Retailing

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"Retail" redirects here. For the comic strip by Norm Feuti, see

Retail (comic strip).
Drawing of a self-service store.
Retailing consists of the sale of goods or merchandise from a fixed

location, such as a department store or kiosk, or by post, in small

or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser.[1]

Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery.

Purchasers may be individuals or businesses. In commerce, a

retailer buys goods or products in large quantities from

manufacturers or importers, either directly or through a

wholesaler, and then sells smaller quantities to the end-user.

Retail establishments are often called shops or stores.

Retailers are at the end of the supply chain. Manufacturing

marketers see the process of retailing as a necessary part

of their overall distribution strategy.
Shops may be on residential streets, shopping streets with

few or no houses, or in a shopping center or mall, but are

mostly found in the central business district. Shopping

streets may be for pedestrians only. Sometimes a shopping

street has a partial or full roof to protect customers from

precipitation. In the U.S., retailers often provided boardwalks

in front of their stores to protect customers from the mud.

Online retailing, also known as e-commerce is the latest

form of non-shop retailing (cf. mail order).
Shopping generally refers to the act of buying products.

Sometimes this is done to obtain necessities such as food

and clothing; sometimes it is done as a recreational activity.

Recreational shopping often involves window shopping

(just looking, not buying) and browsing and does not

always result in a purchase.