Beatrice Luceri

The impact of store flyers on store performance: a format and customer related approach

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of store flyer characteristics on store performance for different formats (hypermarket and supermarket) and customer segments (additional and regular shoppers). Specifically, the paper tests propositions on how flyer duration, variety of featured purchasing options, the category and brand mix on feature and the method used to communicate the deal price affect store traffic and sales. Loyalty cards and scanner data from a grocery chain covering a 52-week period indicate that optimal store flyer configuration is related to store format. Moreover, the response to flyer promotion programs varies across customer segments according to the degree of store loyalty. Implications for retailers are discussed with suggestions for future research.

The cross-shopping behaviour: patterns of store format mobility in the apparel sector

Purpose – The study investigates the cross-format shopping behaviour in the apparel sector. The purpose of this paper is to relate the number of store formats patronized to a set of consumer characteristics under a unifying theoretical framework emphasising cost-benefit analysis. Design/methodology/approach – The research involved questionnaire telephone surveys from a sample of 1,722 apparel shoppers in a European region. Findings – Among shoppers’ socio-demographic characteristics, age, gender, employment status and citizenship were found to have an impact on multi-store format patronage patterns for apparel purchases. Moreover, the store format preference and the sale proneness proved to be additional determinants of cross-format mobility. Practical implications – The findings provide retail managers with valuable insights for effective marketing strategies aimed to exploit customer loyalty potential. Originality/value – Despite consumers’ regular use of various alternative store formats for apparel pu...

Product versus region of origin: which wins in consumer persuasion?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of highlighting the geographical area in question – through either pictorial or pictorial-textual formats – in print-advertising messages for European Union geographical indication (GI) quality-labelled products. Design/methodology/approach A 2×3 between subjects factorial design was used to manipulate the type of GI, namely, protected designation of origin vs protected geographical indication, and the region of origin presentation in the advertisement (absent vs pictorial vs pictorial-textual), while measuring participant brand attitude and intention to buy (dependent variables). Findings Results show a significant main effect of the region of origin presentation on brand attitude and purchase intention. Communicating the region of origin through pictorial cues leads to more favourable responses than when there is no reference to it in the advertisement. The presentation of the region of origin through pictorial-textual cues leads to more positive responses than communication based just on pictorial cues. No interaction effect between the type of GI and the region of origin presentation is found. Originality/value The study makes a new contribution in the field of communication about typical food products, since the ability of the geographical area to increase consumers’ purchase intention has not been systematically tested in an advertising context. To date, there is no strong evidence on how effective it is to convey the values of the geographical area through its picture and/or name. On a practical level, the study supports new communication strategies for typical food products in a context where messages tend to use intrinsic advertising cues that emphasize physical product attributes, rather than extrinsic advertising cues that leverage intangible product values.

Cognitive biases in private branding (an fMRI experiment of over-the-counter drugs)

The present study aims to analyze the neural mechanisms involved in private label choice by means of fMRI. The purpose is to answer the following main question: is the mental process that leads to the choice of the private label similar to that developed for the industrial brand? The experiment in the otc drugs category showed that the private label determines emotional brain activation equivalent to that of the industrial brand; that the price information increases the level of consumer concentration; that the higher the price gap between the private label and the leading brand, the greater the emotional involvement of private label purchasers; that the lower the price gap between the private label and the leading brand, the greater the emotional involvement of leading brand purchasers. The outcome can improve marketing decision process of both retailers and industrial companies.

Product packaging and consumers’ emotional response. Does spatial representation influence product evaluation and choice?

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of different spatial representations (foreground and background) of a product image on the package on the consumer emotional state and intention to buy the product, drawing upon the construal level theory (CLT).,Two between-subjects experimental designs were conducted. A face-reading software was used to measure the emotional reactions of participants while watching the stimuli.,Empirical results showed that the foreground representation of the product, triggered by a lower perceived psychological distance between the subject and the product, generates more positive emotional responses compared to the background representation. However, the purchase intention did not significantly differ between the foreground condition and the background condition.,The study enriches the literature on CLT and provides some guidance to manufacturers and product managers for the understanding of the role of packaging in influencing consumer behaviour.,The paper contributes to the research on the presence of the product imagery on the package. The focus is shifted from the presence/absence of the picture to its position (proximal or distal). This aspect has been neglected in previous studies. Moreover, it is the first application of face reading to support CLT basic assumption and enrich extant marketing research on packaging.

Consumers’ intention to buy generic drugs: Evidences from the Italian setting

The paper aims to understand the determinants that may encourage consumer acceptance of generic drugs. In particular, attitude, perceived risk and brand sensitivity are considered as relevant predictors of the intention to buy. Moreover, the study aims to investigate: the effect of perceived risk on brand sensitivity and attitude towards generic drugs; and the mediation role of attitude and brand sensitivity in the risk-intention relationship. The proposed conceptual model was tested through structural equation modelling using data collected with an online survey from a sample of 742 people who bought drugs. All the hypothesized relationships are supported. Results contribute both theoretically and practically to the understanding of generic substitution.

