PurposeThis research paper aims to understand which factors influence the purchase of private label food products, by measuring the importance of 14 variables for purchasing frequency.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through questionnaires to a sample of consumers. They have been analysed according to the extra tree classifier methodology, which allows providing a more reliable classification – compared to previous studies – of factors affecting consumers' choices of private label products.FindingsResults show that consumers' choices related to private label food products are influenced by groups of heterogeneous variables related to their perception on products, satisfaction of post-consumption, store's role and trust built over time by retailers.Research limitations/implicationsData have been collected through an online survey, which could generate the bias of self-selection; the sampling method is non-probabilistic.Practical implicationsThe study provides useful indications on the role of private labels in retailer management policies and on marketing competences and skills that are necessary for managing retailers' assortments.Originality/valueThe existing literature lacks clarity on the factors that influence the frequency of purchasing private label food products. By considering a higher number of variables than previous studies, it has been possible to classify and measure the importance of each variable included in the analysis framework adopted, also in case of correlation between variables.

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Dynamic capabilities are relevant in management and internationalisation strategies of companies and retailers. This paper aims to analyse retailers' dynamic capabilities to understand whether divergences emerge in the cases of international companies versus retailers operating in their own domestic market. Through the application of an analysis model, which adapts the Teece framework to the specific features of retail companies, the study investigates three clusters of dynamic capabilities and measures 22 indicators for two different types of retailers. Results highlight significant differences in the capability of sensing the external and internal environment of the enterprise and in the capability of transforming the value proposition of the company.

Purpose of the paper:This conceptual paper explains how the retail concept (latent concept) emerges as an ecosystem through the generation of institutional arrangements and, for this reason, through the evolution of specific institutions that affect the retail concept and the actors involved.Methodology: The study is based on the Service-Dominant Logic (S-D Logic) and Viable System Approach (VSA) frameworks. The S-D Logic framework is applied in order to define institutions and institutional arrangements surrounding the ecosystem, and the VSA framework helps to explain the "emergent" nature of the ecosystem resulting from institutional arrangements.Results: The identification of relevant institutions and institutional arrangements within the retail concept highlights the emergence of the retail concept as an ecosystem from the service perspective.Research limitations: The proposed approach in this conceptual paper could be enriched with other theoretical perspectives and empirical explorations.Practical implications: In the process of retail evolution, it is useful for practitioners to manage a systemic view of the retail concept following the ecosystem paradigm because it provides a framework for understanding the entangled relationships among the industrial production, agriculture, logistics, distribution and consumption sectors that integrate resources and exchange value belonging to the same retail system. They follow the shared purpose of surviving and co-creating value through different actors in the market.Originality of the paper: The ecosystem paradigm is used to explain the latent concept of retail and to express the process of interaction among a multiplicity and variety of emerging institutions through resource integrations in the retail market.

PurposeThe aim of this study is to determine how the different age of consumers impacts on some factors that drive consumers to the purchasing of private label products, considering differences and similarities of behaviors.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted through the administration of a questionnaire to evaluate consumers' perceptions about private label food products. To collect data, the convenience sampling method has been used. The valid answers collected and analyzed are 358.FindingsThe results of this study highlight that the response of different age groups to the Private Label Brands (PLBs) must be considered in the light of the positioning adopted by the individual retailers. Value for money and satisfaction on previous consumption are relevant for purchasing decisions regardless of the retailer's strategy and the age of consumers. A third factor, price, is important for the whole sample. Focusing on the specific age clusters, the younger respondents seem to be attentive to factors such as healthy and in-store promotion, while the more experienced consumer are attentive to the origin and traceability of products.Originality/valueAn analysis of the main literature on Private Labels showed that the results of research about the role of consumer age in PLB choices are contrasting. This study aims at integrating the literature, measuring how the factors influencing the purchase of PLB products vary for different age groups of consumers.