Development of new empirical insights in consumer–retailer relationships within online and offline retail environments: Introduction to the special issue

This special issue of the Journal of Business Research on scientific advancements in consumer–retailer relationships within online and offline retail environments include nine high quality research studies originally presented at the twelfth Society for Marketing Advances Retail Strategy and Patronage Behavior Symposium in 2009. The articles cover a variety of interesting and important consumer–retailer relationship topics and issues organized within three board categories: (1) empirical insights of WOM, pricing, and value impact on retail purchase intentions, (2) retail store-mall environment and atmospherics influence on retail relationships, and (3) consumers' emotional impact on complaint intentions and attitudes and behavior changes in an economic recession environment. This introduction offers an overview of each article and highlights some of the empirical insights and contributions to the growing body of knowledge in the retailing literature.