Shopper Centric Category Management in Convenience Stores: a Qualitative Study

The literature shows that category management is an important concept and tool for retailers and suppliers, but that there is a trend to move to a more shopper-centric category management approach, linked to the shoppermarketing approach. However, the knowledge on this issue is scarce on some retailing sectors, like convenience stores. The present study is focused on convenience stores, with the main purpose of finding out to what extent non-major food retailers successfully adopt a shopper-centric category management. The study is relevant in order to evaluate if a more shopper-centric approach is adequate to smaller companies/stores. To accomplish that goal, an exploratory qualitative study was conducted among convenience store retailers and suppliers. Six semistructured face-to-face interviews were conducted with Commercial Directors and Trade Marketing Managers. This data was complemented with thirteen interviews with shopper marketing experts. The data was analyzed using thematic content analysis technique, identifying themes, categories, subcategories, units of meaning and relations. The results revealed that convenience store retailers use some of the principles and techniques of the shopper-marketing and shopper-centric category management approaches, which they do in a non-standardized and non-formal approach or process. Their suppliers (the manufacturers) do it in a more formal and structured manner, probably as a result of previous interaction with major supermarkets chains. Both direct and indirect evidences of a shopper-centric approach were found, which, however, were slight, discrete and not formal

Exploring shopper marketing approach implications on brand communication at the point-of-purchase: an expert’s opinion qualitative study

Shopper marketing is a recent approach to marketing. Since shopper marketing is in the early stages of development, it is also an emerging research field and, consequently, questions and challenges to this approach are emerging across all the marketing-mix variables. This paper addresses the implications of adopting a shopper marketing view on the communication variable. Specifically, the purpose of the research is to study the implications of the shopper marketing approach on brand management, focusing on communication strategies and actions at the pointof- purchase. In order to address that goal, an expert’s opinion qualitative study was conducted, gathering primary data from thirteen shopper marketing experts, using a two-stage sampling – judgmental and snowball techniques. The results are consistent with the literature review and complement it, providing explanations and adding elements that might help towards a more effective marketing communications management, particularly at the point-of-purchase

Socio-economic status and the structural change of dietary intake in Hungary

Typically, big changes in the economic system lead to alterations on families’ disposable income and thus on their spending for different types of products, including food. These may imply in the long run a structural modi cation of the population’s diet quality. After the fall of the socialist system, in the past two decades, Central and Eastern European countries, including Hungary, went through a profound and sometimes dif cult transition of their political and economic systems, shifting from a centralized plan to an open-market economy, and, perhaps more importantly, the European Union integration. Economic change in lower-income and transitional economies of the world appears to coincide with increasing rapid social change. With respect to nutrition, there is evidence that these countries are changing their diets and that changes seem to happen at a faster pace than ever before (e.g. Ivanova et al., 2006). In this paper, we analyse the evolution of Hungarian dietary patterns based on socio-economic status (SES) data between 1993 and 2007. Data allows defining and profiling several clusters based on aggregated consumption data, and then inspecting the in uence of SES variables using OLS and multinomial logit estimations

E-mail usage practices in an organizational context: a study with Portuguese workers

Nowadays, e-mail is one of the most used information and communication technologies by organizations; it can streamline processes and transactions, facilitate information exchange, increase the quality, speed and productivity of the employees and strengthen relationships with stakeholders. This paper empirically examines the use of e-mail in an organizational context, using a sample of the Portuguese population with an active e-mail account assigned by the employer. The results show that most users have what is considered appropriate behavior; however, some situations that may indicate problems for organizations were also identified

Sustainable vs circular business models in agribusiness: a comparative bibliometric analysis

Abstract Agribusiness is using several strategies to achieve sustainable development. The sustainable business models and the circular business models tools are adopted to turn agro-industrial waste into new sustainable products and business opportunities. Even if they are two different tools, the boundary between them is not strictly defined but quite flexible, making it difficult for researchers and stakeholders to discriminate among them. Helping to simplify the understanding of their boundaries, authors purpose to carry out a bibliometric comparative analysis between the sustainable business models and the circular business models in agribusiness. The study aims to underline their different and similar trends in literature. For the analysis, Bibliometrix R-Tool was used and the metadata of two databases (WoS and Scopus) were retrieved and merged. Biblioshiny was used to provide graphical outputs. Data from the two groups were compared in different analysis, such as keywords used, country’s research performance, annual scientific production, among others. It resulted that, although circular business models are more recent in comparison with sustainable business models, both present an increasing publication interest in literature and a similar geographical distribution interest about the issues. However, some interesting differences have been identified, such as the most frequent keywords plus and citation used, among others. These findings can help identify overall trends in circular and sustainable business models in agribusiness, and point out contrasting and common aspects, providing an overview about these research topics in academic literature over time. Additionally, this investigation provides clear outlines and helpful information to researchers, scholars, government managers, industry managers, and consultants

