Testing Retail Marketing-Mix Effects on Patronage: A Meta-Analysis

• Published in: Journal of retailing 2018-06, Vol.94 (2), p.113-135
• Main Authors: Blut, Markus, Teller, Christoph, Floh, Arne
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Consumer behavior; Country differences; Marketing; Meta-analysis; Patronage; Retail marketing-mix instruments; Retail patronage; Retailing industry; Shopper behavior; Shopping; Studies; Systematic review
• ISSN: 0022-4359; 1873-3271
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jretai.2018.03.001

[Display omitted] •The meta-study examines the influence of marketing instruments on retail patronage.•It provides guidance on how to apply these instruments to establish patronage.•24 instruments influence retail patronage directly or indirectly through mediators.•The effectiveness of instruments varies across shopping and country contexts.•Retailers should consider factors such as the hedonic/utilitarian shopping context. Retailers have always worked to establish close relationships with customers through the retail marketing mix. Thus, the literature has a long tradition of testing the effects of various instruments on retail patronage. This meta-study synthesizes prior research into one comprehensive framework. We use 14,895 effect sizes reported by more than 239,000 shoppers from 41 countries extracted from 350 independent samples, to test the impact of 24 marketing-mix instruments on retail patronage. Specifically, we investigate the direct and indirect effects of these instruments on store satisfaction, word of mouth, patronage intention, and behavior. Product and brand management related instruments display the strongest effects on most outcome variables, whereas price, communication, service and incentive management instruments affect only selected outcomes. Distribution management turns out to be of secondary importance. However, the effectiveness of these instruments depends on the specific shopping context (food/non-food, shopping frequency, single store/agglomeration, hedonic/utilitarian), the retail environment (gross domestic product, country innovativeness, retail sales share, retail employment, Internet era), and the employed method (participant type, study design, data source). Specifically, we reveal most differences for hedonic shopping environments and developed countries. Also, the store’s advertising and atmosphere have gained importance in the Internet era, while purchase incentives, in-store orientation, and store location have lost relevance. This study contributes to a synoptic understanding of the comparable effectiveness of retail marketing instruments on retail patronage. It offers insights into the effectiveness of marketing-mix instruments and provides guidance on whether and when to invest in them. It also presents an agenda for future research on marketing-mix instruments.