Predict excessive use of Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Games: The role of social anxiety and identification with the character

As the popularity of computer games has grown, questions are being raised about their excessive use and factors related to addictive behaviours. This study investigates whether social anxiety and connection with the character affect frequency of play and game dependency in Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Games (MMPORGs). Furthermore, the mediating effect of identification with the character is assumed in the relationships between social anxiety and (a) frequency of play and (b) game dependency. A survey with 264 Italians who engaged in MMPORGs was conducted. Structural equation modelling was used to estimate the hypothesized relationships. The analysis confirmed that social anxiety and identification with the character play a crucial role in the development of problematic behaviours. Identification with the character also acts as a mediator in the social anxiety - game addiction relationship. The findings may improve the understanding of MMPORGs players’ behaviour and provide implications for policy makers, health professionals and marketers to encourage and promote responsible online gaming.

Consumer Responses to Explicit Sexual Stimuli in Advertising: Artistic vs Provocative Style

This study extends prior research on sexual appeal advertising by developing a model of consumer responses to explicit sexual stimuli conveyed through different expressive styles (artistic versus provocative). A between-subjects experimental design (N=369) was conducted. The theoretical model includes ad-, brand- and behaviour-related variables. Structural equation modelling was used to estimate the hypothesized relationships. Findings reveal that the use of an artistic format stimulates a better response than the use of images in merely provocative poses. From a female consumer perspective, all paths were positive and significant when exposed to the artistic nudity stimuli, with the only exception of the positive emotions-purchase intention relationship. Results suggest a moderating role of the mode of representing sexual images on attitude-intention relationships. From a male consumer perspective, the response was similar, but any effect was present between attitude towards the advertisement and purchase intention. Support was found for a moderating influence of expressive styles on positive emotion-attitude towards the brand relationship. The paper sheds new lights on the way explicit sexual stimuli can be represented, offering a contribution to improving the communication effectiveness of products and brands that exploit sexual stimuli.

Innovare l’offerta estendendo il retail brand: il ruolo della fedeltà e della sensibilità a prezzo e promozione

Obiettivo del paper : L’articolo indaga il ruolo che la fedelta alla marca commerciale, la sensibilita al prezzo e quella alla promozione svolgono nel predire l’acquisto di un’offerta innovativa nel retail grocery, ovvero: i prodotti e servizi extra-core a marca insegna (PSEx). Metodologia : Ai dati ottenuti tramite un’indagine campionaria in-store su questionario strutturato (N. 139) e stata applicata una regressione logistica binaria. Risultati : La fedelta comportamentale alla marca commerciale e l’attitudine alla promozione risultano predittori dell’estensione d’acquisto, mentre la sensibilita al prezzo e solo debolmente significativa. Limiti della ricerca : Il campione indagato e relativo ad una sola insegna. Il concetto di fedelta considerato rappresenta solo una, anche se necessaria, delle componenti in cui si articola la customer loyalty. L’analisi non distingue tra singoli prodotti/servizi extra-core. Implicazioni pratiche : I risultati emersi consentono di supportare e dare validazione empirica alle scelte di estensione dell’offerta operate dai manager della distribuzione despecializzata. Implementando politiche volte ad incrementare la frequenza e lo scontrino d’acquisto della marca commerciale sull’assortimento core e investendo in offerte promozionali si innesca un processo di trascinamento virtuoso delle nuove tipologie di offerta extra-core. Per avere successo nella nuova offerta, i distributori devono concentrare i loro sforzi di marketing sui clienti piu sensibili all’acquisto di prodotti a marca commerciale e alle promozioni below the line. Originalita del lavoro : Il contributo verifica l’applicabilita di alcuni risultati emergenti dagli studi sulla marca commerciale anche ad un suo concetto esteso, ovvero in un contesto, quello dei prodotti/servizi extra-core, innovativo e non ancora analizzato in modo approfondito dalla letteratura.

L’acquirente cross-format: modelli di mobilità nel rocery

Lo studio indaga il comportamento di acquisto cross-format nel settore dei beni di largo consumo. L’obiettivo e mettere in relazione il numero di canali di acquisto utilizzati con un insieme di caratteristiche riferite al consumatore, secondo l’approccio costi- benefici. I dati di un campione di 1.674 consumatori indicano che, tra le caratteristiche socio-demografiche della domanda, solo il genere impatta sui modelli di frequentazione delle forme distributive. Ulteriori determinanti della mobilita risultano il canale di acquisto prevalente e la percezione dell’attivita di acquisto. Le implicazioni manageriali sono discusse con indicazioni per la ricerca futura.