Product standardisation in the food service industry: post-purchase attitudes and repurchase intentions of non-Muslims after consuming halal food

In order to satisfy the Muslim market segment, many restaurant and fast food companies in Western countries have standardised their products by switching to halal. The purpose of this research is to discover the extent to which non-Muslim consumers in non-Muslim countries experience cognitive dissonance when they think about restaurants and fast food outlets having likely served them halal-produced food, and the extent to which these consumers intend to repurchase halal food. Data came from a total sample of 1097 non-Muslim consumers in Canada, Spain and the United Kingdom. The full model, with religious identity, ethnic identification and interest in animal welfare as antecedents of cognitive dissonance, explained 35% of the variance in consumers’ repurchase intentions. Our findings suggest that many non-Muslims do not have a particular issue with consuming halal food, but they may react negatively if they unintentionally consume halal food and perceive that they have been deprived of information, or worse still, deliberately deceived. The research makes a number of contributions to marketing knowledge with regard to the negative spillover effects that can result from faith-based product standardisation, and the influences of consumer interest in animal welfare and deprivation of product information on consumer behaviour.     

Consumer spirituality

ABSTRACT

Consumers increasingly turn to the marketplace in search of spiritual well-being. In this introduction to the special issue, we unpack the concept of consumer spirituality. We define consumer spirituality as the interrelated practices and processes engaged in when consuming market offerings (products, services, places) that yield 'spiritual utility'. The market offerings are purposely designed to quench consumers’ thirst for meaningful encounters with one’s inner self or a higher external power. We identify three vehicles – materiality, embodiment, and technology – that consumers engage with to access consumer spirituality. By unpacking the concept of consumer spirituality along three themes - (1) shaping markets for consumer spirituality, (2) the means for accessing consumer spirituality, and (3) making sense of and researching consumer spirituality - we provide a future research agenda to advance scholarly explorations of consumer spirituality and to facilitate a systematic development of this nascent body of literature in marketing and consumer research.     

Crafting customer insight: What we can learn from the revival of the vinyl record

The recent resurgence of the vinyl record and the proliferation of so-called craft and artisanal products offer unique opportunities to observe ongoing shifts in the contemporary consumer’s values and attitudes. In this article, we explore such thought-provoking market developments and their implications by contrasting them with the conventional understanding of markets and consumers. This understanding can lead to marketing myopia as it works from the utility-oriented assumption that what ultimately matters for both the company and the customer is cost efficiency and convenience. Against this backdrop, in this article, we discuss how market developments representing the contemporary consumer’s mindset prove valuable in creating customer insight that highlights aspects often obscured by an exaggerated focus on cost efficiency and convenience. We provide an alternative approach to evaluating markets and consumers that encourages companies to build their customer-centric market strategies around questions of context, authenticity, story, and resonance. This will help them narrow the gap between their market offerings and the actual wants and needs of their customer, and consequently allow them to revitalize their market.     

Factors That Affect the Attitudes of Consumers Toward Halal-Certified Products in Turkey

Halal is an Arabic word that means lawful or permitted in reference to Islam. Muslims are responsible for consuming goods that are lawful. However, the target consumer group for halal food is not only Muslim people but also consumers who seek hygienic and quality products. Halal concept is not limited with foods; it covers cosmetics, finance, logistics, and many other sectors. This study aims to determine the factors that affect the attitudes of consumers toward halal foods and to show the effects of religiosity, perceived risk, and involvement on halal food preferences in Turkey.     

Unlocking competitiveness through scent names: A data-driven approach

Naming a product’s scent is a key decision. The same scent can be interpreted differently when different names are assigned to it. Thus, choosing the right scent name can increase competitiveness by successfully appealing to desired consumer segments. We propose that such decisions should be data driven (i.e., on the basis of competitors’ offerings and consumers’ preferences) and provide guidelines on how to assign scent names to products in home care and personal care product categories, focusing on capturing market segments. Based on a large web-based dataset of scented products across multiple brands and categories, this article is the first to construct a typology of scent names empirically: unscented, concrete, abstract, and proprietary. After examining firms’ assortments of scented products with different names across 12 categories and comparing them with consumers’ preferences concerning such assortments, we identify major gaps. Overall, consumers demand far more unscented products and products with abstract names than currently offered; however, preferences for products with proprietary names are mostly aligned. Strategic recommendations center on naming scented products to better align supply and demand in the scented product market and capture new market opportunities.     

