Retailing refers to the sale of merchandise from a fixed location, whether it is a physical location as in a down-town dress boutique or virtual location as in an online computer store. Retailer is the term used to mean those businesses involved in retailing and is often called shop or store. Establishments that distribute services or public utilities to a large population is also called a retailer.
Sale of merchandise
Retailing is considered a crucial part of the overall distribution strategy of manufacturing marketers. Retailers buy large quantities of inventory from manufacturers, suppliers, importers, or wholesalers and then resell inventory in smaller quantities to end-users. Hence, they are at the end of the supply chain. Shopping, or the buying of products or services, is a term often associated with retailing. Thus, buyers are also called shoppers.
