,” a new retail format recently launched by Coop Italia in Milan, using data from different sources, including internal and external document reviews and in-store observations. Overall, this study outlines an innovative customer relationship format consistent with an omni-channel approach and informative in-store communications integrating traditional and new digital media.

Many firms have recently implemented the buy-online-and-pick-up-in-store (BOPS) strategy on store operations. This paper examines the impact of power structures on the decision of pricing and service level in an omnichannel supply chain with BOPS option. We investigate a two-stage omnichannel supply chain that consists of an online manufacturer and an offline retailer. The manufacturer produces products and adopts an online channel while the retailer sells products on both the traditional and the BOPS channels. Based on game theory analysis, the optimal retail prices in different distribution channels and the retailer’s optimal service quality in an omnichannel supply chain are derived under different power structures. Our results show that the more powerful retailer enjoys a higher profit while the dominant manufacturer may not benefit from its first-move advantage. No dominance among omnichannel supply chain members lead to the highest service level. Our analysis generates managerial insights into the interaction between firms and provides a guide for implementing the BOPS strategy in omnichannel retailing.

Purpose Corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns have become increasingly popular among fashion apparel brands to reduce environmental impacts of their operations and position themselves as sustainable. In light of attribution theory, this paper aims to investigate how aspects of a CSR campaign affect consumers’ perceptions of brand authenticity, brand attitudes and CSR attitudes. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on a 2 (brand image: sustainable vs disposable brand) × 2 (message source: brand website vs news article) between-subjects experimental design with random assignment to conditions and manipulation checks. Findings When exposed to messages about CSR campaigns, consumers have more favorable perceptions of brand authenticity, brand attitudes and CSR attitudes for a sustainable brand than for a disposable brand, particularly when consumers view information about a CSR campaign on the brand’s website. However, this is not true for disposable brands when CSR campaigns are promoted through a news source. Practical implications Sustainable brands can derive benefits by strategically partnering with causes through CSR campaigns, particularly when their campaigns are promoted through their brand’s website (vs news source). However, brands that offer disposable products (e.g. fast fashion brands) should exercise caution when implementing these campaigns; CSR campaigns may confuse customers as they do not align with the everyday practices of disposable brands. Originality/value As the apparel industry faces increased scrutiny for negative impacts on the environment, this study helps to understand whether customers perceive CSR campaigns as trustworthy and authentic, or as ploys aimed at creating more positive brand images.

Purpose The authors present an exploratory study on the effectiveness of in-store marketing communication appeals via digital signage applying the construal level theory (CLT) in a field experiment. According to this theory, the authors hypothesize that shoppers will on the one hand respond more favorably to messages focusing on the desirability of the offering, when they are further distanced from the actual purchase decision. On the other hand, the authors expect more favorable responses toward messages containing feasibility appeals, positioned closer by to the purchase decision. The purpose of this paper is to determine appropriate location-based content for in-store proximity marketing. Design/methodology/approach A field experiment was conducted in a Belgian coffee bar, examining temporal distance effects in a natural retail/service environment. A 2×2 between-subjects experimental design is implemented (i.e. low vs high temporal distance×concrete/cost vs abstract/brand-oriented appeal), examining the impact on marketing communication effectiveness. Findings Overall, the authors find some initial support for CLT on effectiveness measures regarding purchase intentions and actual purchase, but not in terms of self-reported noticing of the screen and the ad, nor in terms of (un)aided ad recall. Research limitations/implications This experiment is a pilot study and such finds itself confronted with a limited number of observations. Originality/value The study is among the first to examine how message content (beyond price promotion) can be adapted to in-store locations.

The influence of digital technologies in the current era has substantially affected the way individuals engage with in-store shopping activities and travels. To prepare a transport policy with sustainable orientations, it is important to investigate factors that determine in-store activity-travel patterns. In particular, knowledge about how in-store activities and travels interact with other forms of activities and travels should be updated, since the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) may be substantial to create new patterns of activity and travel. It is believed that shopping travel and activity behaviours may indicate the increase or decrease of physical travels, which is crucial for carbon emission measures in transportation sector. While numerous studies about this issue have been recently carried out based on the context of developed countries, little is known for the context of developing countries. To offer a better understanding of the nature of in-store shopping travels and activities in the digitalisation era, a household survey was conducted in Bandung, Indonesia. This survey tends to acquire data from respondents as a representation of developing countries on their shopping behaviour, travel characteristics, and spatial attributes that represent the conditions of their built environment. The results from the survey show that individuals in a developing country are still having interest in in-store grocery shopping even though their daily life has a close connection with digital life. The results of the analysis show that grocery shoppers in a developing country simultaneously consider shopping activity, other activities, modes of transport, and shopping expenses. This manifests in the form of trip-chaining activities and affects decisions on the modes of transport used. The results indicate a significant portion of trip frequency for in-store shopping travel with motorised modes. Since motorised modes are the main contribution for carbon emission production in transportation sector, the results of this study are critical for developing transport demand measures and setting relevant policy schemes to improve the sustainability of transportation system, especially for the context of developing countries.

PurposeThis paper aims to deepen understanding of the role played by new technological tools used in customer–travel agency (TA) interactions by analysing the TA owner/managers' perceptions, pre- and post-Covid-19, regarding the effectiveness of in-store traditional and innovative tools.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study is based on a questionnaire-based survey conducted among Italian TAs and distributed via email from September 2020 to January 2021.FindingsThe study highlights how, even among TAs, the role of in-store technology is gradually taking on greater importance, and it delves into the specific business and socio-demographic factors that seem to cause differences among agencies.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focuses on the Italian context, which does not allow for any generalisations. Furthermore, it is only the travel agent perspective that is observed and not the consumer's.Originality/valueIn addition to helping to bridge the literature gap, this study on in-store technologies focuses on the TAs sector, where human resources and human relationships play a decisive role in customer experience and interaction. The paper investigates the travel agents' point of view regarding the introduction of new in-store technologies; it also highlights their growing adoption and use, overall, despite the travel catalogue still remaining the main tool for interacting with customers. The study also shows how the advent of Covid-19 has increased travel agents' propensity to use digital technologies.

This study examined the impact of using three types of in-store signage to educate consumers about packaging recyclability as well as to measure its effectiveness in increasing awareness of a store drop-off recycling method for packaged granola. A total of 67 shoppers were recruited and divided into two groups to shop for granola in a retail store. Group A was not exposed to signage near the granola, while Group B was exposed to the in-store signage comprising shelf strips and aisle invaders with How2Recycle educational information containing messaging about the store drop-off recycling. A store drop-off bin was positioned at the entrance of the testing environment for both groups. The results showed that Group B had a significantly higher total fixation duration (p = 0.02) and fixation count (p = 0.03) than Group A in response to the recycling instructions on the drop-off bin. When comparing the three methods of in-store signage—shelf strips, aisle invaders, and the printed store drop-off bin panels—the shelf strips performed the best with regard to total fixation duration (1.72 s) and fixation count (5.91 counts) and were noticed by the highest percentage of shoppers. The store drop-off bin panels had the best performance with regard to time to first fixation (0.12 s). The aisle invaders had the lowest performance in all three eye tracking key metrics and were noticed by the lowest percentage of participants. These responses illustrate shopper challenges related to plastic recycling. This study demonstrates that recycling information can be effectively provided through strategically positioned in-store signage, especially messaging on shelf strips. While consumers are open to the usage of Store Drop-off Bins, affirming customer knowledge of these processes is essential to develop new consumer recycling habits.