Very little of marketing theory and knowledge has made its way into retailing practice, but its value in making profitable and effective retailing decisions is unquestioned. Samli, drawing upon three decades of experience and recognition as an expert in marketing research, offers retailing professionals and those who aspire to retailing careers a foundation for understanding what marketing theory is and how it can be linked successfully and profitably to retailing practice. Not a simplified set of steps to take, his book forces retailing decision makers to think for themselves and to use sound reasoning in their judgments. With an extensive review of retailing research and emphasis on small retail decision-making processes, plus discussions of human resource development, information technology, control mechanisms, and the international aspects of retailing, this book will find a special place in the list of books that must be read, not only by retailing professionals and students, but also their colleagues who teach retailing.
The planning and implementation of the strategic plan is dependent upon the identification of the retailer's target market, and then successfully catering to that market by using four key retailing mixes: goods and service mix, communication mix, pricing mix, and human resource mix. The retailing mixes are the controllables of retail management. Preparation of these mixes depends upon the knowledge, reasoning, availability of resources, and familiarity with the target markets.
