Polygamous Store Loyalties: An Empirical Investigation

Grocery store loyalty has been traditionally viewed as a trait of consumers toward a particular store for their overall shopping needs. In this study, we argue that store loyalty shall be regarded as category specific trait, that is, a consumer could be loyal to store A in category one while at the same time be loyal to store B in category two. We name this consumer behavior polygamous store loyalties.We use an in-home scanning panel dataset that tracks purchases of 1,321 households in 284 grocery categories across fourteen retail chains over a 53-week period in a large US market. First, we provide model free evidence of polygamous store loyalties in the data, even though the overall store loyalty based on the traditional view is low. Next, we propose a model to separate category specific effects from overall store level effects. Finally, we discuss how retailers can use the results to gain a new perspective on store attractiveness to improve overall store patronage.     

Retailer Categorization: How Store-Format Price Image Influences Expected Prices and Consumer Choices

Prior research indicates that consumers may base their retail decisions (e.g., store choice, purchase quantity) on price image, which has been defined as consumer perceptions “of the aggregate price level of a retailer” (Hamilton and Chernev 2013, p. 2). The present research shows that consumers associate different price images not only with specific retailers, but more broadly with various store formats — such as grocery stores, convenience stores, and specialty stores. Six studies provide evidence that store-format price image exerts influence on consumer price expectations and store choice decisions, and that these retailer categorization effects are distinct from the effects of retailer price image.     

Two-Tier Store Brands: The Benefic Impact of a Value Brand on Perceptions of a Premium Brand

A recent trend in the retail industry is the emergence of multi-tier store brands. In the current article, we contrast consumers’ expectations in a retailing context in which a single store brand is present to one in which two store brands are offered in the same category. We propose that when a retailer offers a single store brand, consumers expect it to be of lower quality even when it is described as a premium brand. On the other hand, quality perception of a premium store brand increases in the presence of a value store brand. Importantly, quality perceptions of a value store brand are not affected by the presence of a premium store brand. In two studies we find support for our hypotheses showing the benefic impact of a value store brand on quality perceptions of a premium store brand.     

Store brands and retail differentiation: the influence of store image and store brand attitude on store own brand perceptions

Store's own brands can provide important opportunities for retail differentiation if they are considered by consumers to be uniquely associated with store image. A survey of shoppers measured attitudes toward individual stores’ images and store brand perceptions, as well as general attitudes toward store brands. A regression analysis demonstrates a positive relationship between consumers’ perceptions of individual store own brands and their associated store's image dimensions and attitudes toward store brands in general.     

The Impact of Brand Delisting on Store Switching and Brand Switching Intentions

A tool retailers often use to improve their negotiating position with brand manufacturers is to delist - or threaten to delist - the manufacturers’ brand. Because brand manufacturers rely mainly on retailers to sell their products to consumers, a brand delisting will cause a sales loss for the brand manufacturer. Therefore, many brand manufacturers feel enormous pressure to give in and improve buying conditions to favor the retailer. The question thus emerges: Can a brand manufacturer resist a retailer's threat to delist its brand(s)? If a brand delisting severely hurts retail sales, it is easier for a brand manufacturer to resist. The authors study the impact of brand delistings on store switching and brand switching using a controlled online experiment and in-store shopper survey. They develop and test a conceptual model with several antecedents of consumers’ reactions to a brand delisting and conclude that brand equity, market share, and the products’ hedonic level drive store and brand switching.     

An Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Promotional Discounts on Store Performance

The received wisdom, reflected in popular marketing textbooks, is that featuring deeply discounted items will generate additional store traffic for retailers that in turn will lead to increased sales and profits. However, there is surprisingly little systematic evidence about the impact of these deep discounts on aggregate store traffic, sales, and profits. In this paper, we study the effects of promotional discounts and their characteristics on various store performance metrics employing a store level dataset pooled over 55 weeks and 24 stores. Many findings of our study lend credence to the continued popularity of such promotions by retailers. We find that feature promotions build store traffic, especially when the categories being featured are high penetration, high frequency. Also, promotions of branded items are found to be more effective than promotions of unbranded items. Discounting on more items in a category leads to lower store margins suggesting that the cost of discounting a large proportion of items in a category may not be justified by the profits generated by the sale. Using the coefficients from our model estimates, various counterfactuals provide insights into strategic change in level of discounts across categories. We discuss several implications of our findings for retailers.     

