Discover fresh and intriguing perspectives on the world of retailing, including the nature of recent global developments, strategic responses to change, and the implications of new and far-reaching transformations. Over the past 50 years, the world's largest retailers have significantly altered the global marketplace. Drawing on real-world examples, this book explores both causes and effects of those sometimes-revolutionary shifts. Readers will see how retailers have driven change and innovation in factories, in distribution systems, and at checkout. They will be reminded how consumers have emerged as a force to be reckoned with, countering business practices, resetting pricing schedules, and wrestling control of brands from manufacturing firms. And they will see how new technologies, methodologies, and changes in social and communicative practices have emerged to offer novel avenues for retail sales. The book is organized around three central themes: macro perspectives that highlight the interconnectivity of consumers and retailers; emergent global issues in retailing; and innovations in retail strategy. Blending theory and practice, the contributors provide expert insights into the complexities of the retail landscape and the importance and operation of power within retail relationships. At the same time, they underscore the rapid growth and evolution of retailing and the economic reverberations created by changes in the retail environment. Edgy, contemporary, and imaginative, this book will provoke thought, debate, and discussion about a topic that affects us all. * Examines emergent retail strategies * Provides insights into the complexities of the current retail landscape * Addresses the growth and evolution of retail and outlines the resulting economic and sociocultural implications * Explores the definition of "a sustainable, competitive strategy" in a complex and rapidly changing marketplace, explaining how innovative thinking in retail may provide new models for sustainability * Discusses cultural theory and its application to experiential retail

Author Biography

Susie Pryor, PhD, is associate professor of marketing at California State University, San Bernardino. She holds a doctorate in marketing from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.