The literature shows that category management is an important concept and tool for retailers and suppliers, but that there is a trend to move to a more shopper-centric category management approach, linked to the shoppermarketing approach. However, the knowledge on this issue is scarce on some retailing sectors, like convenience stores. The present study is focused on convenience stores, with the main purpose of finding out to what extent non-major food retailers successfully adopt a shopper-centric category management. The study is relevant in order to evaluate if a more shopper-centric approach is adequate to smaller companies/stores. To accomplish that goal, an exploratory qualitative study was conducted among convenience store retailers and suppliers. Six semistructured face-to-face interviews were conducted with Commercial Directors and Trade Marketing Managers. This data was complemented with thirteen interviews with shopper marketing experts. The data was analyzed using thematic content analysis technique, identifying themes, categories, subcategories, units of meaning and relations. The results revealed that convenience store retailers use some of the principles and techniques of the shopper-marketing and shopper-centric category management approaches, which they do in a non-standardized and non-formal approach or process. Their suppliers (the manufacturers) do it in a more formal and structured manner, probably as a result of previous interaction with major supermarkets chains. Both direct and indirect evidences of a shopper-centric approach were found, which, however, were slight, discrete and not formal.
This research aims to contribute to digital shopper marketing and omnichannel themes, by analyzing if the generations X (also called "13th generation"), Generation Y (also called "Millennials") and Generation Z (also called "Centennials") have different behaviors on the use of smartphones during their shopping journeys in bricks-and-mortar retail stores. For that purpose, an empirical quantitative study was conducted, via an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was applied to a sample of 913 individuals, corresponding to 27% of generation X, 44% from generation Y, and 29% from generation Z. There were found some differences between those generations regarding the actions made with the help of smartphones during the visit to the physical store. The main differences were found on the actions: checking for prices online on competitor websites; checking for prices online on the physical store own website; asking for advice with the help of the smartphone, showing pictures of products to store employees and on the use of smartphones to search online for coupons or discounts.
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