Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata"

Retail management mainly refers to business processes of dealing with flows of physical products and information along the supply chain.

The course aims to introduce students to the subject of distribution management from a strategic and a functional perspective. Particular emphasis will be given to the comprehension of the retail functions and formats as well as to the dynamics in the vertical relationships between retailers and manufacturers. Large-scale retailers and modern distributors definitely became significant competitive forces in the task environments as they are closer to the final market than producers. Accordingly, students will acquire conceptual understanding of marketing practices implemented by retailers, through which these are capable of gathering information on customers’ preferences as well as of influencing their behaviours.

Students will also be provided with practical knowledge and examples about how physical distribution processes are structured and managed in specific industries (i.e. grocery food, fashion & luxury, home furniture, etc.). Furthermore, the provision of a general outlook about the role of ICT is fundamental to understand the digital transformation in the buyer-seller relationships as well as with the final consumers. Indeed, e-commerce (or e-tailing) has contributed to speed and amplify the interactions between manufacturers, distributors, logistics operators, and customers, stressing the need for an even more increasing efficiency in planning, ordering, warehousing, and delivering of goods. As a matter of fact, a variety of important managerial practices is under consideration by retailers to rule the distribution processes along the B2C channels, such as Efficient Customer Response, and Supply Chain Management. The opportunity to comprehend and evaluate such emerging models from a theoretical and empirical point of view is valuable to students for a better understanding of modern retailing.