An evaluation of marketing research techniques in three case studies

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston Universit

What is the next chapter in the organized food retail industry in Portugal, up to 2030, and what are the strategic options that should be considered for strategy formulation? - Evolving supply chain management: internet of things

This project focus on the analysis of the organized food retail industry in Portugal, up to 2030. For this purpose, four scenarios were created using two critical uncertainties-shoppers’ e-commerce usage and producers’ direct-to-consumer adoption-and recommendations were developed. Moreover, the applications and impact that Internet of Things can have in supply chain management were considered for analysis, as this technology is evolving and already disrupting the way the supply chain operates. It is concluded that the key break throughs are on processes optimization, control of operations, communication across the whole supply chain and the information extracted throughout the full process

Examining the role of store design on consumers’ cross-sectional perceptions of retail brand loyalty

This paper compares new and established store design prototypes of the same retailer to examine the role of consumers’ cross-sectional perceptions of retail brand loyalty. In-store surveys were administered to capture consumers’ store-level perceptions towards a new store prototype and an older established prototype of the same fast fashion retailer. The data was subjected to multi-group analyzes with structural equations modeling. The findings suggest that store novelty and complexity promote both store design pleasure and retail brand loyalty outcomes. The different store designs do not, however, account for differences in brand loyalty perceptions at the overall retailer level when multi-group comparisons of both store designs are made. Consumers of newer store designs are found to possess a heightened sensitivity to price perceptions. Managerial implications of the effects of store novelty and complexity on retail brand loyalty are also presented

The Consumption and Saving Habits of Young Adults During Their Transitional Period to Adulthood

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College

An evaluation of loyalty programmes

A Loyalty Programme, is the term most commonly used to summarise various Customer Relationship Management programmes instituted by companies, to endear and encourage loyalty from customers. In order to better understand the component of loyalty within the context of Loyalty Programmes, a dimensional approach has been suggested. The dimensional approach is based firstly, on behavioural loyalty theories, which focus on purchase patterns to qualify/quantify loyalty. Secondly, it included attitudinal loyalty measures to account for customer’s actions and feelings to aid in both the conceptualisation and measurement of loyalty. The need to understand and evaluate the effects of programmes specifically designed to promote loyalty from customers has prompted a surge in academic research, which has led to great debate over the effectiveness of these programmes. Previous empirical research has provided divergent findings and many polarised views abound. This is due in part to the lack of consistent research methodologies, concepts and measurements of previous studies, which has made the comparison of Loyalty Programmes increasingly difficult. However, despite these challenges, there remains substantial evidence in support of the overall effectiveness of Loyalty Programmes. The aim of this research has been to focus on developing a model to evaluate the components of Loyalty Programmes based on attitudinal and behavioural loyalty dimensions, with the view of recommending components that should be included in the design of Loyalty Programmes. An in-depth literature review was conducted and the two dimensions of loyalty (attitudinal and behavioural) were examined. Additionally, the following Theories were explored Social Exchange Theory, Equity Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, to examine the interchange between participants of Loyalty Programmes. The review of literature further laid the foundation for the conceptual model that proposed purchase behaviour, trust, communication, personalisation, flexibility, rewards and methods of participation as components which influenced Loyalty Programmes. A multi-method study, with 1090 respondents, was conducted and a proposed conceptual model was compiled. An analysis was conducted through various descriptive and inferential statistical tests as well as Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The results of the study identified the following factors Attitudinal loyalty (Attitudinal – Communication, Attitudinal – Flexibility, Attitudinal – General, Attitudinal – Rewards (Personal and Monetary) and Attitudinal – Trust) and Behavioural loyalty (Behavioural – Communication, Behavioural – Flexibility, Behavioural – General, Behavioural – Personalisation, Behavioural – Purchasing Behaviour, Behavioural – Rewards and Behavioural – Trust) to be of influence with regard to the effectiveness of Loyalty Programmes. The study concludes with managerial recommendations for the improvement in the design of Loyalty Programmes to enhance Attitudinal and Behavioural loyalty from participants. The recommendations from this study are based on the three strongest factor relationships identified through Pearson Product Moment Correlations. They are (a) Attitude – General and Behavioural – General (0.723), (b) Attitude – Communication and Behavioural – Communication (0.691) and (c) Attitude – Trust and Behavioural – Trust (0.595). Hence it is suggested that communication surrounding Loyalty Programmes needs to embrace new technologies and adopt a multichannel and multi-directional strategy to be more responsive to customers. Furthermore, trust was found to be influential in Loyalty Programme participation and how managers used the shared personal data, impacted customer willingness to participate in Loyalty Programmes. This study found that overall purchasing behaviour is poorly influenced by Loyalty Card/Programmes, as discounts and promotions did not sway shopper purchasing behaviour and that the most preferred rewards were monetary, free shipping and brand partnerships. In summary, consideration should be given to the type, flexibility and expiration of rewards offered. Further, a regular review of personalisation strategies, customer expectations and participation methods are recommended to bridge the mismatch between idle membership and active participation in Loyalty Programmes