An Empirical Investigation of Brand Equity: A Cross-Country Validation Analysis

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to propose and test a model in order to better understand brand equity. The goal of this research is to identify the drivers and determine how they influence brand equity performance in the researched industry in order to develop a more effective brand strategy. Quantitative data collected are used to test a model of brand value in the context of the food industry. The findings of this research provided evidence that the customer-based brand equity model can be applied to the food industry context and be used to guide marketing activities internationally. Brand awareness has a positive influence on brand associations and perceived quality. Brand associations have a positive influence on brand loyalty. Finally, brand loyalty, perceived quality, and brand associations all have a positive effect on brand equity. This study contributes to the scarce international brand equity literature by testing the proposed model using data from a sample of consumers in two European countries.     

变革型领导对企业员工组织信任影响的实证研究

文章以湖南省十家大中型企业251名员工为研究对象,构建了一个包括变革型领导、组织公平、组织政治知觉和组织信任在内的概念模型,运用结构方程建模方法,探讨变革型领导对员工组织信任的影响机制。研究结果表明,变革型领导不仅对员工组织信任具有直接显著的正面影响,而且还通过组织公平、组织政治知觉对员工组织信任产生间接的显著影响,组织公平和组织政治知觉是变革型领导影响企业员工组织信任的中介变量。文章的研究结论对我国企业的人力资源管理具有直接的现实意义。     

The impact of private labels on consumer store loyalty: An integrative perspective

This research studies the role of private labels (PLs) on consumers’ store loyalty. It offers an integrative approach that comprises several store loyalty drivers (in-store and economic factors), analyzing the role that PLs play among different types of retailers. Data were collected through an online survey. Using structural equation modeling, we run our analysis across different retail formats, assessing which factors lead to store loyalty and to what extent PLs contribute to it. Findings suggest that depending on retailers‘ market positioning, different factors contribute to loyalty and that the impact of PLs is mostly significant for medium-cost and premium supermarkets.     

Grey Power: An Empirical Investigation of the Impact of Parallel Imports on Market Prices

The persistence of price discrimination across international markets with falling costs of unofficial importing is both paradox and policy concern. E-commerce facilitates a “grey” market in parallel imports, particularly for high-value goods such as electronics. This paper explores the impact of unofficial imports on price using a panel of product markets mediated via an Internet shopbot. It finds the presence of an import model lowers prices across the market. However, unlike the refurbished model it is not simply an inferior substitute. The import price discount increases over the model life cycle, suggesting that model-specific preferences fall as each model ages.

品牌全球化形象对消费者选择的影响:调节因素的分析

文章以大学生为样本对构建的品牌全球化形象影响消费者品牌选择模型进行了实证研究.发现品牌全球化形象对消费者购买意向有直接影响,感知品牌质量对消费者购买意向有间接影响,品牌质量对消费者购买意向的影响程度最强.重要的是,产品类别和消费者融入全球消费文化程度在品牌全球化形象和消费者选择的关系中,具有显著的调节效应.研究结论对我国企业创建全球化品牌具有重要的启示作用.     

中国城市化对流通业发展影响的实证研究

从历史演进和逻辑分析相结合的角度看,城市的经济职能在于其作为集中的交换场所促进了交易频率的提高和流通业的不断发展.因此,旨在检验城市化与流通业发展关系的实证研究无疑是锦上添花.中国经济的快速增长使得多数宏观经济变量表现出非平稳特征,而协整以及建立在协整关系基础上的误差修正模型为研究非平稳变量之间的定量关系奠定了理论基础.本文利用1960～2003年中国的城市化率和流通业发展的年度数据,通过自回归分布滞后模型的方法建立了一个对应的误差修正模型,以此作为定量分析城市化对流通业发展影响的基础.研究表明,从长期看,城市化水平每增长1个百分点促使流通业增长2.436个百分点.     

The effect of specific discount pattern in terms of price promotions on perceived price attractiveness and purchase intention: An experimental research

This study aims to investigate consumer perceptions and reactions in terms of specific discount patterns (fixed price, 40% discount, discount from 500 TL to 300 TL and 20% + 25% discount) in price promotion. According to the results, specific discount patterns in price promotion have a significant effect on perceived price attractiveness and purchase intention. When the specific discount patterns in price promotion and gender interaction were analyzed in terms of perceived price attractiveness, the scenario of the “discount from TL 500 to TL 300” significantly differentiated from both the control scenario (fixed price) and experimental scenarios for female. For males, no significant difference was found between the control and experimental scenarios. In terms of purchase intention, a significant difference was found between the fixed price scenario and the discount scenario from 500 TL to 300 TL and between the fixed price and 20% + 25% discount scenario. The theoretical managerial implications of the study were discussed, and future research suggestions were presented.     