Halal Purchase Intention Among the Singaporean Muslim Minority

Muslim consumers’ awareness toward halal foods and products has been increasing. The halal concept becomes consumers’ vital concern as it covers wide areas of consumption, though one might perceive it as only a food-related issue. Given this background, this article aims to investigate the factors that influence consumers’ intention to purchase halal-certified foods and products. By using Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a theoretical framework, this research employed a quantitative survey with a sample of 332 Muslim consumers living in Singapore to examine Singaporean Muslim preferences in purchasing halal foods and products. Data gathered from the survey were then explored and analyzed. Multiple regression analysis results indicate that all TPB variables have a positive and significant influence on the intention to purchase halal-certified products among the Muslim minority in Singapore.     

The Effect of Product Innovation,Promotion, and Price on Consumer Switching to Private Labels

The channel conflict that exists between retailers and manufacturers of branded products has dynamically shifted as large retailers have expanded their offerings of private label products. This study investigates the ability of consumer packaged goods companies to exert influence in the channel by testing which marketing initiatives implemented by manufacturer brands are more efficient in preventing consumer switching to private labels. We use a hazard model to simultaneously measure the effects due to product innovation, promotion, and price on consumer switching and how strong those effects are. We find that as expected product innovation, promotion, and price exert a negative effect on the consumer likelihood of switching to private labels. However, we find the strongest effect on promotion suggesting the importance of understanding how consumers perceive value in the national brands offer.     

Green consumer market segmentation: empirical findings from Portugal

Concern with environmental degradation has led to a new segment of consumers: the green or ecological consumers. Marketers must pay special attention to the needs of this segment. The growing concern with the environment, increased competition and greater selectiveness and demands of consumers represent an immediate challenge for green marketing. This paper aims to identify distinct market segments based on several environmental variables. It also investigates individuals' behaviours and perceptions about green consumerism. The used methodology was the collection of primary information through a direct survey. The study covered 887 Portuguese consumers, aged over 18. The results show that certain environmental and demographic variables are significant in differentiating between the ‘greener’ consumer group and the other segments. Portuguese consumers, despite their support for policies designed to improve the environment, do not always translate their concerns into environmentally friendly actions. Possible implications of these results for firms' marketing strategies are also discussed.     

我国汽车自主品牌的营销策略分析

自上个世纪50年代一汽创立以来,我国汽车产业已经有半个多世纪的发展历程。近年来,我国汽车自主品牌因其性价比高倍受消费者的青睐,发展势头迅猛。自主品牌企业也不负重望,不断进行技术创新,不断加强产品品质,以尽量缩小和外资品牌的差距。在自主品牌企业苦修内功的同时,消费者对自主品牌的偏见依旧存在,尤其在中档车市场上,消费者还没有完全接受该品牌。本文拟从市场营销的角度分析我国汽车自主品牌的品牌发展落后的原因,并给出相应的营销对策及建议。     

中国新奢侈品营销策略研究

目前,中国正成为世界上重要而且快速增长的新奢侈品消费市场。新奢侈品消费已经显示出消费群体以中产阶层为主、消费形式网络化、情感体验型消费、消费由一线城市向二三线城市扩张等特征。基于新奢侈品利用新的消费者心理,将高质量商品消费大众化,将消费的物品提升为一种新的体验和享乐的趋势,中国应根据自身独特环境来选择适合的营销策略,采取突出品牌个性,加快整合多种传播渠道,实施差异化品牌传播与体验式营销,发展品牌战略联盟等措施。优化产品营销规划,正确引导消费者进行理性选择,推动消费升级。并在全球市场竞争中立于不败之地。     

How well do ‘off-price’ retailers satisfy consumers?

Off-price retailing is a new form of discount or low-price retailing that has become prominent in the U. S. during the past decade. In an attempt to satisfy today's quality-and price-conscious consumers, off-price retailers have utilized a marketing strategy of ‘brand and designer names for less’. Based on research assessing consumers' attitudes towards apparel offerings of off-price versus conventional retailers, we suggest that off-price retailers are not yet successful at satisfying consumers' needs and wants in their special niche of the market. We recommend several revised marketing strategies to enable off-price retailers to satisfy consumers better, and thereby maintain their niche in the ever competitive consumer market. We conclude by observing that it is important that consumer-orientated professionals take an advocacy role in encouraging retail institutions such as off-price stores to revise their marketing strategies to serve consumer interests better.     

