Violations of social responsibility by suppliers, whether through unethical, dangerous, or irresponsible behavior, attract considerable attention from the media and the public. “When these violations occur, socially conscious consumers may boycott the guilty brands and switch to other brands,” say HKUST’s Albert Y. Ha and colleagues. Their study sheds new ... Read More

With exponential growth in e-commerce sales, many retailers are increasing their use of online channels and social media for marketing and customer service operations. For example, Amazon and JD have launched livestreaming channels to promote their products via live video. However, the selling formats chosen by online retailers may differ. Shedding light on ... Read More

In the early days of online retailing, many online retail platforms operated as “reselling channels”—purchasing goods from manufacturers and reselling them to consumers. Over time, some platforms (notably Amazon and JD) established “agency channels” (also known as “marketplace channels”) that allowed manufacturers to sell directly to consumers. Through their ... Read More

Rebate, or money that is returned to the consumer after they have paid for goods or services, is a popular form of sales promotion, with studies showing that 50% of retailers and 48% of manufacturers use rebates as part of their customer loyalty programmes. For example, USD8 billion worth of rebates were issued in the U.S. in 2010. Companies make use of ... Read More

Manufacturers and retailers have introduced various ways such as quick response and continuous replenishment to leverage information sharing to improve supply chain performance. It is generally believed that when a retailer shares demand information with a manufacturer, the whole supply chain benefits from improved coordination. For the manufacturer, the ... Read More