Purpose of the paper: The paper aims to enrich the knowledge on the role of packaging material in influencing the product buying process. Methodology: A between-subjects experimental design was conducted in order to investigate if the product quality judgment and the purchase intention towards the product differ among different packaging materials. Findings: Glass is considered better than other materials, especially in terms of lower perceived risk and higher (a) product quality, (b) intention to buy and (c) willingness to pay. By contrast, plastic does not have a good image. Research limits: Since the perception of the material should be closely related to the product category, caution should be exercised in generalizing the findings to the all food categories. Practical implications: The study has useful insights for manufacturers and product managers in the packaging management, one of the relevant components of the marketing mix. Originality of the paper: Most of the evidence regarding packaging cues focuses principally on elements like colour, shape, graphics and nutritional claims. A limited marketing research has been conducted about the crucial role of the packaging material in the consumers’ evaluation process.

No abstract

Determinants of the growth of store brands (SBs) have been widely investigated in marketing literature. However, with reference to consumer studies, no contributions have focused on comparing strategies developed by grocery retailers to create SB value based on consumer evaluations. The present study aims to fill this knowledge gap by analysing the reasons behind the choice of SBs by consumers who shop at various retailers in Italian market. Data was collected through a computer-assisted telephone interview technique (CATI) based on a structured questionnaire. The final sample was formed by 979 SBs shoppers. The results show that, despite the evidence that socio-demographic profile of the shopper does not vary depending on the retailer attended, the level of importance of SB purchase determinants tend to differ for each retailer: this may reflect the way each distributor has developed its SB products and, therefore, the corresponding strategy adopted. These findings have several implications for retailer policy in positioning SB products.

No abstract