Premium Private Labels Products: Drivers of Consumers’ Intention to Buy

In the last years, there has been a proliferation of Private Labels (PLs) and a strategic change in the way retailers conceive and manage this kind of tool. From an instrument devoted to underline the price convenience orientation of retailers, today PLs are articulated in different tiers (economy, standard and premium) and have become a tool to give a good quality option to customers, improving their loyalty and differentiating from competitors. In this context, the paper focuses on a specific PLs tier, Premium Private Labels (PPLs), given the high growth rates, current and perspective, they present. Specifically, the study aims at investigating the drivers of PPLs consumer buying intention. Results derived by the Structural Equation Model employed on a dataset of 211 questionnaires collected by administering a survey on a sample of actual buyers of PPL products show that perceived product quality, label consciousness and the PPL familiarity exert a positive impact on attitude towards PPL products. Conversely, retail customers do not choose a PPL product to conform to others. Moreover, although the increasing extension of the PPL assortment with Geographical Indications, no significant effect was found between the PPLs products branded with a PDO/PGI (Protected Designation of Origin/Protected Geographical Indication) label and attitude towards PPLs. Finally, findings show that the higher the level of consumer familiarity to the PPL, the higher the intention to buy PPL products. These results offer relevant implications from a marketing and strategical viewpoint, providing valuable insights for practitioners and scholars

Factors affecting smartphone shopping.

In recent years, the telecommunication sector has seen its market-leaders change. Today, the market is headed by 11 manufacturers, even though two main companies hold 42% of the market-share (Samsung and Apple). Furthermore, hundreds of models incorporating new functionalities are launched every year. This research is one of the first attempts to investigate functional evaluation in shopping smartphones and to predict future context of this turbulent market. With the use of 264 surveys of real smartphone owners and users, collected online in the first fortnight of May 2015, and the use of Conjoint Analysis (CA), we highlight major attributes consumers take into consideration in buying smartphones. Results show that consumers who decide to buy a smartphone consider Price, Camera performance, Battery-life and Brand. De facto, we find that, in smartphone shopping, consumers brand awareness is less important than technical characteristics. Notwithstanding, running the CA on subgroups defined by the brand of the smartphone owned, we find different attributes’ relative importance. Results show that Apple owners have a stronger brand awareness than Samsung owners. Implications aim to help manufacturers in developing smartphone features rationalizing invested resources, interpreting preferences of customers and reinforcing competitive advantages

Parafarmaci a marca commerciale? Sì, sono value conscious

Il contributo si posiziona nell’ambito dell’estensione della marca commerciale (MC) a categorie di prodotto extra-core da parte delle insegne grocery. Nello specifico, lo studio propone un modello in cui la value consciousness (VC) modera l’impatto che l’atteggiamento del cliente verso l’estensione (ATEX) ha sull’intenzione di acquistare il prodotto esteso (INTBEX). Viene inoltre indagata l’azione che diversi antecedenti quali FIT, preferenza verso il prodotto di marca industriale (NBP), risorse e competenze del retailer (R&C) e fiducia nell’insegna (TR) hanno sull’INTBEX attraverso l’effetto mediatore di ATEX. Il modello proposto, individuato mediante un sistema di equazioni strutturali (SEM), è stato testato sul parafarmaco a marca commerciale di un’insegna leader nazionale, intervistandone un campione di clienti. I risultati mostrano la bontà e l’adeguatezza del modello impiegato confermando tutte le ipotesi postulate e la loro direzione. Lo studio contribuisce alla letteratura sulla brand extension applicandola a un settore finora trascurato, il retail grocery, e a quella sulla marca commerciale. Inoltre si approfondisce l’impatto moderatore della value consciousness nel contesto di estensione della MC, oltre a quello diretto su ATEX di variabili poco indagate quali R&C e TR

Etica, attenzione alla salute, socializzazione e/o spiritualit\ue0? Le determinanti dell\u2019atteggiamento verso il consumo di prodotti vegani.

Il veganismo si pone oggi come un fenomeno di crescente importanza sia a livello sociale che economico. Particolarmente interessante per gli studi di consumer behavior e per le implicazioni manageriali che ne possono derivare \ue8 l\u2019analisi delle ragioni che portano a sviluppare un atteggiamento positivo verso il consumo di prodotti vegani. La letteratura sul tema ha in particolare identificato ragioni di tipo etico, salutistico, sociale e spirituale, indagandole spesso in modo autonomo e disgiunto. In questo contesto, l\u2019articolo esplora l\u2019impatto delle principali determinanti dell\u2019atteggiamento dei consumatori verso il consumo di prodotti vegani di tipo food tramite un modello che include tutti gli antecedenti sopra citati. Somministrando un questionario strutturato ad un campione di consumatori di prodotti vegani intercettati su pagine social dedicate al veganismo ed applicando poi un modello ad equazioni strutturali sui dati cos\uec raccolti, lo studio mostra come siano soprattutto determinanti di tipo etico, spirituale e sociale a consentire lo sviluppo di un atteggiamento positivo verso i prodotti vegani, mentre non significativa appare l\u2019attenzione alla salute. Alcune riflessioni sulle possibili implicazioni scientifiche e manageriali delle evidenze ottenute vengono sviluppate

Retail Brand Extension: From Theory to Practice. A Multi- Country Study of European Grocery Retailers

