From successful differentiation in retailing to store equity

Abstract

Although some important conceptual and empirical studies have been published with regard to retailer differentiation (e.g. Rudolph and Becker, 2003), a comprehensive framework regarding the design and implementation of a successful differentiation strategy, integrating antecedents, consequences and possible moderating and/or mediating factors is still lacking. Therefore, this doctoral research aims to analyse retail differentiation mainly from a consumer perspective, namely how consumers process these retail efforts and how their reactions can be quantified in the concept of ‘store equity’.