绿色认证对品牌信任和购买意愿的影响研究

绿色认证是政府或民间机构向企业证明其产品符合相关环境保护要求的手段.通过绿色认证的企业通常会把绿色证书或标志放在公司网站和产品包装的显著位置,目的是提高消费者对企业生产的产品和品牌的信任感,提高消费者的购买意愿.文章通过问卷调查,检验绿色标志对消费者品牌信任度和购买意愿的影响,分析了消费者价值观对这种影响的作用,提出结论和未来研究方向.     

品牌拟人形象性别一致性和品牌态度关系研究：品牌热情与能力类型的调节作用

三个实验检验了品牌拟人形象性别与目标消费者性别一致性的积极效应以及品牌热情能力定位对其的调节作用。结果表明：出于社会认同动机,当性别刻板印象未被激活时,消费者对于拟人形象和自身性别一致的品牌态度更加积极。而当性别热情能力刻板印象被激活时,性别一致性的积极效应被品牌热情能力定位调节。具体而言,对于男性消费者,相对于能力型品牌,热情型品牌由于和男性高能力低热情刻板印象不同,男性消费者对男性拟人形象的社会认同降低,品牌拟人形象与消费者性别一致性对社会认同和品牌态度的积极效应消失;而对于女性消费者,与传统刻板印象相反的高能力低热情的女性拟人形象并未对她们的社会认同及品牌态度产生负面影响。     

敢做还是要做：伦理型领导对员工揭发意愿的影响

虽然有助于减少组织不道德行为,但源于各种担心和顾虑,致使人们往往对揭发行为持比较消极的态度。文章从社会学习等理论视角对中国情境下伦理型领导如何影响员工揭发意愿进行了探讨。基于339份调查数据的实证分析结果表明,伦理型领导正向影响员工的揭发意愿,道德勇气正向影响揭发意愿,责任分散负向影响揭发意愿,道德勇气和责任分散在伦理型领导与揭发意愿关系中分别具有部分中介效应。最后,对研究结论、意义、不足与未来研究方向进行了讨论。     

The Influence of the Provision of Online Channel Functions on Exporting Channel Performance: The Moderating Effect of International Experience

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of the provision of two online channel functions on exporting channel performance, using international experience as a moderating variable. The study setting is Taiwan. The results confirm that the provision of online communication and transaction functions can increase exporting channel performance. Moreover, international experience can better facilitate the effect of the provision of online transaction functions on exporters’ channel performance for less-experienced firms rather than for experienced firms. However, its facilitation reverses in course of the provision of online communication functions (albeit in a different direction than hypothesized).     

国际粮价对国内粮价传递效应研究——以大米、小麦和玉米为例

根据2002年1月至2010年12月的月度数据,运用协整分析、误差修正模型以及脉冲响应函数等方法分析了入世以来国际粮食价格对国内粮食价格波动的影响。结果表明:长期而言,国内粮食市场与国际市场的市场整合度不高,价格传递不完全;短期内,国际粮价对国内粮价的影响也较小;国际价格对国内价格变动的贡献在不断加大,但仍处于较低的水平,主要原因来自于进口需求的低水平、政府的边境控制和国内支持政策。     

The Effect of Cross-Channel Price Dis/parity on Ethicality Evaluations and Purchase Intent: The Moderating Role of Price Frame

Using a scenario-based survey with a factorial between-subject experimental design, this study examines the effect of price dis/parity across multiple channels of distribution on customers' ethicality evaluations and purchase intent, with the focus on the moderating role of price frame. Results show that when the varying prices of the disparity policy were all lower than or equal to the uniform price of the parity policy, consumers did not evaluate the disparity policy as significantly less ethical than the parity policy, and were more likely to purchase from the firm with the disparity policy. However, when at least one of the varying prices of the disparity policy was higher than the uniform price of the parity policy, they evaluated the disparity policy as less ethical, and, therefore, were more likely to purchase from the firm with the parity policy, despite price incentives offered by the disparity policy. This finding suggests that the success of a cross-channel price disparity policy depends on the price frame.