The diploma thesis focuses on the product assortment analysis of the company Pfanner, spol. s r.o. which delivers fruit drinks and other food products on the Czech market. Several criteria are taken into acount when evaluating the company's product mix: the development of sales from volume as well as value point of view, profitability, effectiveness and function of the products within the product assortment. The final assessment and recommendations are made focused on these analyses and then, a product strategy is suggested to improve the company's performance on the market.

Emerging markets have generated a lot of interest during the last couple of years; one reason for this is the economic growth potential of emerging markets and the opening up of new, interesting and potentially very lucrative groups of consumers. South Africa has a rich and diverse culture and shows signs of major socio-economic inequalities that are symptomatic of emerging economies. In South-Africa, department stores are significant to the emerging market female consumer market as they provide an extensive assortment of products and services. Department stores also offer a number of product categories and each provide an opportunity for indepth analysis. Work apparel is one such product category where more research is required in order to understand how these consumers evaluate product assortments. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe how the emerging market female consumer market (EFC) evaluates work wear product assortments in major South African department stores. The study makes a contribution to the field of retail, marketing and consumer behaviour in terms of a better understanding of the emerging market. It is also valuable in providing insight in consumers’ decision making processes towards work wear and preferences towards product assortment. The theoretical approach to the study included a literature review on the emerging market female consumer in South Africa, the South African retail environment and department stores, product assortment and product attributes. The cue diagnostic framework was used as a theoretical perspective for the study. This consumer-based approach was considered particularly appropriate for this study, in terms of the prioritization by a female consumer in an emerging market of product attributes when she is shopping for work wear and evaluating retailers’ product assortments. Combined with the literature review the cue diagnostic framework offered a theoretical basis for the study and provided an overall perspective on the specific phenomenon to be studied. An exploratory survey research design was employed together with a conjoint analysis method to provide insights into attribute ranking and level of influence of specific attributes. The sample consisted of 120 (n=120) female consumers living and working in Gauteng between the ages of 20 and 60, currently working with some sort of training, diploma or degree. Non-probability sampling methods were used, including purposive and snowball sampling. Respondents completed an online selfadministered questionnaire. To ensure an appropriate sample, the online questionnaire was also distributed in paper-based format.. An exploratory survey research design was employed together with a conjoint analysis method to provide insights into attribute ranking and level of influence of specific attributes. The sample consisted of 120 (n=120) female consumers living and working in Gauteng between the ages of 20 and 60, currently working with some sort of training, diploma or degree. Non-probability sampling methods were used, including purposive and snowball sampling. Respondents completed an online selfadministered questionnaire. To ensure an appropriate sample, the online questionnaire was also distributed in paper-based format. The results of the study indicated that the emerging market female consumer market has set ideas and preferences which appeal to them when purchasing work wear from department stores in South Africa. Certain product attributes were found to be more important than others while some were used in conjunction with other attributes. This combining of attributes helped to strengthen the importance of these attributes in the decision making process. The study adds value, knowledge and insight to the existing literature on consumer preferences in emerging markets and the apparel attributes that inform these preferences. This research will be useful for researchers as well as marketers who are interested in marketing campaigns, product assortment planning and retail settings. / Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--Universityof Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Consumer Science / unrestricted

Some firms focus on few products with broad appeal, whereas others leverage variety as an important part of their offering. This study investigates the conditions under which each of these product line length strategies is optimal in the fast-moving consumer goods industry. It does so by focusing on the relationship between product line length strategy and firm top-line performance, in the light of a discrete framework derived from the strategic fit paradigm and the strategic triangle. Results show that customer factors (i.e., variety per household and value per purchase) and competitor factors (i.e., concentration and proliferation) drive the strategic fit of a firm's product line length strategy to the market in which it competes, so that firms deploying market-fitting strategies face higher odds of market share growth than firms deploying contrarian strategies. Firms with certain company factors (i.e., innovativeness and brand equity), however, face higher odds of market share growth by challenging the market fit and deploying contrarian strategies than by deploying market-fitting strategies. This study offers a stepping stone towards addressing product line length strategy as a discrete choice on product line positioning, an innovative approach with potential to generate concrete business impact.

