Exploring Country Bias in a Retailing Environment:

The importance of source countries' influences as predictors of consumer attitudes and behavior toward products originating in the respective countries has been amply acknowledged in the global marketing literature, where it is considered a major research stream-known as "country-of-origin" research. Furthering discovery in this domain, the present study compares consumer perceptions of an electronics store originating in an industrially-developed country known for its technological capabilities in this domain (Germany), with perceptions of a similar store from a developing country (Mexico). In the process, differences between managerial and clerical customer groups in terms of store expectations are also assessed and suggestions are advanced for future research.     

The influence of supermarket attributes on perceived customer satisfaction: an East Asian study

Despite the proliferation of theoretical developments in the area of western consumer behaviour, to date the likelihood of Asian variants to existing consumer behavioural models has not been explored in any detail. Based on prior research in the field of retail attribute testing this empirical study investigates the influence of supermarket store attributes on Chinese (Macau) customer satisfaction moderated by the biographical factors of age and income. The results indicate that the store attributes of distance and speed of check out were significant for age, and that delivery service and price reductions were significant by income. Total independent variable rankings indicated store location, price and product variety were perceived by Chinese respondents as being the most important store attributes influencing satisfaction.     

Managing a Global Retail Brand in Different Markets: Meta-Analyses of Customer Responses to Service Encounters

This study investigates how retailers can leverage their brand to shape customers’ satisfaction with service encounters. It develops and tests hypotheses about how brand, store, and consumer factors moderate customer responses to experience clues during retail service encounters. Six meta-regression analyses synthesize and compare results from 842 satisfaction equations describing customers’ encounters with a global retailer operating 400 stores in 32 countries. The results show how customers weigh their perceptions of service encounters differently depending on brand, store, and consumer factors. In markets where customers believe the retailer has high holistic brand quality, they place less weight on experience clues within the store. In markets where customers believe the retailer’s service brand promise, they place more weight on in-store experience clues. In markets where the retailer promises utilitarian value, customers weigh functional experience clues more heavily. In markets with an online purchasing channel, the effect of experience clues common to offline and online store environments is magnified, and unique clues are diminished. In addition, customers heavily weigh experience clues that fit their goals. In general, retail success factors include high brand quality (which makes customers more forgiving), a service brand promise that is mirrored in the store image (which makes customers attend to the experience clues aligned with them), and the careful monitoring and managing of retail touchpoints (to customize experience clues to each market). In this way, retailers can use customer-based strategies to effectively design and manage their global retail brand in different markets.     

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.     

Store environment and consumer purchase behavior: Mediating role of consumer emotions

This article presents a large-scale cross-sectional field study of the effect of store environment on consumer emotions and the resulting influence on aspects of consumer behavior with actual shopping behavior used as an example. Cast into a stimulus–organism–response framework, the results suggest that a consumer's emotions can be a mediating factor in the purchase process. In this study, we identify and explore how store environment and emotional states may influence various dimensions of purchase behavior. This research confirms that although cognitive factors may largely account for store selection and for most planned purchases within the store, the environment in the store and the emotional state of consumers may be important determinants of purchase behavior. This research has many pragmatic applications, because pleasure was associated with the amount of money spent and affinity for the store, whereas arousal was associated with money spent in the store, time spent in the store, and the number of items purchased in the store. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Macro-level change and micro level effects: A twenty-year perspective on changing grocery shopping behaviour in Britain

In this paper we summarise key elements of retail change in Britain over a twenty-year period. The time period is that covered by a funded study into long-term change in grocery shopping habits in Portsmouth, England. The major empirical findings—to which we briefly allude—are reported elsewhere: the present task is to assess the wider context underlying that change. For example, it has frequently been stated that retailing in the UK is not as competitive as in other leading economies. As a result, the issue of consumer choice has become increasingly important politically. Concerns over concentration in the industry, new format development and market definition have been expressed by local planners, competition regulators and consumer groups. Macro level changes over time have also created market inequality in consumer opportunities at a local level—hence our decision to attempt a local-level study. Situational factors affecting consumer experiences over time at the local level involve the changing store choice sets available to particular consumers. Using actual consumer experiences thus becomes a yardstick for assessing the practical effectiveness of policy making. The paper demonstrates that choice at local level is driven by store use and that different levels of provision reflect real choice at the local level. Macro-level policy and ‘one size fits all’ approaches to regulation, it is argued, do not reflect the changing reality of grocery shopping. Accordingly, arguments for a more local and regional approach to regulation are made.     

