Purpose The objective of this study is to investigate how the reregulation affected the decision making process of buyers of OTC drugs, and to identify determinants for how a buyer chooses to obtain OTC drugs in the reregulated Swedish pharmacy market. Furthermore this study aims to map out buyers’ purchases of OTC drugs as well as their impressions about the reregulation of the Swedish pharmacy market   Background The Swedish pharmacy market was opened up for competition the 1 July 2009. On 1 November 2009, private pharmacies are allowed in the market, as well non-pharmacy retailers can commercialize OTC drugs. Thus due to the reregulation of the pharmacy market, consumers and retailers face a different market situation, since the amount of retailer selling OTC drugs has increased. This study investigates how buyers’ purchase behavior of OTC was affected by the end of the pharmacy monopoly.   Method  The purpose of this thesis was achieved by using a mixed-method approach. The qualitative method in the form of interviews and the quantitative method by conducting a survey. The mixed-method was used in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of consumer decision-making process as well as attitude and impression about the reregulation of the Swedish pharmacy market.   Conclusion Buyers are in general satisfied with the reregulation of the Swedish pharmacy market. However, the positive attitude towards the reregulation does not necessarily mean a change in purchase behavior for OTC drugs. The decision making process is found to be dependent on the level of experience the buyer possesses with the needed OTC drug, as well as the type of need the buyer experiences, thus three determinants for the decision making process of OTC drugs were found. The frequency of purchase is connected to the gender and age group of the buyer. Also the majority of the researched buyers already had experienced the purchase of OTC drugs in store other than pharmacies. The buyers that never purchase OTC drugs in other retailers are in general open to the possibility of taking advantage of those stores.

This dissertation studies the relationship of product adaptation and buyer behavior. By standardizing products, it was possible for organizations to produce in large scale and make them accessible for many different markets. Nevertheless, these different markets also have particularities which cannot be ignored and therefore, product adaptation is necessary to some extent; even for standardized products. Organizations should then optimize their product adaptation police in order to reach an assertive marketing strategy. In this regard, this study develops a model which predicts product adaptation from the understanding of buyer behavior. The understanding of buyer behavior, from the seller organization perspective, can provide organizations with a wide range of information to predict product adaptation.  It was concluded, by using the case of Volvo, that organizations can optimize their marketing strategy by predicting product adaptation from observing and understanding their buyer´s behavior looking at the following variables: environmental influences focusing as well on the industry and segment, organizational factors, motivational factors and the nature of decision-making. Besides these variables, the data coming from after-sale processes and trend reports also help to predict product adaptation.

A presente tese visou contribuir com a literatura de comportamento do consumidor organizacional por meio de um estudo de compreensão da influência da utilização das novas tecnologias da informação no centro de compras de hospitais brasileiros. Para tanto, foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre a área de comportamento do consumidor organizacional e o centro de compras, desde os primeiros modelos conceituais propostos até as pesquisas publicadas na atualidade. A revisão bibliográfica realizada possibilitou o desenvolvimento de cinco hipóteses que foram verificadas na pesquisa. Para o atendimento ao objetivo a pesquisa foi dividida em duas partes, uma delas qualitativa, por meio de um estudo com múltiplas unidades de análise, e outra quantitativa, por meio de um questionário enviado a compradores hospitalares. Os resultados demonstraram que os modelos conceituais de comportamento do consumidor organizacional ainda são válidos na atualidade e o uso de tecnologia da informação tem feito a tomada de decisão do centro de compras ser menos participativa e menos influenciável pelo relacionamento entre vendedores e compradores. O trabalho apontou a importância de adequações do papel da venda pessoal no composto de marketing de empresas fornecedoras a este centro de compras. / This thesis aimed to contribute to the literature of organizational buying behavior through a study of understanding the influence of the use of new information technologies in Brazilian hospitals buying centers. It was conducted a literature review on the area of organizational behavior of consumers and the buying centers from the earliest conceptual models proposed to research published today. The literature review enabled the development of five hypotheses were tested in the research. To achieve the objective the work was divided into two parts, one qualitative, by a case study with multiple analysis units and other quantitative by questionnaire sent to hospital buyers. The results showed that the conceptual models of organizational buying behavior are still valid today and the use of information technology has made the decision making of the buying centers being less participatory and less influenced by the relationship between sellers and buyers. The work shows the importance of adaptations in the role of personal selling in the marketing mix of suppliers to these buying centers.

