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Abstract
The vendor selection decisions of industrial buyers have been studied extensively. A conjoint method was employed to analyze the use of 8 vendor selection criteria by 62 retail buyers representing 4 divisions of a department store in the mid-Atlantic states. A hierarchy of effects, dominated by selling history, markup, and delivery, was established. Merchandise quality and fashionability were of secondary importance, while reputation, service, and country of origin had little, if any, effect on vendor selection decision. Differences were found among home division, ready-to-wear, and accessories buyers in their use of selling history and markup. While it appears appropriate to borrow industrial buying models to study retail buyer behavior, some modification of these models may be necessary to adequately describe the retail buying process. The strength of selling history and markup suggests that retail buyers are unique among organizational buyers in serving as both purchasing agents and marketing managers.