Reshaping of the retail environment due to internet as a global competitor

University of Zilina, The Faculty of Operation and Economics of Transport and Communications, Department of Economics, Univerzitna 1, 010 26 Zilina, Slovakia

^* Corresponding author: lubica.gajanova@fpedas.uniza.sk

Abstract

According to statistics, the number of Slovaks who shop over the Internet is increasing year by year. Compared to the surrounding countries, Slovaks are clearly the leaders in online shopping. Increasing popularity of customers in online shopping leads to a significant decline in number of retail stores. This is a consequence of global technological change. However, businesses and especially retailers themselves can benefit from technological advances in this case as well. All you have to do is choose the right marketing tool. Such tools are undoubtedly the tools of proximity marketing that are used as a communication channel in retail stores. In this paper, we focus on proximity marketing tools that provide a means of creating a personal relationship between a customer and a vendor at the time of physical purchase by a customer in a store. Its aim is to support and increase sales in retail stores, increase consumer satisfaction and build a positive brand image. The aim of the paper is to analyse the possibility of using proximity marketing for Slovak consumers as one of the possibilities of reshaping of the retail environment. This analysis will be realized from demographic and also from psychographic point of view.