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New Perspectives on Retailing and Store Patronage Behavior, A study of the interface between retailers and consumers
... Spatial environmental factors relevant to shopping destination choice relate to the measurement of spatial separation. Factors, in terms of distance to be travelled or time for such a trip, have received much attention in research on shopping destination choice (see, for example, Stanley and Sewall, 1976;Fotheringham and Trew, 1993;Tang et al., 2001;Baltas and Papastathopoulou, 2003;Hansen and Solgaard, 2004;and Suárez et al., 2004) regarding the importance of the location or distance variable in shopping destination choice. Store selection criteria are designed to investigate reasons why a consumer patronises a particular shopping destination. ...
... Consequently, following similar decisions by Gautschi (1981); van der Heijden and Timmermans (1984) ;Fotheringham (1988 b ); Nisel (2001); Volle (2001); and Hansen and Solgaard (2004), the MNL model has been utilised in this study to examine consumers' shopping destination choice behaviour. ...
... From Table 1, since the -2LL value of distance is the largest, this seemingly infers that distance is the primary determinant affecting consumers' patronage behaviour. This result supported prior studies, for example, those of Timmermans (1982); Fotheringham (1988 a ); Tang et al. (2001);Óscar (2002), Suárez et al. (2004); and Hansen and Solgaard (2004), who employed distance as a major determinant to predict shopping destination choice behaviour. Thus, based on the findings, if the new retail development intends to capture more convenience goods shoppers, its location should be close to residential areas due to shoppers' primary consideration of short travelling distance. ...
Associate Professor of Real Estate Management Dept., Kun Shan University The study employed logistic regression models to investigate consumer shopping destination choice behavior for convenience goods shopping trips in Tainan urban area, Taiwan. First, the study found the complex polytomous logistic regression model did not contribute much understanding of households' shopping destination choice behavior compared with the simple dichotomous logistic regression model. Secondly, among major determinants, the study found spatial separation distance best explained respondents' shopping destination choice behavior, followed by store selection criteria. In contrast, demographic and socio-economic characteristics and attitudes towards shopping were less strongly explanatory.
... From the retailer's perspective, private labels are seen as a strategy to improve profitability and store image (Quelch & Harding, 1996). The image of a store in turn is regarded as critical to retail success given the impact it is considered to have on store patronage, loyalty and profitability (Hansen & Solgaard, 2004). This dissertation examines the link between private labels and store image. ...
... Quality is considered critical to achieving competitive advantage and is used by both practitioners and researchers to analyse key business indicators such as competitiveness, image and customer loyalty (Hansen & Solgaard, 2004). It is acknowledged, however, that there is some lack of clarity about the concept. ...
... For example, perceived product quality is defined as ―consumers' judgements regarding a product's overall excellence or superiority‖ (Zeithaml, 1988, p.3) or ―its ability to satisfy the expectations and needs of customers‖ (Bergman & Klefsjo, 1994, p.282, cited in Hansen, 2001). Secondly, the measurement of perceived quality can be problematic because it is subject to the consumer's own interpretation of its meaning (Hansen & Solgaard, 2004). ...
Private labels have become a major force in the global grocery market yet their market penetration varies between countries, retailers and product categories. Researchers have investigated consumer, retailer and market factors in a bid to identify and explain the determinants of private label success. While retailer differentiation has been recognised for some time as a key motivation for private labels, the link between retail image and private labels is currently receiving greater attention with the rise of the concept of retailer as brand. This concept is associated with major grocery retailers in developed European markets moving to enhance their overall image by coordinating all aspects of their operations, including their private labels. Although the wider store image literature suggests that store image and brand image are interdependent, only more recently has there been research of the role of store image in attitudes to private labels. This research addresses the gap in the literature by replicating and extending Collins-Dodd & Lindley’s (2003) (CDL) empirical study on the influence of store image on the perceptions of specific private labels. The New Zealand market context for the research allowed the relationship to be examined at two retail chain stores, both of which offered the same two private labels. The research confirms that store image is positively associated with attitudes to private labels, but finds that the nature of the store image determinants and their effect depend on both the retailer and the private label. Only weak support is found for CDL’s conclusion that attitudes to private labels are related to the unique positioning of stores. Rather, the quality of the store’s wider product assortment is the major determinant of attitude to private labels regardless of the store. These findings are at odds with the differentiation motive for private labels and point to the need for both practitioners and researchers to examine the ‘fit’ between store positioning and private label positioning. For retailers, the findings also highlight consumer reliance on extrinsic cues in the assessment of private label products, suggesting the need to reduce perceived private label risk. For researchers, the findings also suggest that store image should be incorporated in models predicting consumer proneness to private labels.
... Businesses view store image as decisive to retail success. It affects store patronage positively which leads to profitability (Hansen & Solgaard, 2004). According to Hansen & Solgaard (2004) consumers differentiate between stores on various attributes such as service, price and quality, the image and positioning of a store. ...
