Retailing in Today’s World: Multiple Channels and Other Strategic Decisions Affecting Firm Performance

The introduction of smartphones and apps, and the resulting increase of the connectivity of customers around the globe, has shifted how customers shop. Deciding how to adopt and leverage technology to better serve their customers and improve their shopping experiences thus has become a question of great stra- tegic importance to retailers (Grewal and Levy, 2009; Grewal et al., 2009). To succeed, retailers must allow their business models to evolve and create seamless shopping experiences and offerings, across all channels, including not just well-established brick-and- mortar stores, catalogs, and online stores, but also mobile apps and social media.