Despite unethical retail store practices,consumers at the bottom of the pyramid continue to be loyal

Research in the area of retail store loyalty agrees that consumers reward retailers when they are satisfied with its products, services, and its image. Moreover, one would agree that if the retailer engages in unethical practices, the customer would quickly defect and even engage in word of mouth to influence others to defect. But this might not be the case universally. One consumer group that continues to be loyal to a retailer despite widespread unethical practices is the poor. A growing stream of research under the label of bottom of pyramid (BoP) and subsistence consumers has increasingly pointed out the market attractiveness of this segment to multinational companies. These poor consumers are individuals who earn approximately $2 per day. In this paper, we explain the nature of widespread unethical retail practices prevalent amongst the neighborhood retail stores (or kirana as they are referred to in India) that serve the BoP consumer, types of patronage behaviors, and the reasons ‘why’ these consumers continue to support the kirana store. The data for this paper comes from a qualitative study conducted with 58 urban poor consumers in India. This study carries significant implications for both domestic and multinational companies that market fast-moving consumer goods in the BoP market.     

The relative impact of corporate reputation on consumer choice: beyond a halo effect

ABSTRACT

Previous work suggests that corporate reputation generates a ‘halo effect’ where products from companies with better reputations are more likely to be chosen. We argue that corporate reputation plays a more expansive role, proposing that consumers will be less price-sensitive to offerings endorsed by companies with good reputations and that it moderates the marginal utility of product features with high clarity. We also propose that an individual’s knowledge of a company increases the likelihood its products will be purchased. Using a choice model incorporating an individual SEM-based reputation measure, we find support for these hypothesised effects in the context of television choices. The results suggest that corporate reputation warrants more attention by marketing managers to increase preferences for their products through these mechanisms.     

Determinants of Consumers’ Purchase Intentions of Organic Vegetables: Some Insights from Malaysia

This study tests the mediating effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR), product image, and corporate reputation on the relationships between green marketing awareness and consumers’ purchase intentions of organic vegetables. Data from 200 valid questionnaires was analyzed utilizing a partial least squares approach. Results show that product image was confirmed as the leading factor that partially mediated the influence of consumer green marketing awareness on consumers’ purchase intentions of organic vegetables, and this was followed by CSR, but that corporate reputation was not established as a mediator. Marketing managers should, therefore, develop various effective strategies to communicate their companies’ product image, embracing green marketing practices in order to increase market awareness, and providing positive recommendations to friends and relatives via various marketing communication channel including the short message service (SMS), emails, and social networking sites (SNS).     

Applying the Institutional Theory at the Level of Halal Consumers: The Case of Cape Town in South Africa

The institutional theory, especially at an individual level, has not been conducted on halal consumers in South Africa. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree to which halal consumers who have higher institutional pressures are more expected to purchase halal food products. This study draws upon institutional theory to present empirical evidence that institutional factors may show a significant effect on halal consumer’s purchase intention and buying behavior toward purchasing halal food products. A sample of 298 halal consumers in South Africa was selected. Data samples were collected via self-administrated questionnaires. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test study hypotheses. The study showed that all institutional factors have a direct effect on halal consumer’s intention and indirect effect on buying behavior. Based on the results, normative pressures had a high significant effect among institutional pressures, followed by other factors such as mimetic and coercive pressures, respectively. This study is first of the uncommon studies examining halal consumers’ purchase intention and buying behavior in a non-Muslim country, employing the institutional theory in the context of halal food consumption.     

