This study aims to investigate how consumers perceive variety in grocery stores and further how private brands have affected consumers? perceptions of variety in grocery stores.The study focuses on the perceptions and attitudes towards variety and the impact of private brands on perceived variety. Hence, a qualitative rather than quantitative study has been used. Photo elicitation has been used in both focus groups and in-depth interviews, which have been the empirical data collection of the study. Scientific articles and books have also been used in the process.

Background: In the past 10 years private label has increased significantly in the Swedish grocery market. This is an important strategic event, which is a great challenge to suppliers as it causes stiff competition. To handle this situation an increasing number of suppliers have to make the decision whether to produce private label or not.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find and analyse factors that influence suppliers in the Swedish grocery market to produce private label. On this basis we intend to confirm or develop existing theories within the field of study.Research method: The study has a qualitative approach where empirical data has been gathered through interviews with suppliers and retailers in the Swedish grocery market.Results: This study has identified factors that underlie suppliers? decision to produce private label.

The purpose of this study is to provide a longitudinal examination, within grocery retailing, of four marketing tools and their impact on enhancing customer loyalty. The study examines whether the relationship between the four marketing tools and customer satisfaction has a positive effect on attitude and behavior loyalty. The findings from this study show that the marketing tools have not helped enhancing loyalty between 2004 and 2007. Between these years, service quality has the most affect on loyalty. Self-scanning as an effective marketing tool could be questioned, the relation in this study is not supported.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att genom intervjuer med tre medelålders kvinnor, ta del av deras upplevelser av Adventsmarknaden och friluftsmuséets Lilla Julmarknad i Gamla Linköping. Genom intervjuer och deltagande observation vid marknaderna undersöker jag på vilket sätt informanterna besöker en marknad och hur deras syn på shopping och service styr deras besök. Uppsatsen belyser hur de shoppar när de besöker en marknad, hur de ser på service och hur detta påverkar deras upplevelse. Slutsatsen av denna studie är kortfattat att de besöker marknaden, och shoppar på tre skilda sätt. De definierar och uppskattar service på olika sätt och handlar olika typer av varor.

This report is a part of a diploma work, conducted as a part of a Master of Science degree. The diploma work consists of a preliminary study, two case studies, a user study, a paper and this report. It was created at the Linköping University for the department of Science and Technology, in cooperation with Unilever Research in the UK, and partly with the EC founded project, Smartdoc IST-2000-28137. Hand-held, mobile devices like Personal Digital Assistances (PDAs) are becoming increasingly popular in today?s wireless world.

Context: In cooperation with ICA, we chose to investigate how much the auditory and visual stimuli in combination affects consumer behavior in grocery store. There are few studies in the area, which gives good practical and theoretical implications.Research question: How much influenced consumers' purchasing, movement and inspection behavior during exposure to auditory and visual stimuli in the fruit and vegetable department of a grocery store?Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze how much the auditory and visual stimuli affect consumer behavior in the grocery store. We do this through a quantitative experiment of our partner?s fruit and vegetable section, where we observe customer behavior in stores.

In central Jönköping, on Munksjöns northern waterside a shopping centre will be built, on the block Atollen. The construction will begin in autumn of 2007 and will be finished according to plan in 2009. Atollens goal is to counteract the competition from external retailers and strengthen the retail trade in the city centre, leading to more attractive and competitive city centre.Atollen will not be a shopping centre in traditional style and design, it will be focused on shopping and experience. The shopping centre shall be a natural venue with a wide and exclusive store mix, concentrated against trend conscious customers. This will be created with the help of a futuristic design and architecture, with light, open and transparent spaces.

The consumer often chooses the store depending on the quality of the fruit and vegetable department. A study has proven that about half of the purchases in this department are impulsive. This gives the store a good possibility to influence the consumer?s behaviour in the fruit and vegetables department. Compared to other products, like pasta or rice, there are few brands represented in the f & v-department.

AbstractThe topic ?The effects of music in the supermarket on consumer behavior,sales, and customer state of mind? was assessed to try and analyse the emotionaldifferences that may occur as well as the sales variations that may arise fromplaying music in a supermarket. The reason for this study is that grocery storesare very common and abundant in most neighborhoods, as is man?s necessaryconsumption of food. In almost every city grocery stores must compete hardagainst each other in order to succeed in offering the most appealing options toconsumers.

AbstractThe topic ?The effects of music in the supermarket on consumer behavior,sales, and customer state of mind? was assessed to try and analyse the emotionaldifferences that may occur as well as the sales variations that may arise fromplaying music in a supermarket. The reason for this study is that grocery storesare very common and abundant in most neighborhoods, as is man?s necessaryconsumption of food. In almost every city grocery stores must compete hardagainst each other in order to succeed in offering the most appealing options toconsumers.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att utvidga förståelsen för kvalitetssäkrings-systemet Mystery Shopping. Det görs genom att studera hur de anställda i en serviceverksamhet, på sin arbetsplats, uppfattar systemet. Avsikten är vidare att utifrån detta ta reda på vad som kan ha påverkat denna uppfattning. Metod:Då Mystery Shopping är ett vanligt förekommande kvalitetssäkringssystem ville vi studera hur de anställda uppfattar kontrollen. Uppsatsen består av en explorativ studie där vi med hjälp av tre kvalitativa intervjuer skapar en förförståelse till kvalitetssäkringssystemet.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka och analysera shoppingbeteendet vad gäller mode hos svenska män och kvinnor i åldersgruppen 20 till 30 år. Vi vill undersöka vilka likheter och skillnader som finns mellan mäns och kvinnors shoppingbeteende. Uppsatsen är baserad på en kvantitativ undersökning, där vi har genomfört en enkätundersökning med 200 respondenter i målgruppen. Enkätundersökningen har utformats med hjälp av en kvalitativ metod, där vi har samlat en liten fokusgrupp som har fått diskutera sitt shoppingbeteende och sin syn på shopping av mode. Enkätundersökningen har varit webbaserad och genomförts med verktyget QuestionPro?.

The purpose of this study is to investigate a loyalty card and its relation to accompanying promotional benefits, and their linkages to grocery retail service loyalty. Also, the aim sets out to find relationships between demographic variables and proneness towards the promotional benefits, the loyalty card, and loyalty. A quantitative approach has been assumed and empirical data has been collected through the use of questionnaires. The data has been analyzed through descriptive statistics, correlations, and regression analysis. An operationalization used to measure satisfaction of the loyalty card and attitudinal loyalty is also presented.

ABSTRACT The potato has had an important role in the Swedish dietary customs for quite some time. However, during the last forty years, consumption has decreased from 87 kg/year and person to 46 kg/year and person. Other products such as pasta, rice and bulgur are competing with the potato. Many of the competitors have been developed and refined while the potato has not changed much. The potato is still a bulk product while competing products have been differentiated. Stakeholders within the potato market has realized that something has to be done and today there are a number of organizations and networks that all actively work to preserve the Swedish agriculture and specifically the potato as a product. The purpose with this essay is to examine how store managers in the Swedish grocery stores view the handling of the potato in the store, the quality and packaging, marketing and future consumption.

Some theorist, like George Ritzer and Max Weber, claim that everything has its optimal process and that all companies therefore will strive towards standardization. Researchers like Paco Underhill and Pine & Gilmore on the other hand, claim that an increasingly global competition forces businesses to focus more on consumer demands, experiences and differentiation. This thesis challenges these statements with empirical data by looking at shopping malls and their strategies as well as consumer preferences. It arrives at the conclusion that output is primarily driven by customer demand, and that consumers value a certain part of predictability..