... It affects store patronage positively which leads to profitability (Hansen & Solgaard, 2004). According to Hansen & Solgaard (2004) consumers differentiate between stores on various attributes such as service, price and quality, the image and positioning of a store. Researchers have identified a variety of store image dimensions such as location, atmosphere, price, promotion, quality, variety and service (Ailawadi & Keller, 2004). ...
Organized retail is relatively a new phenomenon in India with hardly 20 years of momentum. There are only a handful of departmental store chains. The overall organized retail is about 8% in the total retail sales in India. National brands, on the other hand, are well-established and command a larger loyal customer base. Modern retailing is growing rapidly in India. This is also helping private labels to grow and capture lucrative market share. Private labels are posing formidable challenges to national brands and it seems very obvious that the present trend is favouring the popularity of private labels.
... Fox et al. (2004) concluded in their study on the impact of product variety and promotional activities on store choice that contrary to other findings in the literature, price has a low influence on store choice. Hansen and Solgaard (2004) found in their research that product variety significantly influences the choice of food retail store type, whereas quality and service level do not have any impact on the choice of food retail store type. Bellini et al. (2017) focused on shopping behavior in food market retailing, aiming to discover which factors lead to spontaneous purchases in retail stores. ...
Article Classification: Research Article Purpose-This paper aims to investigate consumers' impulse buying behavior on the basis of retailer equity, Islamic religiosity and food retailer preferences. Design/methodology/approach-Consumers aged 18 and over who live in Türkiye, who are assumed to have knowledge about their religious beliefs and will answer the questions asked in this context correctly, were reached by convenience sampling method. This study was conducted by using the online survey method with a sample size of 480 participants. The model in the research was tested with the regression analysing method by using scales arranged with explaratory analyses. Findings-The results of the study reveal that, the Islamic Religiosity Scale has a significant and negative effect on the Impulse Buying and the Retailer Equity Scale has a significant and positive effect on the Impulse Buying. It is seen that the Consumer Food Retailer Selection Scale does not have a significant effect on Impulse Buying. Discussion-Although the research findings, which show that consumers' religious beliefs do not have a significant effect on their grocery shopping, are not generalizable, they make the idea that the religious population, which constitutes two-thirds of Turkey's population, use their religious beliefs as a guide in their grocery choices debatable.
... Price and quality acts as key business indicator to be used by both practitioners and researchers for assessing competitiveness, image and customer loyalty (Hansen and Solgaard, 2004;Di Fatta and Nania, 2018). Perceived product quality is defined as "consumers' judgements regarding a product's overall excellence or superiority" (Zeithaml, 1988) or its "ability to satisfy the expectations and needs of customers" (Bergman and Klefsjo, 1994). ...
... Price and quality acts as key business indicator to be used by both practitioners and researchers for assessing competitiveness, image and customer loyalty (Hansen and Solgaard, 2004;Di Fatta and Nania, 2018). Perceived product quality is defined as "consumers' judgements regarding a product's overall excellence or superiority" (Zeithaml, 1988) or its "ability to satisfy the expectations and needs of customers" (Bergman and Klefsjo, 1994). ...
... Locations of retailers must be accessible to the potential target group of customers [10]. A far distance has a negative effect on the selection of a retail store through reducing frequency of customers visiting a store [11]. Stores located in the centre of a city benefit from their next door to remote customers [12]. ...
... Promotion frequency of stores have further been dosclosed influencing consumers' store choice behavior (Fox et al. 2004). In a study of the Danish grocery retailing industry, Hansen and Solgaard (2004) showed product assortment as the most influential variable, followed by price level and location. These findings are in line with what was found by Baltas and Papastathopoulu (2003) in a study of the Greek grocery retailing sector, reporting assortment, quality, store brands, and location as the main attributes affecting consumers' patronage behavior. ...
... Howard and Sheth (1969) overlook visual stimuli influence. Even theories with different perspectives such as value, credence and information have insufficient analyses on the visual impact at the point of sale and are less useful after the market has become too complex and blurred (Hansen and Solgaard 2004). A model which assumes consumers have a full overview of all product attributes seems inadequate in describing purcbase decisions taken in front of tbe shelf and in a hurry (Pieters et al. 1999). ...
This article describes the impact of visual attention on consumers' in-store buying behaviour. Through an eye-track experiment, it demonstrates the advantage of a behaviour model that addresses visual attention and an increase in visual stimuli during the process. It reveals that consumers exhibit a muddled search strategy where packaging design influences the decision process in several phases. Five phases were found in an in-store decision process, and the post-purchase phase seems to be essential for even low-level in-store decision processes. Further knowledge on packaging design elements is needed for a broader understanding of visual influence during in-store purchase decisions.
... For example, clear identification of various retailer equity dimensions should help marketing managers to design better positioning strategies. ''The environment in which the consumer must plan and execute his/her behaviour has become increasingly complex'' (Hansen and Solgaard, 2004, p. 112). In such a complex environment it would be useful for marketers to build retailer equity. ...
