RETAIL MARKETING - FROM DISTRIBUTION TO INTEGRATION

Retailing represents the culmination of the marketing process, the con tact point between consumers and manufacturer products, marketing comm unications and customer service. This paper reviews the research on re tail marketing that has appeared in the academic literature in the las t several years. The review will address the revolutionary changes occ urring in retailing today brought on by the availability of purchase t ransaction databases and new forms of marketing communications. The au thor suggests a reorientation of the role of retailers away from the p revailing focus on distribution toward an emphasis on integrated commu nications and the management of customer relationships. Research on ma ny aspects of both store and nonstore retailing are discussed in terms of this orientation. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.