 An integrative perspective of closeness in retailing: From retailers' sense-giving to consumers' sense-makingMaryline Schultz, Damien Chaney and Alain Debenedetti Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2016, vol. 32, issue C, 218-226 Abstract: This research investigates the concept of closeness in retailing. While previous research on closeness has tended to adopt only consumers' point of view, in-depth interviews with managers and customers of a French supermarket chain show that both parties interpret and define closeness differently. Analysis reveals that “store closeness†comprises a complex set of meanings that are not limited to a geographical notion but rather encompass functional, relational, and integration notions. Furthermore, retailers define store closeness very broadly, which contributes to nurturing their positioning but also leads them to idealize their role in the marketplace. In contrast, consumers’ definition of store closeness is more limited and mainly focuses on the functional features of the store, thus highlighting a discrepancy between retailers’ sense-giving and consumers’ sense-making. Keywords: Closeness; Proximity; Retailing; Sense-giving; Sense-making (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joreco:v:32:y:2016:i:c:p:218-226 DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2016.06.016 Access Statistics for this article Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services is currently edited by Harry Timmermans More articles in Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services from Elsevier |
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