Supermarkets’Challenges in Selling Fresh Aquatic Products and the Significance of Wholesale Market Procurement, Focusing on Transaction Flexibility

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the significance of transaction flexibility (hereafter TF), which supermarkets (SMs) highly evaluate as a function of wholesale market agencies in consumption areas (WMAC). To achieve this objective, we reexamined the details of our previous questionnaire results, including a factor analysis of SMs’ evaluations of procurement channels, and conducted interviews with a large-scale SM. As a result, we thought that SMs face limitations in their ability to independently resolve sales and opportunity losses. Consequently, they rely on WMAC for lot adjustment and transaction risk aversion by postponing orders and utilizing small-lot-procurement. It suggests that WMAC’s ability to respond to TF would be a competitive advantage over other channels.