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Retailing and Sustainability
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Retailing and Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2020) | Viewed by 9715

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maria Fuentes-Blasco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Management and Marketing Department, Pablo de Olavide University, Seville, Spain
Interests: marketing research; marketing modeling; services marketing; retailing; consumer behavior; tourism
Dr. Jesús Cambra-Fierro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Management and Marketing Department, Pablo de Olavide University, Seville, Spain
Interests: strategic marketing; retailing; CSR and sustainability; services marketing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Retailing includes the process of mass selling products or services aimed directly at the final consumer (B2C). In recent years, we have observed how technological advances disruptively alter the interactions with the customers. The effects of globalization, advances in information and communication technologies, and faster and more efficient means of transportation of people and goods encourage other forms of retail in which both companies and customers may be found anywhere in the world. Electronic commerce drives the behavior and omnichannel presence of consumers and companies, respectively, and social networks increase the effect of WOM, among other aspects.

From this point of view, significant challenges arise for companies, consumers, public administrations, and society as a whole, related to the sustainability of certain business models and the planet in general. An example of one of these challenges can be seen in the Sustainable Developed Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as a plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/), promoted by United Nations.

In this context, we are seeking studies including both products and services, focused on consumer behavior and on policy and managerial decisions which address interrelations with sustainability.

We invite contributions to this debate that deal, amongst others, with the following issues:

  • Sustainability in the retail industry;
  • Social innovation in the retail industry;
  • Impact of sustainability on direct marketing and electronic commerce;
  • The supply chains and distribution channels that serve retailers (i.e., physical distribution, logistics, last mile);
  • From a sustainability perspective, new ways of interactions B2C, C2C, and with other channels members;
  • Impact of sustainability practices in firm reputation and branding;
  • Impact of use of technology on the firm sustainability practices in retail sector;
  • Cross-cultural issues affecting sustainability in retailing.

Dr. Maria Fuentes-Blasco
Dr. Jesús Cambra-Fierro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Retailing
  • Sustainability
  • Technology
  • Omnichannel
  • Supply chain

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 458 KiB  
Article
Sustainability and Branding in Retail: A Model of Chain of Effects
by Alfredo Flores-Hernández, Ana Olavarría-Jaraba, Guadalupe Valera-Blanes and Rosario Vázquez-Carrasco
Sustainability 2020, 12(14), 5800; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145800 - 19 Jul 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4573
Abstract
The main objective of this study is to analyse the impact of sustainable practices on companies’ corporate reputation and brand image in the retail sector as perceived by consumers. In addition, we evaluate how those practices affect consumers’ perceived satisfaction levels and their [...] Read more.
The main objective of this study is to analyse the impact of sustainable practices on companies’ corporate reputation and brand image in the retail sector as perceived by consumers. In addition, we evaluate how those practices affect consumers’ perceived satisfaction levels and their predisposition to engage in positive Word of Mouth (WOM). For the purpose of this study, the context of an emerging economy, Peru, is taken as reference. To do this, we propose a structural equation model based on a representative sample of 403 consumers. The data analysis—using the PLS software package—confirms that corporate social responsibility (CSR) positively influences both corporate reputation and brand image. These two factors jointly have an impact on consumers’ perceived satisfaction levels, which in turn help to explain the flow of positive WOM. This work is a pioneering study of the relationship between the aforementioned factors in the context of emerging economies. The final part of the article discusses the main theoretical implications and recommendations for business practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Retailing and Sustainability)
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17 pages, 609 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Development in the Service Industry: Managerial Learning and Management Improvement of Chinese Retailers
by Nana Zhang and Liang Mei
Sustainability 2020, 12(4), 1430; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041430 - 14 Feb 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2821
Abstract
Research in sustainability has focused on the productive industry and other polluting sectors, leaving aside the sustainable development of the service industry such as retail. Increasingly, retail companies are facing substantial sustainability problems such as pressure from resource limitations, fierce competition, the variability [...] Read more.
Research in sustainability has focused on the productive industry and other polluting sectors, leaving aside the sustainable development of the service industry such as retail. Increasingly, retail companies are facing substantial sustainability problems such as pressure from resource limitations, fierce competition, the variability of customer needs, and the development of technology. Adopting best practices through managerial learning is the key to achieving sustainable development for retailers. However, there is a lack of discussion of the micro mechanism of sustainable development in the existing sustainable research field. From the perspective of internal sustainable development, taking Chinese retailers as the sample, this study explores the effect of the managerial learning mechanism on sustainable development on the basis of empirical research. First, this study measures the management efficiency of Chinese retailers, which is the micro basis of sustainable development. Second, the effects of two types of managerial learning mechanisms (government-driven and professional organization driven) on management efficiency are tested. The results show that management efficiency contributes to the growth of the total factor productivity in Chinese retailers, and firms should attach importance to the improvement of management efficiency. Specifically, retailers can strengthen management efficiency by establishing managerial learning platforms with professional institutions, and thus prevent the substitution role of absorptive capacity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Retailing and Sustainability)
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Figure 1

12 pages, 241 KiB  
Article
Optimal Channel Choice of Firms with New and Remanufactured Products in the Contexts of E-Commerce and Carbon Tax Policy
by Jiajia Cao, Bing Xu and Jia Wang
Sustainability 2019, 11(19), 5407; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195407 - 29 Sep 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1910
Abstract
This paper is motivated by the dilemma faced by firms who sell new and remanufactured products offline that need to consider whether to enter e-commerce platforms considering that more and more consumers are shopping online on e-commerce platforms rather than shopping offline. Our [...] Read more.
This paper is motivated by the dilemma faced by firms who sell new and remanufactured products offline that need to consider whether to enter e-commerce platforms considering that more and more consumers are shopping online on e-commerce platforms rather than shopping offline. Our paper aims to help firms with new and remanufactured products make a channel choice and determine product pricing strategies in the contexts of e-commerce and carbon tax policy. Our paper uses optimization theory, game theory, utility functions and profit-maximization models to investigate the optimal channel choice of whether a firm should enter an e-commerce platform; it also investigates the optimal prices of new and remanufactured products and referral fees in two cases—the firm does not enter the platform (N) and the firm enters the platform (Y). Some insights are presented as follows: We found that the firm should enter the platform if the annual service fee is relatively low, otherwise, the firm should not enter the platform. Interestingly, in the case of a firm with an offline store with relatively large operational costs or hassle costs, the firm is more reluctant to enter the platform. In the extension, we considered some consumers who only purchase offline products, and found that the firm considering these consumers is more likely to choose not to enter the platform. Moreover, we argue that the carbon tax policy has a positive effect on product prices but a negative effect on referral fees charged by the platform, and the choice of Y hurts the environment due to a relatively high total carbon emission. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Retailing and Sustainability)
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