This paper studies airline customers' online search and purchase behaviors. Two fundamental aspects of online behavior are examined: (1) the link between search behavior and buying behavior and (2) the evolution of inter-temporal search and purchase decisions of strategic buyers. In the first study, we examine online customers' dynamic conversion behaviors using clickstream data. A new model based on Markov chains that incorporates discrete choices and decision-timing is proposed to capture key search effects on consumer decisions as well as dynamics of browsing behavior both within and across visits. Empirical results show that within-site search activities lead to strong consumer engagement and thus increase purchase and revisit propensities. Fit comparison between first and second order Markov chains allows us to conclude that consumer decisions are primarily influenced by the current search. Furthermore, we observe that consumers dynamically adjust their browsing behavior both within and across visits. The second study investigates the evolution of inter-temporal search and purchase decisions of strategic buyers. Risk neutral buyers follow simple behavioral rules based on future and current prices and options available. We show that the trade-off between waiting and purchasing will become less and less favorable to waiting. Price elasticity should therefore drop as departure date approaches. With stationary price distributions, search and purchase efforts increase with proximity to the deadline. We extend the base model to allow for price evolution and demand uncertainty. We find that increases in mean price and price dispersion may attenuate increasing propensities for search and purchase. We demonstrate our models through a logit estimation on a unique data set from a major online travel agency.

A presente tese visou contribuir com a literatura de comportamento do consumidor organizacional por meio de um estudo de compreensão da influência da utilização das novas tecnologias da informação no centro de compras de hospitais brasileiros. Para tanto, foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre a área de comportamento do consumidor organizacional e o centro de compras, desde os primeiros modelos conceituais propostos até as pesquisas publicadas na atualidade. A revisão bibliográfica realizada possibilitou o desenvolvimento de cinco hipóteses que foram verificadas na pesquisa. Para o atendimento ao objetivo a pesquisa foi dividida em duas partes, uma delas qualitativa, por meio de um estudo com múltiplas unidades de análise, e outra quantitativa, por meio de um questionário enviado a compradores hospitalares. Os resultados demonstraram que os modelos conceituais de comportamento do consumidor organizacional ainda são válidos na atualidade e o uso de tecnologia da informação tem feito a tomada de decisão do centro de compras ser menos participativa e menos influenciável pelo relacionamento entre vendedores e compradores. O trabalho apontou a importância de adequações do papel da venda pessoal no composto de marketing de empresas fornecedoras a este centro de compras. / This thesis aimed to contribute to the literature of organizational buying behavior through a study of understanding the influence of the use of new information technologies in Brazilian hospitals buying centers. It was conducted a literature review on the area of organizational behavior of consumers and the buying centers from the earliest conceptual models proposed to research published today. The literature review enabled the development of five hypotheses were tested in the research. To achieve the objective the work was divided into two parts, one qualitative, by a case study with multiple analysis units and other quantitative by questionnaire sent to hospital buyers. The results showed that the conceptual models of organizational buying behavior are still valid today and the use of information technology has made the decision making of the buying centers being less participatory and less influenced by the relationship between sellers and buyers. The work shows the importance of adaptations in the role of personal selling in the marketing mix of suppliers to these buying centers.

Influencer marketing is a marketing method that more companies are using when it comes to marketing a brand. The use of social media influencers in advertising has increased and therefore we want to investigate this from a consumer perspective through a qualitative method with 13 semistructured interviews. The purpose of the study was to gain a deeper understanding of how SMIs influence consumers' buying behavior. To understand this, consumer attitudes and trust in the phenomenon have been relevant factors to examine. The study also aimed to find out whether WoM or SMIs have the greatest impact on consumers' buying behavior. The results have shown that SMI's impact on consumers' buying behavior depends on whether attitudes are positive or negative. Consumers with positive attitudes towards SMIs have a greater tendency to acquire what is marketed in comparison with consumers who have negative attitudes towards SMIs, who instead refrain from buying. Factors that increase the trust in SMI are whether the consumer feels connected, feels honesty and that SMI markets products / services within its area of expertise. What has proven to play a significant role when it comes to influencing consumers' buying behaviors and attitudes is what the environment's perceptions, opinions and experiences about the phenomenon look like (WoM). It has emerged that the respondents have a greater trust in their acquaintanceship than they have in SMIs. / Influencer marketing är en marknadsföringsmetod som allt fler företag använder när det kommer till att marknadsföra varumärken. Användningen av sociala media influencers i reklam har ökat och därför vill vi undersöka detta utifrån ett konsumentperspektiv genom en kvalitativ metod med 13 semistrukturerade intervjuer. Studiens syfte har varit att få en djupare förståelse kring hur SMIs påverkar konsumenters köpbeteenden. För att förstå detta har konsumenters attityder och förtroende till fenomenet varit relevanta faktorer att undersöka. Studien syftade även till att ta reda på om WoM eller SMIs har störst påverkan på konsumenternas köpbeteenden. Resultaten har visat att SMIs påverkan på konsumenters köpbeteende beror på om attityderna är positiva eller negativa. Konsumenter med positiva attityder till SMIs har större tendens att införskaffa det som marknadsförs i jämförelse med konsumenter som har negativa attityder till SMIs, som istället avstår från ett köp. Faktorer som ökar förtroendet till SMI är om konsumenten känner samhörighet, ärlighet och att SMIn marknadsför produkter/tjänster inom sitt expertisområde. Det som har visat sig ha en betydande roll när det kommer till påverkan på konsumenters köpbeteenden och attityder är hur omgivningens uppfattningar, åsikter och erfarenheter kring fenomenet ser ut (WoM). Det har framkommit att respondenterna har ett större förtroende för sin omgivning än vad de har för SMIs.

