The web as a complementary marketing tool to small and
medium-sized firms’ wholesale activities: an exploratory and
descriptive case-study of footwear wholesalers view of
retailers and the Internet in the United Kingdom

Abstract: Marketing on the Internet is a hot topic with predictions of especially the
business-to-business area to increase continuously. It is a wide area where
information technology, marketing and additional areas together create new
rules and conditions for businesses of all sizes in all industries.

The purpose of this thesis has been to investigate the impact of the
Internet on small and medium-sized footwear wholesale organisations’ sales
activities as a complementary marketing effort. Especially, this thesis is
looking at how wholesalers’ perceive small independent retail
organisations’ use the Internet when buying for reselling and how to apply
this to a wholesale perspective as an Internet marketing framework.

The research has been conducted through a case study approach and is mainly
exploratory including some descriptive and explanatory elements. An
interview has been conducted with the case company and seven interviews
have been carried out with wholesalers’ that correlate to the case-company
situation. In addition, a literature study has been performed to
investigate wholesalers’ possibilities via the Internet.

The results show that wholesalers perceive that independent retailers do
not use the Internet much when searching for potential suppliers and
products. However, when they so do, it is highly individual how the
Internet is being used. This is influenced, and largely also decided, by
the owner or managing director, often due to the fact that such
organisation are family businesses. This show that the impact of the
Internet on small footwear wholesalers’ sales activities as a complementary
marketing effort is currently low. Despite this, an Internet marketing
framework is presented regarding web design, search engine optimisation and
relationship marketing to apply to wholesalers in the footwear sector in a
good manner.