Generic retailing types, distinctive marketing competencies, and competitive advantage

Abstract

This article explores how strategies and skills are transformed into competitive advantage among small business retailers. Following a review of the emerging literature on competitive advantage, results of a field study are described in which the interplay between competitive marketing strategy patterns, distinctive marketing competencies, and organizational performance is examined. Findings indicate those generic retailing types with the most clearly defined strategy patterns (named "Merchants" and "Specialists") both possess source-of-advantage-skill superiority along a variety of marketing competencies and perform better than do those types (named "Drifters," "Resisters", and "Stripers") whose marketing strategies are characterized by a lack of emphasis and clarity.