Farm diversi!cation as a potential success factor for small- scale farmers constrained by COVID-related lockdown. Contributions from a survey conducted in four European countries during the !rst wave of COVID-19

This paper explores to what extent product and marketing channel diversification contributed to the economic success of small- scale agricultural producers involved in short food supply chains after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was conducted between April and July 2020 in four countries of the European Union–Estonia, Hungary, Portugal and Romania,– resulting in a relatively large sample of farmers (N = 421). The analysis was built on a semi-nonparametric approach. Approximately 19 percent of small-scale producers were able to increase sales during the first wave of the pandemic, although country-level variation was significant. Fruits and vegetables were by far the most popular products. The importance of specific channels varied across countries, but farm gate sales were among the most important marketing channels both before and during the first wave. The importance of channels that were based on digital resources and home delivery increased. Our evidence indicates that diversification was a strategy that paid off, both in terms of marketing channels and different product categories. However, the impact appears to be nonlinear; the initial advantage generated by diversification rapidly tapered off, either temporarily (in the case of products), or permanently (in the case of marketing channels). Later research may clarify whether these findings are generalizable in other socio-economic contexts, as well as in a non-COVID situation.This study was supported by funds from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (UIDB/04007/2020). This study was also supported by the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Fund in the form of grants [IF (130485), Z. Bakucs (135387), Z. Benedek (135460)] and by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, Program ZEMĚ in the form of funds to LC (QK1920398)

O marketing e as denominações de origem e indicações geográficas: o caso da Região Alentejo

A Política Agrícola Comum estabeleceu como uma das suas prioridades contrariar a crescente desertificação e desintegração do mundo rural, bem como os problemas ambientais provocados pelo apoio a modelos de agricultura intensiva. Um dos instrumentos que esta nova política adoptou, para atingir aqueles objectivos, foi a protecção de produtos agrícolas tradicionais de qualidade, através de figuras jurídicas como as Denominações de Origem e as Indicações Geográficas. Esta protecção é justificada pelas novas tendências do consumo agro-alimentar, em que os consumidores, apesar da globalização dos mercados, estão cada vez mais receptivos a produtos regionais, tradicionais, naturais e de qualidade, e pela necessidade de uma informação fidedigna que aumente a transparência dos mercados agro-alimentares, tanto para beneficio dos produtores como dos consumidores. Com o objectivo de avaliar o impacto da adopção daquelas denominações por parte dos produtores agrícolas alentejanos, foram estudados os treze produtos da Região Alentejo, registados na União Europeia, até Agosto de 1996. Este estudo passou, em primeiro lugar, por uma definição clara dos conceitos de "Denominação de Origem" e "Indicação Geográfica", bem como por uma análise do seu enquadramento legal e do seu papel e importância na politica agrícola da União Europeia. Uma breve caracterização do consumo agro-alimentar europeu e português foi realizado com o objectivo de avaliar a importância dos produtos tradicionais de qualidade nos mercados actuais. Foi também analisado o papel que estes produtos podem desempenhar nas estratégias comerciais do sector agro-alimentar, particularmente na Região Alentejo. Feito o ponto de situação actual, ao nível das politicas do consumo e das empresas, foi então possível estudar o caso concreto dos produtos protegidos da Região Alentejo. Através de entrevistas ás organizações responsáveis pelo controlo e certificação do produto ou pela sua comercialização, identificaram-se as estratégias comerciais postas em prática para estes produtos e analisou-se a sua evolução após a protecção do nome dos produtos. Foram detectadas duas realidades opostas; a primeira em que a protecção do nome do produto e os incentivos criados para a sua promoção conduziram a alterações na organização da produção, nas estratégias desenvolvidas e na valorização do produto, permitindo a criação de mais-valias para os produtores e, a segunda, em que aquela protecção não teve quaisquer efeitos ao nível do produtor. Pôde concluir-se que o impacto da adopção das denominações na produção depende do seu grau de integração e das estratégias de marketing adoptadas. Assim, naqueles produtos comercializados através dos agrupamentos e em que estes desempenham a quase totalidade das funções comerciais, planeando mais objectivamente as estratégias de marketing dos produtos, os efeitos sentidos, tanto nos volumes transaccionados como no nível de preços, são maiores. D tipo de produto e o volume da produção são igualmente determinantes para o sucesso dos produtos certificados no mercado. Desta forma, as Denominações de Origem ou Indicações Geográficas têm um impacto reduzido nos produtos em que a qualidade particular é facilmente reconhecível pelos consumidores, sem necessidade de recurso à informação transmitida pelo certificado de origem e de qualidade, e naqueles em que os volumes de produção limitam a expansão para além do mercado local. A adopção, por parte dos produtores, de estratégias de marketing activas e ,planeadas, fundamentalmente através dos agrupamentos, é determinante para a introdução do produto certificado nos mercados e para o seu crescimento. Deste modo, a elaboração de estudos que permitam quantificar a produção e o seu potencial de crescimento, assim como caracterizar o consumo quantitativa e qualitativamente, será importante para encontrar as soluções mais adequadas, tanto ao nível das estratégias empresariais como ao nível politico, para a sobrevivência ou crescimento dos produtos tradicionais regionais

