डॉ. बी. आर. अम्बेडकर विश्‍वविद्यालय दिल्ली
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi
Established by The Government of NCT of Delhi

Semester and Year Offered:

Course Coordinator and Team: Prof. Kartik Dave

Email of course coordinator: kartik[at]aud[dot]ac[dot]in

Course Objective: The objective of the course is to make students understand the unique nature and scope of marketing in the retail environment and success factors that should be considered while developing retail marketing programmes.

Course Outcomes:

1. At the end of the course the students will be able to:
2. Understand the evolution of retailing (and associated theories), the functions and economic importance of retailing and the rise (and implications) of retail power.
3. Appreciate the complexity of retail channels (store and non-store) used as alternative routes to market, and evaluate the merits of alternative strategies for different types of retail business.
4. Deduce the nature of the competitive environment within which retailers operate in developed economies, and analyze the forces driving change for particular sectors and types of retailer.
5. Recognize the conceptual and organizational aspects of the retail sector, including strategic planning and management in the retail industry.

Brief description of modules/ Main modules:

Unit 1: Introduction to Retailing (6 hours)

Retail marketing management; Types of retailers; Global retailing; consumer buying behaviour in retailing, Retail formats

Unit 2: Strategic Issues in Retail Marketing (6 hours)

Financial and operational strategy; Retail location strategy; Retail site selection; Managing talent for retail marketing

Unit 3: Category Management (6 hours)

Retail marketing mix - product, product category structure and management; Merchandise management; Merchandise planning systems; Buying merchandise

Unit 4: Retail Pricing and Distribution (6 hours)

Retail marketing mix- price and distribution; Retail pricing, distribution, multi-channel retailing; Supply chain management and information systems

Unit 5: Managing Communication and Relationship (4 hours)

Retail marketing mix- promotion, retail communication mix; Customer relationship management, Store layout, design, and visual merchandising; Customer service

Unit 6: Contemporary Issues in Retail (4 hours)

E-tailing, Technology in retail; Future of retail

Assessment Details with weights:

  Reading List:

• Agrawal, N., and Smith, S. A. (Eds.). (2015). Retail Supply Chain Management: Quantitative Models and Empirical Studies (Vol. 223). Springer.
• Baishya, D. And Biyani, K. (2007). It happened in India, Rupa and Co.
• Berman, B., Evans, J.R. and Mathur, M. (2011). Retail Management (11th Edition), Pearson
• Bhalla, A.K. (2011). Retail Management, Wisdom Press
• Clodfelter, R. (2012). Retail buying: from basics to fashion. A&C Black.
• Farris, P. W., & Ailawadi, K. L. (1992). Retail power: monster or mouse?. Journal of Retailing, 68(4), 351.
• Fisher, M., & Raman, A. (2010). The new science of retailing: how analytics are transforming the supply chain and improving performance. Harvard Business Review Press.
• Gilbert, D. (2003). Retail Marketing Management(2nd Edition), Pearson
• Goworek, H., & McGoldrick, P. (2015). Retail Marketing Management: Principles and Practice. Pearson Higher Ed.
• Lee, Y. I., & Trim, P. R. (2006). Retail marketing strategy: the role of marketing intelligence, relationship marketing and trust. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 24(7), 730-745.
• Levy, M., Weitz, B., and Pandit, A. (2010). Retailing Management (6th edition, India), Tata McGraw Hill Education Pvt. Ltd
• Ortega, B. (1999). In Sam We Trust: The Untold Story of Sam Walton and How Wal-Mart is Devouring the World. Kogan Page Publishers.
• Tripathi, G., & Dave, K. (2013). Store format choice and relationship quality in apparel retail: A study of young and early-middle aged shoppers in New Delhi region. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 20(5), 479-487.
• Underhill, P. (2005). Call of the mall: The geography of shopping. Simon and Schuster.
• Underhill, P. (2009). Why we buy: The science of shopping--updated and revised for the Internet, the global consumer, and beyond. Simon and Schuster.
• Varley, R. (2014). Retail product management: buying and merchandising. Routledge.
• Vedamani, G. G. (2008). Retail management. Jaico, Ed. 3rd.
• Walton, S., & Huey, J. (1992). Sam Walton, made in America: My story. New York: Doubleday.
• Zentes, J., Morschett, D., & Schramm-Klein, H. (2007). Strategic retail management. Betriebswirtschaftlicher Verlag Dr. Th. Gabler GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden (GWV).