This research extends the consumer-based brand equity measurement approach to the measurement of the equity associated with retailers. This paper also addresses some of the limitations associated with current retailer equity measurement such as a lack of clarity regarding its nature and dimensionality. We conceptualise retailer equity as a four-dimensional construct comprising retailer awareness, retailer associations, perceived retailer quality, and retailer loyalty. The paper reports the result of an empirical study of a convenience sample of 601 shopping mall consumers at an Australian state capital city. Following a confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modelling to examine the dimensionality of the retailer equity construct, the proposed model is tested for two retailer categories: department stores and speciality stores. Results confirm the hypothesised four-dimensional structure.
... For example, clear identification of various retailer equity dimensions should help marketing managers to design better positioning strategies. ''The environment in which the consumer must plan and execute his/her behaviour has become increasingly complex'' (Hansen and Solgaard, 2004, p. 112). In such a complex environment it would be useful for marketers to build retailer equity. ...
Existing retailer equity measurement methods suffer from limitations such as the lack of discriminant indicators. In this paper, retailer equity is conceptualised as a four dimensional construct consistent with the literature. Retailer awareness, retailer associations, perceived retailer quality, and retailer loyalty are the four dimensions proposed. The study relies on data collected from a convenience sample of 600 shopping mall consumers at an Australian state capital city. Following a confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modelling to examine the dimensionality of the retailer equity construct, the proposed model is tested for two retailer categories: department stores and speciality stores (e.g. clothing). Results have implications for retailers in Australia and New Zealand.
This article looks at how customers purchase Amul products, focussing on thoothukudi City specifically. To acquire data, a handy sampling procedure tool was used. This study used a sample size of 120 clients. Data is gathered via questionnaires. Positive purchasing behaviour indicates that consumers have high purchasing behaviour. To boost the company's sales even more, the product's promotional tactics can be enhanced. Consequently, the research suggests that the product has a good reach in Thoothukudi city due to the positive purchase behaviour of the consumers.
En los últimos años, Colombia ha presentado un incremento gradual de los hoy denominados superetes, un establecimiento intermedio entre la tienda de barrio y el supermercado. En estos, el cliente encuentra un establecimiento de gran calidad y variedad de productos, en un espacio reducido a una corta distancia de las zonas residenciales, lo cual le brinda una serie de ventajas en la capacidad de pago, cercanía, servicio personalizado y calidez humana.El presente artículo tiene como finalidad el dar a conocer un análisis a las actividades de marketing aplicadas por las tiendas de formato superetes de la ciudad de Barranquilla, este trabajo es el resultado de una investigación cuantitativa que busca exponer una realidad social por medio de un estudio descriptivo aplicando un método deductivo, por medio de una herramienta de recolección de información documental y aplicación de entrevistas de percepción a diferentes consumidores de este formato en la ciudad mencionada.Po ello, se destaca la importancia de los superetes como un formato comercial intermedio que ha ganado una fuerte presencia en la ciudad de Barranquilla en los últimos años. Estos han logrado posicionarse en el mercado y obtener una participación significativa en la venta de productos de consumo masivo.
Marketing strategy is the fundamental theme of the entire company, be it a small business or a well-known multinational corporation. The task and task of the organization is to formulate, establish and implement a coherent and elegant marketing strategy to promote its business development to attract the right types of customers and allocate resources for business growth. It does this by using profitability as a measure of business growth. Largely assessed financial efficiency. This search has led to increased competition in the Kenyan hotel industry. This has resulted in hotels developing lean marketing strategies to maintain their relevance in the extremely aggressive Kenyan hotel market. The1main1goals1for1this1findings1is1to1find1out the impacts of marketing mix on business growth in 51star1hotels1in1Nairobi1City1County1Kenya.1A1case1of1Hilton hotel. This study aims to test the degree of product differentiation in marketing strategy: the impact of price marketing strategy, niche marketing strategy, and advertising marketing strategy on profitability, market share, Hilton Kenya consumer service and sales quantity, effects of product differentiation strategy, pricing strategy, placement strategy and advertising strategy on the earnings, market values, number of customers, customer service and volume. Nairobi sales department. Research will rely on the Promotion Mix Theory, Marketing Mix Model, and Marketing Impact and Continuity Model in order to provide a more proper knowledge of the marketing mix and business growth. The study population includes 5-star hotels in Nairobi City County, Kenya, including Sankara Nairobi, Dusit D2 Nairobi, Villa Rosa Kempinski, Sarova Stanley, and Hilton Nairobi. 5 Star Hotels in Nairobi, Kenya The target group will be 84 employees outside of the Hilton hotel headquarters in Nairobi. A stratified random sample is utilized to sample 42 employees at the headquarters, who make up 50% of the total population be to choose a delegate and unbiased sample in order to improve the reliability and validity of the survey results. The questionnaire is used as a data collection tool. A questionnaire will be sent to the research director to check its effectiveness and a pilot study will be undertaken to improve the reliability of the instrument. The quantitative evaluation of the data is carried out with the software SPSS Version 21 and is represented by applying tables of statistical distribution, charts, and pie charts for easy comprehensive. On the other hand, analyzing the qualitative data through content analysis, the research will help various stakeholders of the Hilton hotels understand the importance of the marketing mix and its impact on the business growth of the organization and provide references for forthcoming researchers and academics.
