OMNICHANNEL OF PRIVATE LABEL GROCERY PRODUCTS IN TESCO AND CARREFOUR RETAIL CHAINS ON THE POLISH MARKET

Abstract

Background: Customers who are operating today in many sales channels pose new challenges to suppliers' distribution systems. The aim of the article is to identify the state of implementation of omnichanneling of grocery private labels in Tesco and Carrefour retail chains on the Polish market along with critical remarks regarding the development of rational logistic product and price policy.

Methods: The subject of the study is one of the methods of modern distribution – private label. The object of the study covers two comparable retail chains – Tesco and Carrefour. The study focuses only on private label grocery products (7 categories, in each of them 3 product representatives) and is limited solely to the Polish market – 21 different product features are studied. The analysis tool is an on-site survey of Tesco and Carrefour chain stores – brick-and-mortar and online (virtual) – 84 analyses.

Results: From the perspective of the omnichannel strategy, product range availability and the level of price differentiation should be the same in every distribution channel – in fact, they are varied: Tesco 0.90 vs Carrefour 0.71 and Tesco 0.47 vs Carrefour 0.60. The results point to the need to revise the theoretical and practical assumptions of the omnichannel concept.

Conclusions: The subject of customer service is still a topical issue in the area of logistics. Irrespective of customers' choice of the form (channel) of contact with the product distributor – the omnichannel variant, they should always be served at the same service level. The open question is: always, for each product?