El presente trabajo de título tuvo como objetivo el diseño de una estrategia de marca para Frutos del Maipo que le permita diferenciarse de sus competidores. Como primera etapa se realiza un análisis de la situación actual, con el afán de identificar y comprender las variables relevantes que influyen en el mercado e identificar las oportunidades existentes en éste. Paralelamente se estudian casos en que se ha logrado crear valor de marca en categorías consideradas commodity. La principal fuente de información es un estudio de mercado cualitativo desarrollado en base a la teoría Means-End Chain y aplicando técnicas de Laddering, que buscó comprender las motivaciones que tienen los compradores de verduras congeladas para consumirlas. Se buscó además obtener una segmentación del comprador en base a las relaciones entre ellos y los productos. El estudio de mercado arrojó cuatro perspectivas de cómo los compradores se relacionan con los productos de la categoría: el primer segmento (I) reduce el riesgo de la compra mediante la observación de la verdura a través de la transparencia; el segundo (II) tiene como eje el sabor, lo que deriva en cocinar más rico y eso gatilla el reconocimiento; el tercero (III) tiene que ver con una mejor alimentación; el cuarto (IV) y último segmento busca una mejor calidad de vida, dado el ahorro de tiempo que se logra al cocinar verduras congeladas por sobre las frescas. Del estudio de mercado y el análisis de los resultados de las etapas anteriores, se decidió que el posicionamiento de la marca fuese en torno a la cadena “sabor””cocinar más rico””reconocimiento”. La idea es entonces adueñarse del sabor de la categoría y convertirse en la marca con mejor sabor en la mente de los consumidores. La esencia de la marca es entonces la sana nutrición con el mejor sabor. La sana nutrición se rescata del segmento III. La estrategia publicitaria desarrollada en base al MECCAS (Means-End Conceptualization of the Components of Strategy) Model define la forma de hablarle al target. El mensaje que se debe transmitir es: “Tus hijos necesitan la sano nutrición que este tipo de alimentos le proporciona, pero si tienen mal sabor no se lo comerán. Si cocinas más rico, tus seres queridos te lo agradecerán. Tus hijos esperan lo mejor de ti, y te sientes bien al poder cumplirles”. El valor del reconocimiento es gatillado cuando los seres queridos de dicen a la dueña de casa “estaba rico”. Para construir el posicionamiento, se crean líneas de acción que lo apoyen y entreguen el mensaje a los consumidores. Se proponen acciones en cuanto a publicidad, líneas de productos, envase, página web y promociones.

This doctoral thesis ‘Real Estate Development: a Customer Perspective’, mainly concerns questions that are related to why consumers make a choice and what they are looking for. The first part of this thesis is the result of the research project ‘Models for the Construction Sector’ (MoPo) and the second part is the result of a collaborative project between KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the Construction Sector Innovation Centre (BIC), five private companies[1] and four municipalities in Stockholm County. Since the Latham report (Latham, 1994), there has been considerable debate about the need for an increased focus on the end customer in the construction process. The housing sector in Sweden has a strong tradition in focusing on construction and project management issues and less on customer satisfaction. Similar findings have been reported in ‘Skärpning gubbar’ (Swedish Government Official Report, 2002) and recently, ‘Sega gubbar’ (Byggkommisionen, 2009), which show that attitudes and processes in the housing sector in Sweden have not really changed since the initial report in 2002. From the perspective of consumer-oriented research in residential development, this issue concerns the ability to understand why customers buy (cognition), what they want (the product) and how the message, relating the product to the consumer, should be formulated (marketing). Investment decisions could be improved if developers ask what kind of values have proved to be important for residents and buyers for a specific type of residential development, what the functional and psychological consequences they are looking for are, and then ask what kind of product attributes can be provided, given economic constraints. Paper one shows the main activities in how to provide needed facilities and their relationship to the end users’ core business. Paper two shows how the laddering technique can be used to elicit buyers’ beliefs about the built environment, according to the means-end chain theory. The means-end chain theory postulates that buyers purchase a product because it satisfies personal values and desired consequences, which from their perspective are more important than product attributes. Paper three shows the development of a multi-item attitude scale. This scale identifies five key dimensions that are important for the customer when deciding to purchase an apartment in a residential development. The dimensions are: urban environment, architecture, safety, relaxation and liveliness. Paper four shows structural modelling evidence supporting the theoretical assumption that personal values have an impact upon expectations and perceived performance. The structural sub-models show that if perceived performance is increased, customers’ satisfaction will be positively affected. During our research, we have not found any current knowledge in the construction industry in Sweden on how to investigate and measure customers’ values and their beliefs, or how to model customers’ evaluation of product performance using structural equations. [1] Besqab, JM, NCC, Stockholm municipality, Solna municipality, Sollentuna municipality, Swedbank, Upplands-Väsby municipality, Veidekkke. / <p>QC 20100729</p> / Formas 244-2004-183