Growth factors of store brands in different store formats in Italy

Since the beginning of the consumer crisis, which in Italy can be traced back to the second half of 2008, there has been a significant development of store brands? market share which has reached close to 25% in some leader groups (for example Coop, Conad, Esselunga). The acceleration of the rate of penetration of store brands differs by category and store format. The main reason for this result is the different consumer purchase behavior. In this framework, this work aims at analyzing the elements that have determined the store brands success in the main store format (hypermarket, supermarket, convenience store), through analysis of single retail mix levers management. The factors that have mostly influenced the growth in store brands, in each store format, are investigated throughout a complete informative retail database. The aim of this study is to verify whether the management of the individual retail mix levers produces the same results in different store formats. Additional enhancement to the understanding of store brands management and further support to modern distribution management policies are also provided. A relevant finding is that the performance of store formats depends on the use of specific retail mix levers.     

Store-, Market-, and Consumer-Characteristics: The Drivers of Store Performance

Four factors have traditionally been identified in influencing store performance: store-, market-, and consumer characteristics and competition. Given partially conflicting and, in some cases, dated findings in the literature we want to re-assess the effects. In particular, past research has usually considered only two out of the four constructs at any time, which is likely to result in erroneous interpretation of results. We draw upon a unique cross-sectional sample of grocery stores with a wide array of store characteristic, store performance, trade area, and consumer demographic variables. Using structural modeling, our prime interest is to assess the differential impact of store attractiveness, market potential, and socio-economic status on two different store performance measures, while controlling for competitive effects. We find that the market potential of a store is by far the most important driver of store sales performance and sales productivity performance. With one exception, the model and the data support the hypothesized relationships about the direction and the strength of the impact of a store's attractiveness, market potential and socio-economic characteristics of the trade area on a store's performance.     

Consumer evaluations of store brands: effects of store image and product attributes

The importance of store brands has increased. Many products carrying a label that is exclusively available from a specific retailer chain have been introduced in recent years, with varying degrees of success. Retailers appear to pay little attention to the multiple risks associated with adding new product categories to their store labels. We investigate how store image factors and various categories of perceived risk associated with product attributes affect consumer evaluations of store-branded products. A structural model is developed and tested, providing indications of the likelihood of store brand success in various product categories. Research and managerial implications are provided.     

Consumers’ perception of store image of joint venture shopping centres: first-tier versus second-tier cities in China

Studies on consumer behaviour and the modelling of attributes representing store image of shopping centres in the context of a developed country have been the focus of many researchers. In contrast, although China has the largest consumer market in the world, the consumer behaviour and consumption psychology of this enormous market remain relatively unknown due to a previously “close-door” policy as well as a high degree of government intervention within the retail sector. This paper discusses the unique nature and development of the retail industry in China, and formulates a model to represent the store image of joint venture shopping centres, which are the only approved form of direct foreign investment into China's retail sector. Research on store image of shopping centres in the west as well as in China has been applied in the formulation of the model, which consists of 21 attributes. The relative importance of these 21 shopping centre image attributes is subsequently analysed between consumers in a first-tier and a second-tier city in China. By being the first of its kind to reflect on China's retail market and its joint venture shopping centres, and to compare the consumer behaviour within different levels of cities in China, this paper provides both researchers and retailers with a better insight and understanding into the psychology of Chinese consumers, and the retailing business in China.     