A central part of the marketing process is to be aware of why a customer or buyer makes a purchase and without such an understanding, businesses find it hard to respond to the customer‟s needs and wants. A large part of the current literature concerned with industrial buyer behavior has tended to focus on modeling and mapping the industrial buyer behavior. However, little research has been found on how the industrial buyer behaves when faced with a radical product innovation. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate the industrial buyer behavior of firms within the Life Science sector in Uppsala when faced with a radical product. We aim to study the process and identify possible differences from buying a non-radical product. This study will provide valuable information about industrial buyer behavior that might be useful to marketers. This thesis will be conducted by using a deductive and qualitative approach. A case study approach was used with the selected three organizations in the Life Science sector in Uppsala. Semi-structured interviews and a survey were used to gather primary data; secondary data was collected through web pages. Our findings from these three organizations show that the industrial buyer behavior is affected. Using the buy grid framework we see that the process, the steps, doesn‟t change but within the steps different actions are taken. Step 1, 4, 5 shows strong differences when confronted with a radical and a non-radical product. These differences depend on the complexity of the product and the amount of available information. This affects the level of willingness to take risks. As the complexity is seen as high in radical products and there is not sufficient information the risk of buying this type of product means taking high functional risk and high financial risk which the organizations wants to avoid. However, the decision center [decision group] becomes more complex and more individuals are involved in the decision process when faced with a radical product. The most notable factors influencing the decision center in this situation is the size of the organization, the complexity of the product, the functional and financial risk, the importance of the decision at hand, attitude, and personal experience. The supplier criterion goes from being price orientated in the case with a non-radical product towards being more supplier orientated when faced with a radical product. This study does not aim to investigate how companies should market their products and neither does it try to generalize conclusions about industrial buyer behavior. This limitation is due to the small sample used.

A Comunicação, dos “Ps” do Marketing, Promotion, trata do intercâmbio de informações entre sujeitos. No caso da Comunicação entre Empresas (B2B), os sujeitos, ditos emissor e receptor, têm papéis e necessidades diferentes daqueles que possuem em suas vidas cotidianas, como consumidores finais de um produto. Quando se comunicam dentro de um ambiente corporativo, compradores e vendedores vêem-se diante de desafios importantes, como os de comprar/vender bens de alto valor para um processo industrial complexo e, normalmente, com grandes riscos envolvidos. O ambiente dessas relações entre empresas chama-se Marketing Industrial. Entender como funciona o comportamento de um vendedor e de um comprador organizacional pode ser estratégico para uma organização. Mais ainda, identificar potenciais ruídos de comunicação entre o que é dito/visto por um vendedor X (versus?) o que é percebido por um comprador de uma empresa cliente pode aproximar ainda mais as duas partes, diminuir gaps de entendimento e aumentar a eficiência da máquina produtiva. É para isto que foi feito este estudo. Para identificar potenciais ruídos de comunicação entre uma empresa vendedora de produtos e serviços da cadeia de celulose e papel e dois de seus clientes, e sugerir ações que possam melhorar o fluxo de comunicação entre as partes estudadas. / The Communication, the "Ps" of Marketing, Promotion, addresses the exchange of information between subjects. In the case of communication between companies (B2B), the subjects, so called communicator and receiver, play different roles and needs from those performed by both in their daily lives, as final consumers of a product. When they communicate within a corporate environment, buyers and sellers face major challenges, such as those related to the purchasing/selling of goods with high added value to a complex industrial process and, normally, with high added value and major risks involved. The relationship environment between the two companies involved is called Industrial Marketing. To understand what the organizational behavior of a seller and a buyer is like may be strategic for an organization. Furthermore, to be able to identify the potential noises in the communication between what is said / perceived by a seller X, and that that is perceived by a purchaser of a client company can increasingly draw near the two parties involved, reducing the understanding gaps and, with that, increase the efficiency of the productive machine. This is the aim of the current study: identify potential noises in communication between a company which sells products and services from a chain of cellulose and paper and two of its clients and, with that, recommend actions that can enhance the flow of communication between the studied parties.

