Identification of UK fashion retailer use of Web sites

Abstract

This exploratory study examines fashion retailer use of Web sites of retailers operating within the UK. A survey of 990 fashion retailers was undertaken, 780 of which have a registered domain name. A content analysis of their Web sites took place in order to examine: first, retailer characteristics in terms of product focus, marketing positioning, operational structure type and Web site functionality; and second, to establish whether a relationship exists between online levels of involvement and specific fashion retailer characteristics. Results indicate that a high number of those surveyed (78.7 per cent) had registered a domain name and over half of those who had registered, had a Web site that was transactional. Fashion designer retailers predominantly use their Web sites as an informational tool. Whereas transactional retailers were predominantly made up of product specialist retailers who were multiple, independent, mail order or pure play retailers. In conclusion it is product specialists who have greater levels of involvement in e-commerce.

Internet strategies and performance of Dutch retailers

“…Many empirical studies have investigated the factors that explain the adoption of the Internet by traditional retailers (e.g., Morganosky, 1997;Doherty et al, 1999Kotzab and Madlberger, 2001;Currah, 2002;Ellis-Chadwick et al, 2002;Doherty and EllisChadwick, 2003;Marciniak and Bruce, 2004;Weltevreden et al, 2005;Weltevreden and Atzema, 2006). However, quantitative empirical studies concerning the impacts of adopting the Internet on the performance of traditional retailers are scarce (Doherty and Ellis-Chadwick, 2006).…”

Sustainable Retailing in the Fashion Industry: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Regarding the impact of e-retailing on the fashion industry, there are two different schools of thought. Some researchers persist that e-retailing threatens customer loyalty and creates customer confusion [104], and fashion is reluctant to embrace e-retailing [105]. In contrast, most researchers believe that e-retailing can reduce costs, grow a loyal customer base, and provide an opportunity for accumulating new business and developing international markets [106].…”

E‐strategy in the UK retail grocery sector: a resource‐based analysis

“…Many previous studies have used web surveys as a means of analysis of web site content and for creating a snapshot view of companies' online activities in various industrial activity sectors including retailing (Dixon & Quinn, 2004;Marciniak et al, 2004;O'keefe et al, 1998;Morganosky, 1997). However, this study is unique in the fact that it uses a sequence of web site surveys taken at two yearly intervals between 1997 and 2007 to provide a longitudinal view of retailers' online activities during the world's first decade of Internet retailing.…”