Food in Retailers’ Commercial Offer – Possibilities of Building Relationships with Consumers

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to identify the possibility of building relationships with consumers in the area of shaping the food offer in retail trade. The subject of the article also concerns consumer needs and changes in their behaviors essential to building these relationships. A critical analysis of the literature of the subject and case study were used to implement the purpose of the article. A diagnosis of solutions implemented by retailers show that the scope and form of activities conducted in the area of building relationships with customers depends on the retail format. Relationships are mainly built on the basis of physical proximity, but also by referring to key consumer needs and trends in their behaviors (mainly “health”, “comfort”, “convenience”, and “new family model”). Retailers in the creation of the food offer refer to the needs of consumers as being related not only to selecting and buying food, but also to their future purchases.

Packaging as a Source of Information on the Product in Food Purchasing Decisions: The Case of Poland

“…In the case of rash purchases (impulse, habitual) made in largescale points of sale, the unit packaging of the product is a "silent seller", and the packaging design elements (shape, colors, information, decorations, type of closure, etc.) attract attention, influence the perception of features and attributes of a food product and ultimately determine the selection of a specific product within a competitive offer (Reutskaja et al, 2011;Wikström et al, 2014;Pilelienė and Grigaliūnaitė, 2017;Kuchraska, 2019). Visual attention is crucial in purchase decisions.…”