The value of synergised structures in merchandising services for selected South African retail channels

South African Journal of Business Management

 
 
Field Value
 
Title The value of synergised structures in merchandising services for selected South African retail channels
 
Creator Macpherson, Wayne E. De Koker, Louise Inglis, Rodin Boucher, Sasha
 
Subject Business Management inventory management; merchandising strategies; out-of-stock situations; retail sector performance; supplier accountability; supply chain management; synergised structures
Description Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the value of synergised structures in South African retail merchandising services. Specifically, it explored how senior managers in reputable retail organisations that sell fast-moving goods perceived the value added by supplier accountability, out-of-stock (OOS) management, operational efficiency, consumer satisfaction on the synergy between suppliers, retailers and merchandising service providers through capitalising on synergised merchandising structures in the South African retail sector.Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted an interpretivism paradigm using a qualitative inductive approach. Nine senior managers were interviewed face-to-face. The collected data was analysed by means of six-phased thematic analysis.Findings/results: Synergised structures can improve merchandising service levels by fostering supplier and retailer collaboration, improving accountability, and decreasing stockouts. In addition, maintaining on-shelf availability and operational efficiency relies on investments in human capital development, proactive monitoring and technology-enabled inventory management.Practical implications: The study offers strategic guidance for enhancing cost-effective solutions through shared infrastructure, OOS prevention, human capital development and structured engagement to improve service levels.Originality/value: The study enriches current limited literature on synergised merchandising structures, especially in the South African retail sector, where it is influencing sales and from the perspective of senior managers employed by major retailers.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2026-03-24
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajbm.v57i1.5615
 
Source South African Journal of Business Management; Vol 57, No 1 (2026); 11 pages 2078-5976 2078-5585
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://sajbm.org/index.php/sajbm/article/view/5615/3664 https://sajbm.org/index.php/sajbm/article/view/5615/3665 https://sajbm.org/index.php/sajbm/article/view/5615/3666 https://sajbm.org/index.php/sajbm/article/view/5615/3667
 
Coverage — — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2026 Wayne E. Macpherson, Louise De Koker, Rodin Inglis, Sasha Boucher https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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