Antecedents of Taiwan Chinese Consumers’ Purchase Intentions Toward U.S.- and Japanese-Made Household Appliances

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to understand the factors influencing Taiwan's Chinese consumers’ purchase intentions toward U.S. and Japanese household appliances. The authors attempt to develop and test a comprehensive model linking such purchase intentions to several constructs including Taiwan Chinese consumers’ openness to foreign cultures, consumer nationalism, product familiarity, traditional cultural values orientation, and product-country image. The result of analysis using structural equation modeling shows that consumer nationalism has a strong indirect effect on purchase intention via the product-country image construct. Taiwan Chinese consumers’ traditional cultural values orientation and openness to foreign cultures have direct effects on consumer nationalism and, hence, are important antecedents in explaining the purchase intentions toward foreign-made goods by Taiwan Chinese consumers. With the growing importance of the Chinese domestic market, this study provides international marketing managers with practical implications in important areas such as market segmentation, branding strategy, and market research and practices in the Chinese consumer market.     

Determinants of Consumer Preferences for Honey in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Honey is one of the important non-timber forest products consumed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and, as such, an important source of income for many households. However, poor knowledge of buyers’ preferences in the marketing of honey presents a major challenge to the profitability of the honey enterprises. The research presented in this article identifies key consumer characteristics that influence the preferences of honey consumers in the DRC. The primary data source used in this analysis is drawn from a survey of 214 consumers. Results show that consumers who are married and have reached at least the level of secondary education have a strong preference for local forest and savannah honey. Those between the ages of 30 and 50 do not prefer honey from beekeeping, but would rather have it imported. We conclude that segmentation of the honey market and increasing consumer awareness must go in tandem in order to develop a good marketing strategy.     

Factors affecting farmers market produce prices in Missouri

Produce marketers who participate as farmers market vendors or otherwise directly market their goods should understand not only the location-related characteristics that affect consumer selection of local, fresh produce but also the product attributes that consumers prefer to find in local products. Understanding attribute-price relationships will allow marketers to better plan for value-added marketing opportunities. Using a hedonic pricing model, this study analyzed the influence that product attribute levels have on prices for seven types of produce: sweet corn, tomatoes, cantaloupe, cucumbers, green beans, bell peppers, and zucchini. Based on data collected from Missouri farmers markets, multiple attributes affect produce price variation. In the dataset, one of the strongest effects was exerted by sale location. The importance of this finding is that prices can be collected in a single location and extrapolated to other farmers market locations, which implies reduced search and reporting costs in collecting representative farmers market produce prices. Additionally, a higher weight may increase prices for some types of produce but decrease prices of others after a certain point. Farmers market vendors, as well as other direct marketers, can use attribute pricing information to identify the quality attributes that consumers prefer.     

The influence of eco-label knowledge and trust on pro-environmental consumer behaviour in an emerging market

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the negative environmental implications of purchasing goods, which in turn shape their behaviour. Yet, there are indications that consumers do not always act on these concerns, causing an attitude–behaviour gap. For consumers to make ecologically responsible purchases, they need relevant product environmental information. Therefore, marketers and firms are increasingly integrating more detailed environmental information in their offerings, including eco-labels with externally validated information. This study integrates consumers’ knowledge and trust in eco-labels with their environmental knowledge to determine how these affect pro-environmental consumer behaviour (PECB). The findings suggest environmental and eco-label knowledge is positively associated with attitudes towards the environment, and that positive environmental attitudes and trust in eco-labels affect PECB. This implies that firms, policy-makers and accreditation organisations (i.e. labelling) can educate consumers about eco-labels and the environment to increase PECB. Such strategies will also build consumer knowledge and trust in eco-labels, necessary for facilitating PECB.     

Key Account Management in information-intensive services

Key Account Management (KAM) is surprisingly little known marketing approach in retailing and consumer services context, however it has much to offer to companies in these industries. It provides an effective, practical and rather simple method for companies interested in increasing their profits by right customer and relationship management. Indeed, KAM is a business-to-business marketing approach, however most retailers and service companies can greatly benefit from it. A large number of retailers and service companies operate both in the consumer and business-to-business market. Few retailers or service providers have never invoiced another company. Moreover, most consumer goods and services are influenced by business-to-business services. The availability and quality of consumer goods and services often essentially depends on various business-to-business services in the earlier phases of marketing channels. Furthermore, by understanding the logic of KAM, retailers and consumer service providers can develop their own key supplier management. Information is one of the most important resources of goods and services in post-industrial economy. Information-intensive services are based on knowledge and refining of information. Increasing number of information-intensive services emerge both in the consumer and business-to-business market. This paper describes the nature of KAM and information-intensive services, and suggests a framework for KAM practices in information-intensive services.