The discussion about Multi-Channel-Systems in retail business might not be new - but it has gained momentum against the background of consolidations and mergers, the devel- ment of information and communication technologies (ICT) and experiences of disillusi- ment with pure e-commerce players (Dohmann et al. 2002; Barth et al. 2007). This is additionally evidenced by the increasing number of academic publications and the gain in importance of multi-channel distribution in retail-practice - where many pure e-players have augmented their structure of distribution with alternative channels (Tang/Xing 2001; Schögel et al. 2004). Despite the lively discussions on the part of academic researchers and the growth of experience in practice, there is still an unsatisfactorily low level of knowledge - which might be the reason why companies often fail in the realization or achieve only suboptimal levels of channel in- gration - even though the domination of multi-channel companies in the B2C e-commerce s- tor (with the exception of a few companies, e. g. eBay or Amazon) implies a great potential for success (Hudetz/Baal 2005; Emrich 2008). For this reason most authors seem to agree upon the potential as well as the relevance of multi-channel distributors. Hudetz/Baal identify mul- channel companies a good starting base to get even more dominant in the future (Hudetz/Baal 2005, p. 136). Emrich agrees that multi-channel strategies might become crucial to survive (Emrich 2008, p. 1), and Ahlert/Hesse (2003) substantiate with empirical studies the preference that customers have for multi-channel distributors.

Prof. Dr. Peter Schnedlitz, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Austria

Interactive Web 2.0 Applications in the Multi-Channel Marketing for Retailers.- How to Maintain a Process Perspective on Retail Internationalization: The IKEA Case.- Trade Credit Periods in Retail Commerce for Products of Mass Consumption: An Application to Spanish Legislation.- Customer Satisfaction with Loyalty Card Programs in the Austrian Clothing Retail Sector - an Empirical Study of Performance Attributes Using Kanos Theory.- Clustering Customer Contact Sequences - Results of a Customer Survey in Retailing.- The In-Store Antecedents and Consequences of Perceived Shopping Value for Regularly Purchased Products.- Strategic Differentiation in the Japanese Convenience Store Business. The Example of Lawsons Format Variation.- Retailing in the United Kingdom - a Synopsis.- The Danish Retail Market: Overview and Highlights.