Retail market in India is becoming bigger with the multinational and national brands making rapid changes in order to survive in the highly competitive environment. The changes are not limited to the type of retail format but include all the factors which can improve consumer buying experience. Therefore, the current study seeks to develop a conceptual framework for analyzing the impact of retail marketing mix such as product, services offered, brand, customer perception, customer attitude, promotional measure of the selected mall on its customer satisfaction, patronage intention, patronage behavior and word of mouth using primary data in Nagpur city. The study measure the performance of selected malls and retail outlets situated in Nagpur city. The nature of research is descriptive. A structured questionnaire was designed and distributed among 200 respondents, who have made recent purchases from supermarket operated in Nagpur through convenience sampling. Data was collected by visiting supermarkets multiple times on different timings incorporating more and less crowded situations. Cross tabulation, ANOVA, regression and correlation tests are applied to know the statistical significant relationship among variables.
В условията на глобализация пазарът на потребителски стоки е изправен пред множество предизвикателства. В настоящата разработка са изследвани съвременните търговски формати на пазара на потребителски стоки, получили широко разрастване и популярност през последните 10 години в България. Значимостта на изследването се определя от сложните процеси на трансформация, при които съвременните търговски формати ще заемат доминираща позиция на пазара на потребителски стоки. Това изисква широко и задълбочено изследване на същността, класификацията, характерните черти, предимствата, недостатъците и перспективите за развитие на съвременните търговски формати. Динамичното развитие на съвременните търговски формати на пазара на потребителски стоки, след първоначалната им поява, се свързва както със стратегията за териториална експанзия, така и със стратегиите на специализация и диференциация.
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Стоянов, М. Съвременни търговски формати за пазара на потребителски стоки в Република България. Варна: Унив. изд. “Наука и икономика”, 2011, 246 с.
Much of the literature on the attractiveness and pleasantness of retail stores has focused on the critical influence of store atmosphere or ambient attributes, which influence customer satisfaction and store choice. However, little is known about the environmental cues that influence customers’ satisfaction in different shopping contexts. In this context, the present research aims to answer the following questions: “Are the store atmospheric variables equally relevant in hedonic and utilitarian shopping?”; and further: “Does the influence of store environment on customer satisfaction vary depending on the type of shopping?”. For this purpose an empirical research is developed through PLS Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) based on data obtained from hedonic (n = 210) and utilitarian (n = 267) shopping contexts. Results indicate that customers perceive differently store atmospherics in utilitarian and in hedonic shopping. More precisely, findings report that customer satisfaction is driven by internal ambient and merchandise layout in hedonic shopping contexts; while the external ambient and the merchandise layout are major atmospheric cues in utilitarian shopping. Interestingly, store crowding does not influence customers’ satisfaction. This study provides a deeper understanding into the specific store attributes that influence customer satisfaction, which could be used by retailers to differentiate themselves from competitors.
The aim of this chapter was to examine the effect of individual factors (price
consciousness, quality consciousness, value consciousness, frugality, and risk
aversion) and consumer perceptions regarding store characteristics on the attitude and purchase intention towards private label products. The data acquired from consumers shopping from two supermarkets providing private label products in the province of Yalova in Turkey via face-to-face questionnaire method were tested by way of structural equation modeling. It was observed as a result of the analysis that quality consciousness, value consciousness, price image, and product variety image have an effect on the attitude towards private label products. It was also determined that the attitude towards private label products has an effect on purchase intention and that the private label product purchase intention is effective on actual purchasing. Based on the aforementioned findings, strategies were taken into consideration that should be adopted by private label product retailers in their stores.
