Growth of Non store Retailing

Most of us still make most of our purpose the old fashioned way: We go the store, find what we want, wait patiently in line to plunk down our cash or credit card and bring home the goods. However, consumers now have an array of alternatives, including mail-order, television, phone, and online shopping. American is increasingly avoiding the hassles and crowds at malls by doing more of their shopping by phone or computer. Although such retailing advances may threaten some traditional retailers, they offer exciting opportunities for other .Most store retailers have now developed direct retailing channels. In fact, more online retailing is conducted by ''click and brick'' retailers than by ''click only retailers. In a recent ranking of the top 50 online retail sites, 35 were multichannel retailers.

Growing Important of Retail Technology

Retail technologies are becoming critically important as competitive tools. Progressive retailers are using advanced information technology and software systems to produce better forecasts, control inventory costs, order electronically from suppliers, send information between stores, and even sell to customers within stores. They are adopting checkout scanning systems, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange, in store television, and improved merchandise handling systems.
Perhaps the most startling advances in retailing technology concern the ways in which today’s retailers are connecting with customers. Many retailers now routinely use technologies such as touch screen kiosks, customer loyalty cards, electronic shelf labels and signs, handheld shopping assistants, smart cards, self scanning systems, and virtual reality displays. For example, in its new pilot store –Bloom-southeastern grocery chain Food Lion is using technology to make shopping easier for its customer.

Planning Marketing: Partnering to Build Customer Relationships

The company strategic plan establishes what kinds of businesses the company will operate in and its objectives for each. Then, within each business unit, more detailed planning takes place. The major functional departments in each unit marketing, finance, accounting, purchasing, operations, information systems, human resources, and other must work together to accomplish strategic objectives.

Marketing plays a key role in the company strategic planning in several ways. First, marketing provides a guiding philosophy the marketing concept that suggests that company strategy should revolve around building profitable relationship with important consumer groups.