Sensory Aspects of Retailing: Theoretical and Practical Implications

Sensory elements are an important aspect of both offline and online retail stores and can non-consciously influence consumer judgments and purchase behavior. In offline settings, ambient factors like scent, lighting, and music have been shown to influence customers’ shopping experiences and their buying behaviors. For online retail outlets, sensory factors related to color, display patterns, and layouts can have significant effects on consumer behavior. Sensory elements have strong managerial relevance since they can non-consciously influence behaviors and because they are relatively easy to change; for example, it requires minimal effort to change the lighting or the music at a physical retail store or the display pattern for an online store. The eight papers in this special issue address theoretical and practical issues related to how different sensory elements can strongly influence retail practices. These papers focus on underexplored topic areas and also on emerging technologies, which stimulate thoughts for further research in these areas.     

Brand and quality effects on introduction of store brand products

This paper considers a supply chain with a single manufacturer selling a national brand product via a single retailer. The retailer has the option to introduce a product under his own brand into the market with the same functionality as the national brand product. We simultaneously consider the consumer bases of the national brand and store brand along with consumers' willingness to pay for quality and the supply chain control (centralized vs. decentralized). By analyzing the game-theoretic models, we offer managerial insights about the influences of brands' consumer bases on the quality and pricing decisions of the retailer, and on the manufacturer's willingness-to-collaborate when the retailer introduces the store brand product. We find that, although it is usually easier for the retailer to introduce a product under a store brand with a large consumer base, doing so with manufacturers of well established national brands can be difficult, when the retailer often has to greatly mark down his store brand product's quality and price. We also find that a store brand product with a small consumer base shall be launched only when the supply chain is switched to a centralized control and when the manufacturer's national brand has a large consumer base. These important findings offer guidance to both national brand manufacturers and retail store managers regarding the launch of store brand products.     

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.     

Identifying and examining the role of pop-up store design: A mixed-methods study

Pop-up store design has become critical in achieving marketing-motivated and sales-motivated goals. Nevertheless, a lack of holistic and systematic research on pop-up store design prevents retailers from evaluating and leveraging the value of design. This paper uses a mixed-methods investigation combining qualitative and quantitative approaches to classify the pop-up store design factors and examine their effects on consumer behavior. The results suggest that three dimensions of pop-up store design, namely sign, style, and layout elements, positively affect brand attitude and purchase intention through the mediating effect of store image. This research offers theoretical and managerial implications for pop-up retailing.     

Linking Retail Strategy,Atmospheric Design and Shopping Behaviour

Although not usually recognized in the published work in retail atmospherics, the environment created by retail managers is an important strategic variable. Most of the work in atmospherics has focused on consumer reactions to environments while the strategic dimensions of this decision have largely been ignored. The present paper explores this gap by focusing on the managerial dimensions of store atmosphere by linking retail strategies and atmospheric design with consumer behaviours and issues. This discussion underscores the necessity for retail managers to have specific goals for the atmosphere in mind before creating a store design since the retail environment is capable of eliciting a wide range of behaviours from consumers.     

The influence of in‐store personnel on online store value: An analogical transfer perspective

In today’s multichannel retail environment, consumers’ experiences in one channel influence their perceptions of another channel. Specifically, consumer evaluations of a firm’s online store have been found to be influenced by consumer interactions with the firm’s in‐store personnel. This paper is among the first to address this assumption and test it empirically. Drawing upon the analogical transfer paradigm, we propose hypotheses and accordingly model in‐store personnel’s competence and friendliness as determinants of online store usefulness, online store enjoyment, and online store value. Using consumer data collected from two Dutch multichannel retailers, we test this model with partial least squares modeling. The results provide clear support for the model and confirm that consumers may use characteristics of in‐store personnel as analogies when evaluating a firm’s online store. Implications for research and retail managers are discussed.     