This thesis deals with the topic of category management in online retailing. Its goal is to identify the assortment factors that affect a company's financial performance. The result of the thesis work is a model applicable in strategic decision making on assortment. The first part consists of basic concepts of retail, marketing and strategic management. The purpose of this part is to provide the reader with the theoretical background for the following practical part. The research for the practical part is conducted on the basis of interviews with experts in the field and the author's own research in business. Each chapter presents a group of metrics that are based on analysis of business data in online retail market. Metrics describe the specific features of a product category and their impact on a company's revenue or costs. Each metric comes also with an assessment of the given category based on business data. The aim of the thesis is to give a comprehensive overview of assortment decision making. The thesis should also help the reader gain basic knowledge useful for managing an online retail store.

This theses describes marketing and its importance for business, it also describes marketing environment and marketing mix with its ingredients. These theoretical bases are applied afterwards in the practice part of theses, which is focused on ice-cream market in Czech Republic. Analytical part also contains brief characteristic of Algida products on Czech market, their relation to competitors and public.

Consumer behaviour and spending habits have changed drastically post-recession. This has affected how retailers conduct their business, driving retailers’ focus towards providing customers with the value they require. One way in which retailers can offer such value is through the implementation of advanced product assortment. Product assortments influence consumers’ purchasing decisions and their preferences for particular retailers, thereby making it an important factor in retailers’ strategy to maintain their success. Retailers’ product assortments which focus on male apparel consumers, such as speciality stores, are of particular importance as men represent a lucrative segment of the apparel industry. Speciality stores specialise in specific merchandise such as menswear and develop their apparel assortment to concentrate on certain customers such as male consumers. Although men are becoming more prevalent in retail venues and have taken responsibility for their own apparel shopping, research regarding male apparel consumers and their purchasing behaviour, particularly within the context of South Africa, is scarce. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the product attributes used by male consumers when evaluating apparel product assortment of South African speciality stores. The evaluation stage of the decision making process formed the basis of this study. Therefore, it was decided that the consumer decision making framework would be best suited as the theoretical framework. Namely, the consumer behaviour model of Hawkins and Mothersbaugh (2013) was used to guide the study. During the evaluation stage of the consumer decision making process, male consumers will use product attributes they consider important when evaluating the product assortment of speciality stores. Product attributes include intrinsic and extrinsic product attributes and male apparel consumers will employ the use of compensatory decision rules, allowing them to make trade-offs among these attributes. The study employed an exploratory survey research design which was quantitative in nature. Non-probability sampling methods were used to collect the necessary data for the study. This included convenience and snowball sampling. Respondents completed a structured questionnaire which was developed according to the constructs implemented in the study and administered in a paper based and online electronic form. The sample included 204 male consumers, located in the greater Tshwane area, Gauteng. The majority of the sample were between the ages of 20-29, representing a relatively young sample. Conjoint analysis and exploratory factor analysis was applied to gain insight regarding the product attributes South African male apparel consumers apply when evaluating speciality stores’ product assortment. The conjoint analysis technique allows consumers to make trade-offs among attributes as they compare one attribute to another while evaluating assortments, thereby providing an indication of their actual preference structure. Cluster analysis was also performed on the conjoint data to provide additional information regarding male consumers’ preferences when evaluating speciality stores’ product assortment. By combining conjoint analysis with cluster analyses, the findings provided valuable information regarding the segmentation and socio-economic factors that may affect consumers’ preferences. The results of the study indicated that South African male consumers employed both intrinsic and extrinsic product attributes when evaluating speciality stores’ product assortment. During the conjoint analysis, brand (extrinsic attribute) was the most important attribute among male consumers when making trade-offs between intrinsic and extrinsic product attributes. Male consumers’ preference for brand is an indication of brand consciousness. Style (intrinsic attribute) was the second most preferred attribute, followed by store image (extrinsic attribute). The exploratory factor analysis rendered three factors, labelled “Prestige sensitivity”, “Added value” and “Importance of fit”. These factors were a further indication of the evaluative criteria male consumers consider important when evaluating and selecting speciality stores’ product assortment. The results from the cluster analysis identified a four cluster solution, namely: style guys, cluster origin guys, brand loyalist and colour guys. This demonstrates that different consumer groups have distinct preferences when evaluating speciality stores’ product assortment. The study adds value and insight to current literature regarding male consumer behaviour and their preferences for certain intrinsic and extrinsic product attributes when evaluating speciality stores’ product assortment. This research can be beneficial to manufacturers, retailers and marketers who seek to enhance their merchandise mix by offering customised product assortments, improve advertising campaigns and ensure well trained sales staff. / Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Consumer Science / MConsumer Science / Unrestricted

