The marketing literature has made significant progress towards a better understanding of how firms can effectively design and manage their channels of distribution. However, the complexity of today’s channel systems raises additional issues that remain unaddressed. The purpose of this article...

One of the most intriguing and managerially relevant findings in the multichannel customer management literature is the positive association between multichannel purchasing and customer profitability. The question is whether this is an actionable, causal relationship. We design and implement a...

Multichannel customer management is “the design, deployment, and evaluation of channels to enhance customer value through effective customer acquisition, retention, and development” (Neslin, Scott A., D. Grewal, R. Leghorn, V. Shankar, M. L. Teerling, J. S. Thomas, P. C. Verhoef (2006),...

This study investigates the impact of eliminating a search channel on purchase incidence, order size, channel choice and, ultimately, sales and profits. We analyze customer panel data from a large retailer over a five-year period. The retailer conducted a randomized field test in which the firm...

Manufacturers increasingly are introducing online direct channels, creating conflicts with retailers that market the manufacturer's brand. Research on horizontal channel entry suggests incumbent retailers protect their sales from new competitors by increasing assortment and decreasing price....

Despite many success stories, B2B e-commerce penetration remains low. Many firms introduce electronic channels in addition to their traditional sales channels, but find that buyer usage of the e-channel over time does not keep up with initial expectations. Firms must understand the underlying...