A Comunicação, dos “Ps” do Marketing, Promotion, trata do intercâmbio de informações entre sujeitos. No caso da Comunicação entre Empresas (B2B), os sujeitos, ditos emissor e receptor, têm papéis e necessidades diferentes daqueles que possuem em suas vidas cotidianas, como consumidores finais de um produto. Quando se comunicam dentro de um ambiente corporativo, compradores e vendedores vêem-se diante de desafios importantes, como os de comprar/vender bens de alto valor para um processo industrial complexo e, normalmente, com grandes riscos envolvidos. O ambiente dessas relações entre empresas chama-se Marketing Industrial. Entender como funciona o comportamento de um vendedor e de um comprador organizacional pode ser estratégico para uma organização. Mais ainda, identificar potenciais ruídos de comunicação entre o que é dito/visto por um vendedor X (versus?) o que é percebido por um comprador de uma empresa cliente pode aproximar ainda mais as duas partes, diminuir gaps de entendimento e aumentar a eficiência da máquina produtiva. É para isto que foi feito este estudo. Para identificar potenciais ruídos de comunicação entre uma empresa vendedora de produtos e serviços da cadeia de celulose e papel e dois de seus clientes, e sugerir ações que possam melhorar o fluxo de comunicação entre as partes estudadas. / The Communication, the "Ps" of Marketing, Promotion, addresses the exchange of information between subjects. In the case of communication between companies (B2B), the subjects, so called communicator and receiver, play different roles and needs from those performed by both in their daily lives, as final consumers of a product. When they communicate within a corporate environment, buyers and sellers face major challenges, such as those related to the purchasing/selling of goods with high added value to a complex industrial process and, normally, with high added value and major risks involved. The relationship environment between the two companies involved is called Industrial Marketing. To understand what the organizational behavior of a seller and a buyer is like may be strategic for an organization. Furthermore, to be able to identify the potential noises in the communication between what is said / perceived by a seller X, and that that is perceived by a purchaser of a client company can increasingly draw near the two parties involved, reducing the understanding gaps and, with that, increase the efficiency of the productive machine. This is the aim of the current study: identify potential noises in communication between a company which sells products and services from a chain of cellulose and paper and two of its clients and, with that, recommend actions that can enhance the flow of communication between the studied parties.

A Comunicação, dos “Ps” do Marketing, Promotion, trata do intercâmbio de informações entre sujeitos. No caso da Comunicação entre Empresas (B2B), os sujeitos, ditos emissor e receptor, têm papéis e necessidades diferentes daqueles que possuem em suas vidas cotidianas, como consumidores finais de um produto. Quando se comunicam dentro de um ambiente corporativo, compradores e vendedores vêem-se diante de desafios importantes, como os de comprar/vender bens de alto valor para um processo industrial complexo e, normalmente, com grandes riscos envolvidos. O ambiente dessas relações entre empresas chama-se Marketing Industrial. Entender como funciona o comportamento de um vendedor e de um comprador organizacional pode ser estratégico para uma organização. Mais ainda, identificar potenciais ruídos de comunicação entre o que é dito/visto por um vendedor X (versus?) o que é percebido por um comprador de uma empresa cliente pode aproximar ainda mais as duas partes, diminuir gaps de entendimento e aumentar a eficiência da máquina produtiva. É para isto que foi feito este estudo. Para identificar potenciais ruídos de comunicação entre uma empresa vendedora de produtos e serviços da cadeia de celulose e papel e dois de seus clientes, e sugerir ações que possam melhorar o fluxo de comunicação entre as partes estudadas. / The Communication, the "Ps" of Marketing, Promotion, addresses the exchange of information between subjects. In the case of communication between companies (B2B), the subjects, so called communicator and receiver, play different roles and needs from those performed by both in their daily lives, as final consumers of a product. When they communicate within a corporate environment, buyers and sellers face major challenges, such as those related to the purchasing/selling of goods with high added value to a complex industrial process and, normally, with high added value and major risks involved. The relationship environment between the two companies involved is called Industrial Marketing. To understand what the organizational behavior of a seller and a buyer is like may be strategic for an organization. Furthermore, to be able to identify the potential noises in the communication between what is said / perceived by a seller X, and that that is perceived by a purchaser of a client company can increasingly draw near the two parties involved, reducing the understanding gaps and, with that, increase the efficiency of the productive machine. This is the aim of the current study: identify potential noises in communication between a company which sells products and services from a chain of cellulose and paper and two of its clients and, with that, recommend actions that can enhance the flow of communication between the studied parties.