Submitted by Ronildo Vaz (ronildo-vaz@uol.com.br) on 2018-06-26T23:24:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO DE MESTRADO- RONILDO VAZ- 2018.pdf: 1657277 bytes, checksum: 79e4e031bd73a4da58863c90055ef1d8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Simone de Andrade Lopes Pires (simone.lopes@fgv.br) on 2018-06-28T16:19:28Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO DE MESTRADO- RONILDO VAZ- 2018.pdf: 1657277 bytes, checksum: 79e4e031bd73a4da58863c90055ef1d8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Suzane Guimarães (suzane.guimaraes@fgv.br) on 2018-06-28T16:33:06Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO DE MESTRADO- RONILDO VAZ- 2018.pdf: 1657277 bytes, checksum: 79e4e031bd73a4da58863c90055ef1d8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-28T16:33:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO DE MESTRADO- RONILDO VAZ- 2018.pdf: 1657277 bytes, checksum: 79e4e031bd73a4da58863c90055ef1d8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-05-30 / A partir dos fundamentos do gerenciamento por categorias, o objetivo do estudo foi identificar como o pequeno varejista pode buscar formas de melhorar as decisões sobre o sortimento e exposição de produtos tornando o negócio mais lucrativo e avaliar os impactos na percepção dos shoppers. A unidade de análise é um minimercado de dois checkouts com 66 metros quadrados de área de vendas na cidade de Florianópolis. O trabalho foi desenvolvido em duas etapas: na primeira etapa foram realizadas mudanças no sortimento e na forma de exposição na gôndola de seis categorias de produtos de higiene pessoal. Para isso, foi utilizado o método de pesquisa-ação que procura melhorar uma prática através da colaboração entre o pesquisador e sua unidade da análise, neste caso o pequeno varejo estudado. Para balizar as mudanças, foi feita uma revisão secundária de pesquisas sobre o comportamento dos shoppers, participação de mercado dos produtos, formas de segmentação e exposição das categorias, dados de vendas e margem e espaço na gôndola disponível para exposição das categorias de produtos. A partir das análises da primeira etapa foi possível observar o incremento das vendas e margem das categorias manipuladas. Na segunda etapa foram feitas observações diretas e entrevistas com os clientes e profissionais da empresa. Os objetivos desta etapa foram: identificar as políticas e os processos praticados pelo pequeno varejo sobre sortimento e exposição de produtos, se há suporte das indústrias e seus distribuidores sobre definição do sortimento e exposição de produtos e observar se houveram melhorias na percepção dos shoppers sobre as mudanças realizadas. Na perspectiva dos profissionais do pequeno varejo, não há suporte dos seus fornecedores para a definição do sortimento e exposição de produtos sendo ainda uma relação predominantemente transacional focada no sell in. As mudanças não melhoraram a percepção dos shoppers apontando um canal alternativo, farmácia, como a opção mais indicada como o local de compra das categorias de higiene pessoal, ao invés do pequeno do pequeno varejista estudado. / From the fundamentals of category management, the aim of the study was to identify how the small retailer can look for ways to improve product assortment and exposure decisions by making the business more profitable and assessing perceptual impacts on shoppers. The unit of analysis is a mini-market of two checkouts with 66 square meters of sales area in the city of Florianópolis. The work was carried out in two stages: in the first stage changes were made in the assortment and in the form of exposure in the shelf of six categories of personal hygiene products. For this, we used the action research method that seeks to improve a practice through the collaboration between the researcher and his unit of analysis, in this case the small retailer studied. To mark the changes, a second review of shopper behavior, market share of products, segmentation and exposure forms of categories, sales and margin datas and space in the shelf available for display of the product categories was made. From the analyzes of the first stage it was possible to observe the increase in sales and margin of the manipulated categories. In the second stage, direct observations and interviews with clients and professionals of the company were made. The objectives of this stage were: to identify the policies and processes practiced by small retailer on assortment and product exposition, if the industries and their distributors give support on assortment definition and product exposition, and to observe if there has been improvement in the perception of shoppers about changes made. From the perspective of small retail professionals, there is no support from their suppliers for assortment definition and product exposure, while a predominantly transactional relationship is focused on sell in. The changes did not improve shoppers' perception by pointing to an alternative channel, pharmacy, as the best choice as the place to buy personal hygiene categories, rather than the small retailer studied