Effects of store image and store brand price-image on store brand purchase intention: Application to an emerging market

Several factors have been underlined to explain store brands' (SBs) purchase behavior. This research investigates jointly the effect of store image perceptions, SB price-image and perceived risk toward SBs on SB purchase intention in the context of an emerging market (Brazil). Data were collected from a consumer survey with 379 respondents randomly selected. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships. Our results show that store image perceptions and SB price-image influence significantly SB purchase intention directly or indirectly via the effect of perceived risk toward SBs. These findings are discussed and their theoretical and managerial implications are provided.     

购物中心内零售集聚的需求外部性度量研究

文章从消费者的角度探究出一个可操作的方法对购物中心内零售集聚需求外部性进行度量,即用购物中心店铺客流社会网络的间距中心度替代租金指标来表征店铺的需求外部性。在购物中心租金决定因素文献梳理的基础上,总结出影响购物中心租金的三个指标,店铺面积、店铺类型和店铺品牌,然后以银泰城购物中心作为研究对象,用间距中心度替代租金指标进行实证研究,实证结论进一步验证了Brueckner（1993）的研究结论,即店铺面积越大,需求外部性越大,也证实了以商品零售、餐饮零售和服务零售为划分的店铺类型对需求外部性有显著影响,消费者角度的店铺品牌吸引力对需求外部性有显著影响。     

Effects of in-store information quality and store credibility on consumer engagement in green retailing

Literature has reported that store-level information is crucial in determining consumer engagement with green stores. This study examines the effects of in-store (green) information quality on consumer engagement behaviours and mediating effects of store credibility. Moreover, the study reveals whether consumer passion for the environment moderates the effect of in-store (green) information quality on store credibility. Statistical analyses of useable data from 763 respondents examined the relationships. Credibility emerged as a key mechanism to enhance the effects of information quality on consumer engagement. Thus, this study extends theoretical discussions on information quality, consumer passion, and consumer engagement for green retailing.     

Elderly consumers and their food store experiences

The population of the world is ageing and the number of people aged 60+years in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland is increasing. Advancing age brings about changes in consumers needs, wants and ability. One need which is continuous, regardless of age is the need for food. For some consumers age-associated changes can limit their access to food, thus compromising their nutrition and health. As a consequence there is a real need to provide older consumers with a more supportive environment by providing adequate opportunities to access a range of affordable food products. Access to food involves a process which includes the provision of adequate retail facilities within easy access to home, the selection and opportunity to purchase products, having the financial means to cover all the costs incurred and be able to prepare and consume the food. It is when access is restricted or limited that food provision becomes an issue of consumer disadvantage and warrants investigation. This is not the case for all consumer segments of the population, but one group proven to be affected are older consumers. The aim of this research was to determine the behaviour and experience of older consumers in Northern Ireland (aged 60+) during the food procurement process and to make some recommendations to minimise older consumer detriment.Data collection involved four focus groups with older consumers aged over 60. Each focus group consisted of eight to ten adults and was carried out in a familiar social setting. The qualitative findings are supported by preliminary results from a consumer questionnaire (n=791), which documents and explores quantitatively the experiences described in the focus groups. The consumer questionnaire was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 15.Both the qualitative and quantitative results have identified shopping patterns and motivations fuelling purchase decisions among this age group, and show that older people face a range of positive and negative experiences when accessing food. The majority of older consumers in Northern Ireland shop on a weekly basis in one of the UK multiple food retailers. Negative factors identified by this age group include a dependence on others in order to physically access food shops (35%) and also 35% face in-store difficulties such as store size and changing layout. Positive factors associated with food shopping include friendly and helpful staff and the provision of additional facilities; e.g. a post office or chemist. Whilst it is recognised that older consumers are not a homogeneous grouping, for the purpose of this paper they are considered as one group and recommendations are made to improve the food shopping experience of older consumers. Practical guidance has been proposed for food retailers and Government policy makers in an attempt to overcome the problems and limitations that restrict food access for this consumer group, e.g. by proving additional in-store assistance, minimising multi-purchase promotions and improving product labelling.