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Marketing Strategies

TURKISH RETAIL SECTOR

Historical Perspective
In order to define retailing, it should be considered from various perspectives, to demonstrate its impact, and its special characteristics. Retailing entails the business activities involved in selling goods and services to consumers for their personal, family, or household use.
Today, it is at an interesting crossroad, with many challenges ahead. Retailing may be viewed from multiple perspectives. It includes tangible and intangible items, does not have to use a store, and can be conducted by manufacturers and others as well as by retail firms.
Retailing is the last stage in a distribution channel, which contains the businesses and people involved in physically moving and transferring ownership of goods and services from producer to consumer. In a channel, retailers perform valuable functions as intermediaries for manufacturers, wholesalers, and final consumers. They collect product assortments from various suppliers and offer them to customers. They communicate with both customers and other channel members.
Retailers and their suppliers have complex relationships because the retailers serve two roles. They are part of a distribution channel aimed at the final consumer; and they are major customers for their suppliers. Channel relations are smoothest with exclusive distribution; they are most volatile with intensive distribution. Selective distribution combines aspects of both in an attempt to balance sales goals and channel member cooperation.
Retailing has several special characteristics. The average sales transaction is small. Final consumers make many unplanned purchases. Most customers visit a store location.
The marketing concept should be understood and used by all retailers. This concept requires a firm to have a customer orientation, use a coordinated effort, and be value-driven and goal-oriented. Unfortunately, despite its ease of use, many firms do not adhere to one or more elements of the...