Mustang Daily, April 24, 1991

Student newspaper of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/studentnewspaper/5294/thumbnail.jp

Valuing value: Value-in-use and marketing performance

A unified subject matter defines every scientific discipline. Marketing then, like other disciplines, consists of a finite set of core concepts. This dissertation focuses specifically on the core concept of value as being among the most central of concepts and more specifically elaborates theoretically on the concept of value-in-use. Historically, marketing\u27s received view suggests customer satisfaction is a key contributor to firm success. However, the extant literature reports a weak relation between customer satisfaction and a firm\u27s organizational performance (Woodruff, 1997). This dissertation makes a theoretical case for value as among the most telling metrics in all of marketing and considers the extent to which value drives marketing and business performance. The recent paradigm shift toward a service-dominant logic (SDL) suggests that the underlying premise of any exchange relationship is for parties to perform activities for each other that create value (Vargo and Lusch 2004). A strong conceptual background of value-in-use exists in the SDL literature, but to date the concept remains unintegrated into the larger theoretical net. The advancement of SDL requires a theoretically sound and well-delineated value-in-use construct. This research builds on previous theory on value and its role in capturing marketing outcomes for consumers and businesses (Zeithaml 1988; Babin, Darden and Griffin 1994). A multipronged research approach is taken. Interpretive research provides in-depth descriptions of value expressions and the meanings of experience. A descriptive research approach in the form of a broad-based consumer survey allows the development and testing of a measurement theory necessary to examine research questions related to value, satisfaction and performance. The survey employs a representative sample of US consumers obtained through a worldwide online-panel firm. A graphic overview of the potential conceptual framework is as follows:* The study offers a three-fold contribution. First, a thorough development of the evolutionary concept of value-in-use is undertaken. A shift in focus from value in exchange to value-in-use provides an important strategic development to the marketing discipline. The majority of value studies conducted through marketing history assess consumers\u27 value perceptions before consumption takes place and are therefore more representative of value expectation than of value itself. Second, an assessment of the relationship between value, satisfaction, and quality with business performance measures will enable managers to employ the best marketing customer metric with the performance measures that are most valuable to the firm. Overcoming the customer satisfaction trap with more appropriate concepts that actually relate to firm outcome measures will be a contribution to both the academic and practitioner literature (Dahlsten 2003). In other words, firms that pursue customer satisfaction at the expense of value are caught in a trap if value is more critical in shaping performance than is satisfaction. Third, this dissertation matches select firms in two industries consistent with the American Satisfaction Index. The two industries are airlines and retailers. Department stores, discount stores, and supermarkets comprise the retailers. The present samples will allow assessment of the value measure across different contexts to provide further evidence of the impact of value. Key results point to a correlation between hedonic value, overall value, and performance metrics including ROA and EPS in the retail context. Contextual differences emerged with respect to retailers\u27 success with utilitarian value and airlines\u27 success with hedonic value. The use of an overall value question, in conjunction with satisfaction, directly relating to outcome variables including loyalty and performance variables met with mixed success

Coastal Contacts’ Business Development in the North American Online Retail Eyeglass Market

The following paper is an analysis of Coastal Contacts Inc. and the North American retail eyeglass industry. Coastal Contacts is an online retailer of contact lenses and prescription eyeglasses. At the time of writing the company has recently entered the eyeglasses market. This industry has an underdeveloped online retail channel. The reason the channel has not developed as quickly as other products such as contact lenses is because eyeglasses are a more complicated purchase. As more purchases move online, retail market share for eyeglasses is expected to shift online. This paper looks at how Coastal Contacts can best position itself in order to maximize its benefit from this market shift