The growing Indian retail market has attracted a number of foreign retailers and domestic corporates to invest in this sector. But the entry of foreign retailers is currently restricted by the Indian Government for protecting the large segment of domestic retailers. Before these restrictions are lifted there exists an opportunity for Indian retailers to equip themselves in facing competition from foreign players. The need to understand how customers shop and address their expectations on par with foreign retailers is the key for Indian retailers to compete strongly with foreign retailers. offers a more pleasant shopping experience, this fosters a good mood, resulting in greater spending. Apart from store choice factors, store atmospherics, as they impact on perceptions of shopping as a fun and enjoyable experience, are an important strategic tool in proper management for competitive advantage. Thus, in terms of modern retail context, the purpose of current research is to gain an insight into the formation of store satisfaction and loyalty. This importance of gaining a better understanding of loyalty is underscored by the impact of retail sector on the Indian economy. This research proposes to test theoretical loyalty framework by employing the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model to explore store To test the conceptual model, 611 responses on convenience basis are collected using a survey questionnaire. Preliminary analyses resulted in reliability and validity of the data. Data were analysed using structural equation modeling approach vi for refinement and testing of the study model. Several hypotheses examining the effects of store atmospheric elements on customers affective evaluations and cognitive evaluations, which in turn effect store satisfaction and store loyalty, were found to be significant as proposed except for a few which were not significant. The acceptable model fit of the proposed research model and the variances explained by independent variables in dependent variables suggested that the model
The purpose of this research was to examine the influence of online retailer models on Indian consumer’s attitude towards retail websites and their purchase intentions. Using an online shopping scenario, a case study was conducted on 240 postgraduate marketing students at an Indian university to evaluate the effects of two online shopping website factors on the user’s attitude towards retail websites and their purchase intentions. The findings of the study suggest that players in the e-tailing business should increasingly move towards multi category purchase model to increase the purchase intentions of the consumers. They also need to constantly review and upgrade the services offered to ensure increased intentions to purchase. The findings can enable online retailers in India to explore and shape the Internet as the next big business opportunity.
There exists a vast body of literature on brand equity (BE). In comparison, research on its application to retailers is scarce and more recent. This review brings together strands from the fragmented literature on BE of retailers. Active research on retailer’s equity began only in the recent decade, though earlier scholars have hinted at the existence of the phenomenon previously. Therefore, conceptualisation of retail equity is still in want of consensus. This article synthesises empirical evidence on operationalisation of retailer brand equity (RBE), validation of its frameworks and its antecedent–consequent relationships. We reviewed 160 BE-related papers, a majority of which focused on retail brands. The more relevant of these research articles were published during the years 2003–2014. Results of these researches have been distilled into an integrative model for RBE.
This study reviews consumer purchasing of locally produced foods in retail grocery stores. A U.S. sample of 590 consumers was drawn via an online survey, with structural equation modeling used to assess hypothesized relationships of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, intention to purchase, extent of purchase, and the moderating effects of shopping channel type. Results from structural model testing suggested that all hypothesized relationships except that of purchase intention and extent of purchase were found to be significant, with group differences existing between supercenters/warehouses and farmers’ market shopping channels. Implications and future research directions are provided.
Previous studies have demonstrated that when the social context entails possible public scrutiny, consumers may change their judgments and choices to what is perceived to be socially desirable, while they may incorporate more variety seeking when they are making choices for others rather than for themselves. Building upon previous research and in an attempt to better understand consumers’ variety-seeking tendencies, this study aims to uncover the underlying mechanisms for the self–other difference in the variety seeking tendency via experimental designs. This article discusses individual differences of gender, self-monitoring and maximizing tendency with respect to self–other differences when consumers incorporate variety seeking. Consistent with the proposed hypotheses, the results indicate that the individuals’ differences tested in this article moderate the effects of self–other differences on variety seeking. Finally, the academic and practical implications are addressed.
Purpose
– The aim of this paper is to address intertype cross-shopping behavior – that is, the behavior that characterizes consumers who divide their grocery shopping between two or more different food formats. In particular, the study attempts to shed light on the cross-shopping phenomenon by employing a new research approach that examines format-selective use. Thus, the study examines how various factors, especially way of life aspects typically associated with food consumption, drive consumers to cross-shop between different food formats.
Design/methodology/approach
– The study employs data collected from two surveys involving 637 Israeli Jewish and Arab consumers. The conceptual framework and hypothesis are tested using multiple regression analyses.
Findings
– The empirical results support our claim that the research approach applied in this study better explains the cross-shopping phenomenon. Specifically, the analysis provides strong support for the effect of consumers' way of life on cross-shopping behavior.
Practical implications
– The paper provides managerial and planning implications to modern retailers and managers of international retail firms that operate in or plan to enter non-Western markets.
Originality/value
– This paper contributes to the available literature in several ways. In particular, the paper suggests a systematic and comprehensive conceptual framework that identifies the key determinants of cross-shopping decisions and the relations between these and supermarkets' market share growth.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the responses of women college students to discount stores and category killers in terms of the importance of seven‐store characteristics as well as their expectations for these attributes. Another purpose was to determine differences, if any, between these two store formats. Further the moderating variables of shopping frequency and orientation were introduced to determine if they influenced the results.
Design/methodology/approach
Personal interviews were used to collect data from a random sample of women college students from one university through the administration of a structured survey instrument. Statistical analyses were employed to generate the results.
Findings
Differences were found in the respondents' perceptions for both importance and expectations for six of the seven‐store attributes. For one characteristic, continuity of supply, no differences emerged and this characteristic was deemed important for both store formats. Moderating variables did not alter the results.
Research limitations/implications
Given the limited nature of the sample, there is a need for replication of this research in other geographic regions, including international sites in order to corroborate these findings. Also, replication with men is needed.
