The processing of marketing research findings to summarize a situation, discover relationships between elements of the information, or to draw conclusions from them. See Marketing Research.

A name, term, trademark, logo, symbol, or design that successfully communicates a broad range of meaning about a product and its attributes.

A low-margin, GM/HBC store with approximately 28,000 square feet of selling space and 25,000 SKUs. These stores typically carry fewer sizes but more GM/HBC brands than a supermarket. Food accounts for 20% of store sales, e.g., Phar-Mor and Drug Emporium.

Responsible for the overall appearance and financial success of the store level department, including ordering and merchandising, controlling inventories, scheduling personnel, supervising staff performance and achieving financial targets.

Advertising sent to specific consumer segments using communication delivered by mail as opposed to the mass media. The primary benefit of this direct mail marketing technique is that it affords great selectivity in reaching target customers. An important benefit of direct mail is that the advertising message does not compete with other promotional communications.

A form of direct marketing that involves sending information through a mail process, physical or electronic, to potential customers.

Any method of distribution that gives the customer access to an organization's products and services without intermediaries; also, any communication from the producer that communicates with a target market to generate a revenue producing response.

System by which a manufacturer by-passes a wholesaler, delivering instead directly to the retailer.

The term is commonly used to denote advertising that is targeted to consumers, as opposed to businesses. Television ads, print ads in consumer publications, and radio ads are all forms of DTC advertising.

Supervises all stores in the company. Typical functions include strategic planning, financial goal-setting, store development, innovative marketing, overall staff development and operational controls.

A buying, warehousing and distributing organization that delivers merchandise to retail stores in their own trucks, i.e., a wholesaler or direct-buying retail chain.

Supervises a group of stores in a geographic area. Typical functions include planning store programs to build sales and profits, developing management staff, overseeing sales and profit targets and improving operational performance.

Sales manager with responsibility for the sales activities within a particular region or district.

A company who buys products from a manufacturer, has it in his warehouse, and sells it to wholesalers, retailers, etc. The purchase from the manufacturer is usually at below usual price due to overstocking, closeout, overabundance of deal-priced merchandise, etc., so that the diverter can sell to distributors below the manufacturer’s normal price.

A marketing manager with responsibility for the marketing activities of one of the operating divisions of a company.

A sales manager with responsibility for the sales activities of one of the operating divisions of a company.

Goods produced for the "do-it-yourself" market.