During the past years, the usage of wood as construction material in multistory applications has increased. In Germany and Sweden, various activities have been, and are about to be performed, to accentuate and improve the position of wooden multistory houses. In line with that, this thesis tries to contribute to the understanding of how consumers perceive durable products; in the contextual frame of how German and Swedish consumers perceive wooden multistory houses. It was hypothesized that consumers’ perceptions on durable products differ, depending on their age, income, national and within-country habitation. Based on the Means-End Chain Theory, the Association Pattern Technique has been further developed to collect and analyze data for two samples. In Germany and Sweden, 31 respectively 34 laddering interviews have been carried out which formed the base for a survey-study in each country. Here, 229 surveys were received from German, and 503 from Swedish respondents. The results show that age, income, national and within-country habitation have significant impact on consumers’ perceptions of wooden multistory houses. Moreover, the extension of the Association Pattern Technique was validated. It allowed for additional data to be gathered, which can be regarded as rather important, since it appeared in the most dominant Means-End Chains of the respondents in both Germany and Sweden. This helps to understand consumers’ underlying reasons why one product is favoured over another.

The aim of this thesis is to explore consumer perceptions regarding the emerging trend among traditional clothing stores in Gothenburg, Sweden, where a section of their retail space is dedicated to reselling pre-loved clothing. Additionally, it seeks to investigate the factors influencing consumers' preference for these sections over conventional thrift stores. Employing a qualitative approach, the study conducts 10 shop-along sessions comprising semi-structured interviews and unstructured observations in four traditional clothing stores, each featuring an integrated pre-loved section. The theoretical framework encompasses consumer value theory, supplemented by the Means-End Chain Theory, which is utilized to analyze the findings. Results reveal a positive response from participants toward pre-loved initiatives, indicating an overall favorable perception. Findings show that consumers perceive pre-loved initiatives as multiple valuable, including economic savings, functional quality, social value, and an enjoyable, empowering, and satisfying experience. Furthermore, various factors such as curated pieces, well-organized sections, unique garments, and diverse assortments influence consumers, leading to different consequences and values such as feeling efficient, self-fulfillment/self-expression, and enjoyment, thus favoring pre-loved initiatives over conventional thrift stores. In conclusion, the study sheds light on the growing preference for pre-loved initiatives among consumers in traditional clothing stores.

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar konsumentens köpbeslut inom second-hand mode. Med tanke på hållbarhet och dess aktualitet så är det ett ämne som är intressant att forska vidare på. För att konsumenten ska ställa om till ett mer hållbart konsumtionsbeteende krävs en bred förståelse för vad som påverkar ett köpbeslut. Det finns ofta flera motiv och framförallt upplevda risker bakom second-hand konsumtion. Detta på grund av att begagnade varor utgör en större risk för konsumenten i och med att de tidigare har använts. Med en förhoppning om att kunna upplysa second-hand modeföretag kring hur de kan utveckla mer effektiva strategier, valde vi att undersöka bakomliggande faktorer till ett second-hand köp. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats som bygger på fokusgruppsintervjuer med 12 second-hand mode konsumenter. För att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar används Means-End Chain teorin (MEC) som bygger på motivationsfaktorer. Resultatet av studien visar att de största motiven till att handla second-hand mode är hållbarhet, ekonomi, unicitet och att konsumenten får känna att de har ett ansvar. Vi använder oss även av begreppet Perceived Risks med anledningen att vi ville identifiera upplevda risker med second-hand modekonsumtion, det visade sig vara defekta varor samt returer, tillgänglighet och utbud samt struktur och hygien. Vår studie bidrar till ökad förståelse för vilka faktorer som driver second-hand mode konsumenter till köp. / This study aims to investigate the factors that influence the consumer’s purchase decisions in second-hand fashion. Considering sustainability and its current relevance, it is an interesting topic to conduct further research on. In order for consumers to transition to a more sustainable consumption behavior, there needs to be a broad understanding of what influences purchasing decisions. There are often several motives and above all perceived risks behind second-hand consumption, as used goods pose a greater risk to the consumer due to their previous usage. With the hope of being able to inform second-hand companies about how they can develop more effective strategies, we chose to investigate the factors behind a second-hand purchase. The study employs a qualitative approach based on focus group interviews with 12 second-hand consumers. To answer the study's purpose and research questions, the Means-End Chain theory (MEC) is used, which is based on motivational factors. The results of the study show that the primary motives for shopping second-hand are sustainability, economics, uniqueness, and a sense of responsibility. We also utilize the concept of Perceived Risks to identify consumers' perceived risks associated with second-hand consumption, which turned out to be defective goods and returns, availability and selection, and structure and hygiene. Our study contributes to increased understanding of which factors drive second-hand fashion consumers to a purchase.