Practical implications
This study provides guidance to both discount store and category killer executives on the types of strategies and tactics needed to better attract and retain women college students.
Originality/value
Attention was directed to women college students, a highly desired but often neglected market segment. Further, continuity of supply, an attribute not often indicated in most retailing texts emerged as very important and highly expected by respondents.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the role of gender, food health involvement, and food health information competency in predicting consumer food health information seeking.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual model for predicting consumer food health information seeking is proposed. The predicting constructs are general food health involvement, general food health competency, product‐specific health involvement, and product‐specific food health competency. The relationships between construct are estimated using structural equation modelling. Data were collected in a nationally representative consumer‐panel among 504 Danish consumers using a questionnaire.
Findings
The results suggest that improving consumers' general food health involvement may only lead to increased product‐specific health information seeking if consumers at the same time are involved in the specific product category. The results also revealed that women are generally more food health involved than men but did not support previous research suggesting that women also are more knowledgeable about healthy food and that they more often seek product‐specific food health‐related information.
Research limitations/implications
This research concentrated on analysing one food product, salad dressing. A large cross‐section of products ought to be studied to improve the generalizability of the obtained result and thus future research may wish to incorporate a wider range of food products.
Practical implications
The results suggest that food authorities and/or food marketers seeking to promote a healthy life‐style should consider providing examples of healthy product categories (food authorities) and/or particular products (food marketers) along with their general health information.
Originality/value
This paper empirically investigates gender along with a number of mental constructs for the purpose of understanding consumers' food health information seeking. Also, the paper explores age and educational level as possible moderating variables of the consumer food health information seeking process.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast customer perceptions related to satisfaction with conventional grocery stores as compared to specialty grocery stores. The study examines store attributes of product assortment, price, quality, and service in order to determine which attributes have the greatest impact on store satisfaction for each store format.
Design/methodology/approach
A mail survey was sent to a sample of specialty and conventional grocery store customers. The ten state sample was drawn from US households located in postal (ZIP) codes in areas where national specialty stores (e.g. whole foods) were located.
Findings
Perception of satisfaction were higher among specialty grocery store customers compared to conventional grocery store customers. For both store formats, store price, product assortment, service and quality positively influenced satisfaction. Stepwise regression indicated that each store attribute contributed differently to store satisfaction for conventional and specialty store formats.
Research limitations/implications
The results demonstrate that price, product assortment, quality, and employee service influence store satisfaction regardless of store type (conventional stores or specialty stores). However, the degree of influence of these attributes varied by store type. The results imply that while specialty store shopper satisfaction characteristics are clearly delineated, conventional store shopper characteristics are more difficult to pinpoint. Research limitations include a sample that is more highly educated and has higher incomes than the average American household.
Originality/value
Despite the growth of new product categories and new industry players, few studies have investigated customer satisfaction within the retail food industry. Comparisons of specialty and conventional food stores are equally scarce.
Purpose
The paper proposes to investigate empirically consumers' quality perception of shrimps and cheese.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 320 respondents was included in an experimental design in which two food products, shrimps and cheese, two price‐levels, two levels of purchase involvement, and two types of physical surroundings, elegant and less elegant, were manipulated. The experiments included both simulated buying situations and simulated usage situations.
Findings
The research finds that in the buying situation both experiments perceived price had a positive effect on expected eating quality for high‐involved respondents but not for low‐involved respondents. In the usage situation the effect of expected naturalness on experienced naturalness was in both experiments stronger for high‐involved respondents than for low‐involved respondents. In addition, experienced eating quality positively affected respondents' pleasure‐feeling. The positive effect of experienced eating quality on pleasure‐feeling was stronger for respondents exposed to elegant physical surroundings than for respondents exposed to less elegant surroundings.
Research limitations/implications
This research concentrated on analyzing two food products, fresh‐shelled shrimps and solid cheese. This could mean that the results may suffer from a lack of generalizability. A large cross‐section of products ought to be studied to improve the generalizability of the results. Also, the manipulation of price and physical surroundings were confined to two different levels. Thus, this research offers no specific guidelines on how to set specific prices or how to establish specific physical surroundings for the purpose of manipulating, e.g. consumers' perceived quality.
Practical implications
The results emphasize that food producers and retailers, among others, should seek an understanding of consumers' quality perception process in relation to both the buying and the usage situation.
Originality/value
This paper empirically investigates consumers' quality perception in both buying and usage situations. Also, the paper includes purchase involvement and physical surroundings as moderating variables of the quality perception process.
This study investigated the influence of expectations and evaluation of functional and social attributes on Indian consumers' food retail loyalty. Structural equation modeling results indicate that social self-congruity is an important determinant of food store patronage in India. Food assortment and services are critical drivers of supermarket loyalty, whereas relative advantage is the only determinant of store loyalty among traditional food retail customers. Positive store experiences lead to increased store commitment and perception of greater relative advantage for traditional retail shoppers, whereas positive store experiences increase switching costs for supermarket customers. Implications for food market entry into India are presented.
