Shelf Loathing: Cross Docking at an Online Retailer

Online customers expect to wait, sometimes for a delay of many days. At the fulfillment center, there might be an opportunity to fill customer orders earlier than the due date through a cross‐docking transaction: rather than picking the item from inventory, the item moves directly from the receiving to the shipping dock, saving shelving and picking transactions. While cross docking reduces shelving and picking costs, it risks changing customer expectations for how soon a product will be delivered. Given customer order arrivals random in quantity and due dates, random replenishment arrivals, and costs (or benefits) for shipping a product early, we characterize the optimal decision as to whether to cross dock a replenishment item to fulfill demand that is not immediately due or to wait to (hopefully) cross dock in later periods. With multiple demands and due dates, the cross‐docking decision depends on the number of unfulfilled demands in each period across the horizon, the number of units that have just arrived (available for cross docking), picking and shelving costs, and the delay cost (or benefit). We formulate the problem as a Markov decision process, determine the structure of the optimal policy, and propose a well‐performing heuristic.     

The Strategic Role of Third‐Party Marketplaces in Retailing

Retailers are increasingly adopting a dual‐format model. In addition to acting as traditional merchants (buying and reselling goods), these retailers provide a platform for third‐party (3P) sellers to access and compete for the same customers. We investigate the strategic rationale for a retailer to introduce a 3P marketplace. Our analysis provides insights into the growing prevalence of 3P marketplaces. We show that by committing to having an active 3P marketplace, the retailer creates an “outside option” that improves its bargaining position in negotiations with the manufacturer. This can explain the increasing prevalence of such marketplaces. On the other hand, the manufacturer would prefer to eliminate the retailer's outside option and should seek to limit or prevent sales through 3P marketplaces. This is consistent with actions that several manufacturers have taken to limit such sales. Interestingly, if the manufacturer fails to eliminate sales of competing products through the 3P marketplace, then the best strategy for the manufacturer is to allow the retailer to dictate the terms of their contract. This is because a powerful retailer will rely less on its outside option in generating profit, and therefore it will increase the fees charged to 3P sellers and soften the competition between 3P sellers and the manufacturer. The decrease in competition will lead to an increase in the value of outside option of the manufacturer and improve its profit. Additionally, we find that the presence of a 3P marketplace benefits consumers, but this benefit diminishes as the retailer becomes more powerful.     

零售行业捆绑销售策略对顾客忠诚影响实证研究

本文基于关系投资模型,实证研究了零售行业捆绑销售策略对顾客忠诚的影响。结果表明,零售企业除了能在短期内实施捆绑销售策略增加促销效果以外,还能够在长期中实施捆绑销售策略提升顾客忠诚。具体做法是,企业应重点关注价格折扣的使用,从而间接地提高顾客忠诚;注重提高捆绑销售的产品或者服务之间的互补性;如果捆绑销售的产品或者服务互补性低,企业则应该相应地提高该产品或者服务组合的价格折扣,从而获得较大的个人投入与顾客忠诚。     

零售商品牌资产影响因素及其作用机制的实证研究

零售商品牌资产建设是决定零售企业规模化和持续化发展的一项战略议题,对零售企业长期竞争优势的建立有重要意义。本文从顾客视角出发,构建了零售商品牌资产影响因素及其作用机制研究模型。通过对济南和南昌两地百货商店和超级市场的消费者进行调研发现,商店形象属性通过顾客情绪、感知价值、顾客满意和顾客信任的作用对零售商品牌资产产生影响。其中,商店形象属性对顾客情绪的影响在不同的零售业态和地区表现出了一定的差异性。研究结论对零售企业品牌管理实践有重要启示作用。     

我国农村贫富差距之规制——宋代“社仓”的启示

通过社会调查,就目前我国乡村社会内部的贫富差距进行了量化比较,提出我国目前乡村内部贫富差距严重。在此基础上通过质性分析认为,我国目前的惠民富民政策在实施过程中存在重大扭曲。为了提出解决乡村贫富差距的措施,通过对宋代＂社仓＂实践的运作及其改进进行分析,挖掘它乡人自治、政府引导监督的现代社群主义价值,并通过分析这种实践价值的现代意义为我国化解现代乡村贫富差距提供基本思路。     

全渠道零售系统:基于中国的实践

零售业作为国民经济的先导产业,其数字化转型升级对于后疫情时代的"拉内需,稳增长"经济目标至关重要.进入数字经济时代,全渠道模式成为零售业数字化转型的核心形式.基于全渠道学术研究中"概念框架"的研究范式,采用探索式的案例研究方法,通过分析三家中国零售企业的全渠道发展逻辑、战略选择和商业模式,整合了营销视角和供应链管理视角对全渠道研究各自孤立的讨论,构建了一个综合性、多维度的全渠道零售系统概念框架.研究认为:营销管理、商品管理与履约管理是对应于"人—货—场"关系的重要零售活动,只有针对这三个子系统设计全渠道策略模式才能形成系统视角下的全渠道零售模式;提炼商业情境下零售活动的关键决策环节和相应的策略模式,是构建全渠道零售概念框架的关键内容;协同是全渠道零售系统的核心驱动因素,有利于提升全渠道零售系统的运营效率.研究结论为后续全渠道领域的研究提供了阶段性的理论总结,同时也启示企业需要积极拥抱数字化浪潮,通过实施渠道内和跨渠道的业务、组织协同,谋求全系统的策略配合,以实现全渠道零售的效率突破.     

说“一藏之数”

《西游记》于唐僧所取回“有字真经”共“五千零四十八卷”本身不甚措意,而反复强调其合于“一藏之数”,体现了更重“无字真经”,推崇禅宗顿门“顿悟顿修”、“见性成佛”之旨的倾向。而“五千零四十八卷”是唐宋以降“一代时教”即世俗佛学的代称。《西游记》惟重“一藏之数”,是对世俗诵经学佛的否定。总之,《西游记》以“修心”为要,乃“一成佛之书”。其于佛之诸宗,偏重在禅;于禅之诸派,则抑“渐”而扬“顿”,推尊“顿门”。     

西方零售商自有品牌理论研究综述

关于零售商自有品牌理论的研究已经成为一个热点话题。本文从自有品牌购买者特征与态度、零售商自有品牌策略的选择和制造商如何应对零售商的自有品牌策略这三个方面,对西方自有品牌已有的研究进行了理论综述。     

移动零售下的全渠道商业模式选择

由技术和顾客需求推动的移动互联网零售时代已经到来,店商和电商在这股浪潮中如何选择对自身有利的全渠道商业模式显得尤为重要。商品的标准化程度越高、服务越简单的商品是标类商品,反之是非标类商品。零售的产出是"商品+服务",零售商应该根据自身经营的商品类型以及与之相关的不同服务要素的组合方式,来确定转型方向。总体来说,通过全渠道进行营销是必需的,是否参与020零售则需要具体分析,店商和大型电商的合作与竞争也将是移动零售下全渠道商业模式选择的重要看点。     

台湾百货公司物流配送服务绩效分析

在借鉴国外学者前期研究成果基础上,以台湾百货公司第三方物流企业的实际运作为典型分析案例,探讨相关理论与研究基础,提出绩效评估图(PED)方法。应用前期调查结果,分别以IPA、PEM与新绩效评估方法,分析物流服务绩效。结果证实,所提PED方法最利于服务绩效评估。若能慎选评估方法,则能提高服务绩效评估效率与效益,精准提出绩效,发展战略,优化资源配置,进而提升服务与运营绩效水平。