文档介绍：Introduction
Consumer perceptions
Recently, we have seen significant changes in
of grocery retail the European grocery retail structure and
formats and brands retail marketing strategies (. Arnold,
1999). The structure and strategies of
Outi Uusitalo retailing have been shaped by the intense
competition and struggle over market shares.
Grocery retailers operate in mature markets
with slow growth opportunities, thus the
struggle over market shares is justified.
Meanwhile, retailers have been less concerned
with genuinely listening to consumers' needs
and desires. We could claim that consumers
The author have had to adapt to any changes being made
Outi Uusitalo is Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the in the retail structure, that they have changed
School of Business and Economics, the University of their shopping behaviour to coincide with the
JyvaÈskylaÈ, Finland. products that retail stores are providing. For
example, consumers now have to travel longer
distances, use a car for shopping, buy larger
Keywords
purchases, and be able to store the product in
Consumer behaviour, Product strategy, Brands, their homes.
Grocery retailing Retail firms have established distinctive
retail store formats which are differentiated
Abstract from each other based on a single dimension
Grocery retailers are operating in a slow-growth market. or bination of several dimensions
The pursuit of market share is one of the main concerns (Brown, 1992, pp. 19-21). monly
for retail managers. The retail structure is ing used dimensions are product range and price
increasingly standardized and homogenous because of level (see . Burt and Sparks, 1994; 1995).
concentration of the ownership of stores. Cultural As a consequence of the concern with retail
differences remain, however, between different European formats and chain stores, retail brands with
countries. Cultural factors influence the ess of a managed images have e prevalent
positioning