Purpose
To provide a general understanding of grocery consumers' retail format choice in the US marketplace.
Design/methodology/approach
A random sample of US grocery consumers ( N =454) was surveyed using a self‐administered questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques (regression, ANOVA) were used to evaluate the data.
Findings
Identifies demographic groups who frequent specific formats (specialty grocers, traditional supermarkets, supercenters, warehouse clubs, internet grocers) and examines store attributes (e.g. price competitiveness, product selection, and atmosphere) as drivers of format choice.
Research limitations/implications
The results included in this research were gathered and reported on an individual format basis. In order to capture consumer choices across a range of grocery retail formats, forcing respondents to compare formats was not initiated. In addition, data pertaining to whether consumers had access to each and every type of format in the study were not collected. Examination of how dimensions of consumer access limit or expand retail patronage behavior could also be highly beneficial to grocery retailers.
Practical implications
This research provides grocery retailers that operate within the USA specific knowledge of the attributes that consumers consider to be most important when making format choices (e.g. cleanliness, price competitiveness, product assortment, courtesy of personnel), and identifies the demographic characteristics of these consumers. The results suggest marketing strategy implications for grocery retailers that operate in the US market. As competition in the sector continues to evolve and consumer demographics change within the US market, understanding the consumer‐format choice linkage will be critical to retailer performance in the industry.
Originality/value
This exploratory study uses demographics and store attributes as a framework for profiling consumers by their ultimate retail format choice. The paper is unique because there are few similar empirical studies focused on the US grocery sector.
Purpose
This paper seeks to provide an updated, general understanding of supercenter shopping behavior in the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs a sample generated from Retail Forward panel data to assess the impact of demographic variables, including gender, age, ethnicity, education, income, marital status, and household size, on supercenter shopping frequency across four product categories (apparel, health and beauty, home furnishings, and consumer electronics). Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques (regression, ANOVA) are used to evaluate the data.
Findings
The paper identifies demographic groups who frequent supercenters and examines patronage motives as drivers of supercenter shopping behavior.
Research limitations/implications
Generalizations of the findings of this study to markets outside the USA are limited due to the differences in consumers and retail formats available in various countries. Future research could compare shopping behavior within large formats across international markets.
Practical implications
This research provides supercenter retailers who operate within the USA with specific knowledge of the patronage motives driving cross‐category shopping in supercenters (e.g. value, one‐stop shopping convenience, brands, product assortment) and identifies the demographic characteristics of cross‐category shoppers. The results suggest marketing strategy implications for supercenter operators in the US market. As competition in the sector continues to evolve and consumer demographics change within the US market, understanding cross‐category shopping will be critical to retailer performance in the industry.
Originality/value
This study uses demographics and patronage motives as a framework for profiling cross‐category shoppers in the US supercenters. The paper is unique because there are few similar empirical studies which focus on consumer behavior within supercenters.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether consumer supermarket satisfaction is influenced by the mere composition of consumers' preference structure, as opposed to more widespread approaches where consumer satisfaction is regarded as the degree to which consumer expectations and/or preferences are met.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data were collected from 130 consumers using self‐administered questionnaires. Structural equation modelling was used to test the authors' proposed hypotheses.
Findings
According to consumers, not many supermarkets offer high quality at low prices, suggesting that consumers with a high‐quality/low‐price preference structure should be disconfirmed and thus dissatisfied. However, this study finds that – when patronising discount stores and upscale stores – consumers who attach high weight to quality and price are likely to become more satisfied than consumers who attach only medium weight to both parameters. For traditional supermarkets (i.e. supermarkets offering medium quality at medium prices) satisfaction occurs equally for both groups of consumers.
Practical implications
Consumers' level of satisfaction with various retailers may not solely be determined by matching preferences with retail offerings, but may also be based on considerations of possibilities for mental justification within a certain preference structure. It is therefore important that managers seek to understand the process of mental justification that may be associated with their offerings, and also the various possibilities for offering mental markers (i.e. anything the consumer can use for the purpose of gaining mental justification of her/his supermarket choices) to be used by consumers.
Originality/value
The authors' results suggest that retailers providing medium quality at medium prices are “stocked in the middle” even though their value package may seem fair when calculated as value=quality/price. Specifically, consumers with a high‐quality/low‐price preference structure can more easily justify visits to retailers providing either high quality at high prices or low quality at low prices; this being the case even though their value preference is only partially served.
Purpose
This research seeks to accomplish two objectives: to extend the test of the functional relationship between store image attributes and customer satisfaction in the market environment of Greece; and to investigate the stability of the structural relationships between store image attributes and customer satisfaction across different customer groups.
