Strategic supply chain choices for multi-channel Internet retailers Academic Article

abstract

• Multi-channel retailing - selling through multiple, distinct channels - has been a part of the retail industry as long as there have been main street merchants selling through catalogs. Since the mid-1990s, however, multi-channel retailing has increased dramatically due to traditional retailers selling over the Internet. This trend presents considerable operational challenges because Internet and traditional retail have vastly different demand drivers, product variety issues, optimal inventory configurations, cost structures, supply chain structures, and delivery mechanisms. Consequently, the optimal supply chain configuration for Internet delivery differs considerably from the optimal supply chain configuration for a retail store structure, so designing a supply chain system to serve both channels well is difficult. Accordingly, a set of strategic choices and trade-offs must be made. Here, we present some strategic alternatives. Springer-Verlag 2007.

authors

• Metters, Richard

published proceedings

• Service Business

author list (cited authors)

• Metters, R., & Walton, S.

citation count

• 42

complete list of authors

• Metters, Richard||Walton, Steve

publication date

• December 2007

publisher

• Springer Nature  Publisher

published in

• Service Business: an international journal  Journal

keywords

• 35 Commerce, Management, Tourism And Services
• 3504 Commercial Services
• 3507 Strategy, Management And Organisational Behaviour
• 3509 Transportation, Logistics And Supply Chains

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1007/s11628-006-0016-5

start page

• 317

end page

• 331

volume

• 1

issue

• 4

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11628-006-0016-5