This chapter reviews the literature on brand extension, with particular reference to retail brand extension strategies performed by grocery retailers. Aims, advantages and disadvantages, as well as types of this strategy are described. Then, the results of a survey aimed at comparing the customers’ perceptions and buying behaviour when retailers extend their brands, in particular when this strategy is pursued in non-traditional businesses, are presented. The survey consisted in administering a structured questionnaire aimed at investigating the main antecedents of brand extension success to samples of retail customers interviewed in two different retail national contexts, namely, Italy and France. The extension product investigated is car fuel offered through a fuel station branded with the retailer’s brand name. Applying Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), the mediating role of attitude towards the extension (ATEX) in generating brand extension success (INTEX) and the key role of fit and of the perceived capability of the retailer to offer the extension product (R&C) as antecedents were verified in both national contexts. On the contrary, the impact of customers’ preference towards national brands (NBP) reported mixed results

Co-Advertising, E-Wom and Social Responsibility

Following the digital revolution, the traditional divide between value creation, R&D, production and advertising - and value distribution and consumption - sales, use and post-use - is blurring. Individuals and companies are called to exchange multiple inputs and outputs before, during and after sale. The new contemporarity of value processes is gradually leading to a new convergence among parties. Companies are enabled to promote, intermediate and intercept the customers conversation; individuals are committed to the new social game and keeping companies under non- contractual observation. This study researches the effects of e-WOM (Electronic-Word of Mouth) of individuals through a netnography on 20 worldwide crowd-sourcing platforms. Findings demonstrate that the new overlapping of dialogue and sale can generate a positive loop between companies and individuals responsibility and reduce the distance between market and society

Italian Restaurants in Danish Consumers’ Perceptions: A Multi-Cue Analysis in a Product Country Image Perspective

Studies on the country image topic in the services context are rare in comparison with the number of papers investigating the effect that the information on the country of origin exerts on consumer buying behavior when tangible products are concerned. To this regard, the current paper would contribute to the literature on the country-of-origin effect and consumer behavior, exploring the role played by Product Country Image (PCI) in shaping customers attitude when a service offer is concerned – namely: dining services. Specifically, this study tests a conceptual model developed in a multi-cue perspective, that is: evaluating not only the effect of the information on the origin of the service offer investigated, but also assessing consumers’ perceptions related to other service offer cues, such as service quality and perceived value, in this case. A specific national cuisine in the full-service restaurant setting is explored: the Italian one. From the methodological viewpoint, a survey was conducted among Danish customers of Italian restaurants in Copenhagen. The research method employed consisted in a structured questionnaire. Then, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to the data collected. Results evidence that product country image influences the formation of a positive attitude towards ethnic restaurants even when a multi-cue approach is employed. Scientific and managerial implications are discussed

An enjoyable shopping experience enhances store loyalty

Il crescente numero di persone che viaggiano per affari e vacanza ha portato ad identificare un emergente ed interessante target di consumatori, definiti “On the Move”, i quali sono disposti ad effettuare gli acquisti nel contesto del viaggio. Questa nuova tendenza d’acquisto ha spinto i gestori delle aree di servizio autostradali ad estendere la loro offerta dal settore Food and Beverage (F&B) verso il retail grocery. Il principale contributo di questo lavoro è la concettualizzazione e validazione di un modello strutturale nel quale si definisce la Store Loyalty per mezzo dei suoi principali antecedenti quali Trust e Satisfaction, nonché mediante altri costrutti ad oggi meno indagati come Enjoyment e Convenience, quest’ultima nella doppia accezione di Ricerca e Transazione. Sono stati raccolti 606 questionari da un campione di consumatori “On the Move”. Il Modello di Equazioni Strutturali proposto, mostra buoni livelli di fit ed è in grado di spiegare circa il 66% della store loyalty. I risultati mostrano che un’esperienza di acquisto piacevole agisce positivamente sulla fedeltà all’Insegna. Inoltre, è emerso che la convenienza nella ricerca ha effetti positivi sulla fedeltà, mentre la convenienza nella transazione impatta negativamente sulla fedeltà. Infine, i risultati mostrano che l’effetto della soddisfazione sulla fedeltà è mediato della fiducia. I distributori nella ricerca di fidelizzare il cliente dovrebbero attuare strategie che rendano l’esperienza d’acquisto piacevole, facile e veloce. Inoltre, i clienti soddisfatti mostrano maggiore fiducia verso l’offerta generale del retailer impattando positivamente sulla loro fedeltà all’insegna

Enhancing Traditional Product Brand Equity through the Mountain Product label: a Consumer-Based Brand Equity approach

Promoting traditional mountain food products guarantees consumers of products’ quality, supports local economies and promotes farm sustainability in mountain regions. The EU Commission has introduced the “Mountain Product” (MP) denomination to this aim. However, the MP label strives to be used by producers and has low awareness among consumers. Our study aims to assess the contribution of the MP label to the brand equity of products farmed in mountain regions. This is performed by assessing the brand equity antecedents of the MP label brand equity and verifying the latter effect on a traditional product brand equity: a potato cultivated in the Modena Apennines named the “Montese potato”. A survey through a structured questionnaire was administered in-store to a sample of 317 consumers and analysed with the CB-SEM method to assess the validity of the hypotheses underpinning our study. Results confirm that MP brand awareness, perceived brand quality and brand associations are all positive and significant drivers of the MP label brand equity. Moreover, the MP label brand equity positively and significantly influences the specific product's brand equity. Our findings provide implications for producers and retailers interested in using the MP label but doubtful of its value creation