Design/methodology/approach
The literature concerning major store image attributes was systematically reviewed. After assessing the construct validity of the store image attributes based on confirmatory factor analysis, a path model specifying the relationships between store image attributes and customer satisfaction was estimated. A multigroup analysis was conducted to test the invariance of structural paths between store image attributes and customer satisfaction for different customer profiles.
Findings
On appraising the store customer's personal variables four specific types of buyers, namely, the Typical, the Unstable, the Social, and the Occasional, were identified. While four of the six considered store attributes appear to be significant determinants of customer satisfaction, when examined for the degree of invariance between the four groups only Pricing and Products‐related attributes were equally significant in all four groups.
Research limitations/implications
The results of the study may vary with national context, size, strategic position of supermarkets, and other customer personal variables (i.e. lifestyle) suggesting future research opportunities.
Practical implications
The results facilitate the comprehension of the role that specific store attributes have on the satisfaction of store visitors with different profiles. In addition, the results expand the retail manager's knowledge on consumer behaviour, with rational motives (product and price‐related).
Originality/value
The results expand one's knowledge on this relationship, propounding interesting empirical evidence of the model invariance among different consumer profiles.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify website characteristics that affect customer evaluations and satisfaction with online stores at two interaction points – when the order is placed and after the order has been fulfilled.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data collected by bizrate.com, data collected from customers of thousands of online stores, the analysis focuses on the changes in the relationships between website characteristics and customer ratings. Data for two‐time periods, 15 months apart, are used to determine the stability in the observed relationships.
Findings
Order fulfillment variables, particularly on‐time delivery, dominate the effects on overall customer evaluations and satisfaction. The statistical significance of other online store attributes, however, changes as differences are observed between 2003 and 2004.
Research limitations/implications
The online environment is dynamic and the paper captures some of the changes in the relationships between website attributes and customer satisfaction. This requires continuous monitoring of the online environment. Since the paper relies on secondary data collected by bizrate.com, the research is limited by specific website attributes and measures of customer satisfaction adopted by a commercial enterprise.
Practical implications
Online retailers must be strategic about fulfillment variables. When online stores compete with each other, it is easier to copy certain attributes like “shipping options” than other attributes such as “on‐time delivery.” This suggests that the most creative, interactive, and vivid online site will not compensate for weak fulfillment and customer support capabilities.
Originality/value
No other paper has looked at these data, collected from real customers making purchases at actual merchant sites, over two time periods. The results provide insights regarding stability of findings.
Consumer choice of retail outlet is often overlooked in explaining purchase behaviour in the organic food market. This paper uses theory from applied marketing research to identify the variables affecting consumer choice of retail outlet and finds that they play a determining role in whether or not consumers buy organic food. A grounded theory approach was used. The results confirmed the importance of variables previously identified in the literature in relation to the individual consumer, such as habit and budget, as well as those that relate to the retail outlet, such as convenience and product range. In addition, two new variables were identified that relate to whom the consumer was buying for and whether they are shopping alone or with others. This study focuses on the vast majority of organic food consumers. They are switchers because they purchase both organic and conventional products, rather than solely organic, or solely conventional. It concludes that choice of retail outlet adds to our understanding of their behaviour and that it facilitates identification of important implications for marketers. At a fundamental level, as some consumers actively seek out organic food on certain occasions it is important for retail outlets make them aware that they sell organic food and to stimulate sales with special offers. Further, smaller retailers, such as food co-ops or health food shops, should focus on providing a limited range of organic products and accept that they will not be able to match the convenience offered by supermarkets in terms of opening hours.
On the basis of a review of previous attempts to model the quality perception process, this paper presents a new model for understanding the consumer food quality perception process. It is argued that previous models suffer from two major shortcomings: (1) they focus too narrowly on the material quality dimensions of the product; in connection with food products in particular, it could be claimed that immaterial quality dimensions could have at least the same influence on consumers' quality perception; and (2) with a few exceptions, the models do not include the significance of the usage situation for consumer quality perception to any sufficient extent.
Since the early 1990s, big box stores have profoundly modified the retail structure of Canadian cities. This entails multiple consequences, beyond the mere competition between establishments, for the evolving relationships between diversity of retail forms, consumer behaviour and urban planning. These relationships are explored in the Québec Metropolitan Community, using detailed databases, including establishment directories, mobility surveys and a virtual road network, integrated into a regional GIS. Trade areas of commercial streets, shopping centers and big box stores are delineated and analyzed. Consumers' attributes, such as age, gender, type of household, mode of transport, which putatively influence the probability of patronizing one type of retail cluster compared to another type, are modelled using logistic regression. The influence of the relative location of cluster types on their capacity to attract consumers is also modelled in order to gain some understanding of the competition among and between types. The analysis suggests that, by and large, the growing number of big box stores has more negative consequences for shopping centres than they have for commercial streets. The study also clearly reveals the growing importance of shopping trips in the mobility profile of households and provides a knowledge base useful for urban planning.
Typescript (Photocopy). Thesis (B. Arch.)--Montana State University, 1990. Includes bibliographical references.
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