Marketing relacional no setor turístico alentejano

Este artigo centra-se na avaliação do impacto das diferentes estratégias e acções do Marketing Relacional na fidelização dos clientes das empresas do sector Turístico Alentejano. Este sector encontra-se em crescente desenvolvimento e é necessário, cada vez mais, inovar e assegurar a competitividade das empresas adoptando estratégias capazes de fidelizar clientes. Os resultados indicaram que as unidades em estudo ainda têm um longo caminho a percorrer no que concerne à gestão da relação com os seus clientes e à utilização das estratégias e técnicas do Marketing Relacional. Existe uma preocupação com os serviços que são prestados ao cliente, no entanto, apenas isto não fideliza os clientes. É necessário inovar e trabalhar as relações, de forma a serem criados laços duradouros que levem à fidelização de clientes

Marketing relacional no setor turístico: um estudo aplicado ao setor turístico alentejano

Este artigo centra-se na avaliação do impacto das diferentes estratégias e acções do Marketing Relacional na fidelização dos clientes das empresas do sector Turístico Alentejano. Este sector encontra-se em crescente desenvolvimento e é necessário, cada vez mais, inovar e assegurar a competitividade das empresas adoptando estratégias capazes de fidelizar clientes. Os resultados indicaram que as unidades em estudo ainda têm um longo caminho a percorrer no que concerne à gestão da relação com os seus clientes e à utilização das estratégias e técnicas do Marketing Relacional. Existe uma preocupação com os serviços que são prestados ao cliente, no entanto, apenas isto não fideliza os clientes. É necessário inovar e trabalhar as relações, de forma a serem criados laços duradouros que levem à fidelização de clientes./ This paper focuses on assessing the impact of different Relationship Marketing strategies and actions on customer loyalty in the tourism industry of Alentejo. The tourism sector is in increasing development and is, more and more, necessary for the companies’ competitiveness to innovate, adopting strategies to retain customers. The results of the research indicate that the tourism units under study have a long way to go when it comes to managing the relationship with their customers and the use of Relationship Marketing techniques. There is, on the part of the managers, a concern about the services that are provided to the client; however, this is not enough to build customer loyalty. It is necessary to innovate and invest on relationships with clients, in order to create lasting bonds leading to customer loyalty

Shopper Marketing: A Literature Review

Shopper marketing is a recent concept and it has been gaining importance and attention among managers and researchers. Due to its youth and increasing relevance, the purpose of this paper is to analyze, categorize, compile and analyze the existing knowledge concerning shopper marketing. The main finding of this paper is that the literature on shopper marketing is complementary and coherent, and also raises several research and managerial challenges. Besides that, there is a structural common trace on the literature, recognizing that shoppers are citizens with specific needs beyond consumption, which should be effectively analyzed and satisfied, adopting a shopper marketing approach. The main contributions provided are the compilation of shopper marketing literature, its analysis and the identification of major issues and directions for future research