Lead Products, Marketing Profits, and Retail Store Choice

Based on the data collected at two supermarkets, it is found that lead products do exist, and they can influence consumers' store choice decisions. Consumers form associations between product categories and the most preferred stores for those product categories, and these associations are stronger in frequently purchased product categories than in infrequently purchased ones. These associations help consumers choose a store once lead products are identified. Lead products in perishable and frequently purchased product categories do not influence store choice. As a group, however, lead products in all product categories influence consumers' store choice. Specifically, meat/seafood, grocery, and liquor were found to significantly influence store choice decisions. The number of stores patronized, shopping trip type, age type, and distance to the store do not moderate the influence of lead products on store choice. Lastly, marketing profits provide quite different, yet more useful information about stores' profitability than the information that accounting profits provide. Different product categories draw consumers to different supermarkets. Overall, these findings suggest strong evidence for lead products as a viable store choice factor.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Business Administration

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Choi, Pilsik

Contributors dc:contributor

• James Hess

• Business Administration, Marketing

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3198951

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/84541