ABSTRACT Users¡¦ opinions and needs of the underlying products and services are allowed to gather at the Internet communities. Thus, Internet communities play information sharing roles in modern society. This thesis serves laptop computers as the object being studied and asks consumers¡¦ opinions about Internet communities and their purchase behaviors. In addition, brand awareness and risk of awareness played major roles in consumers¡¦ purchase decisions. As a consequence, this research took the three dimensions into consideration and examined the relations between the dimensions and consumers¡¦ purchase decisions for the sake of providing suggestions to laptop firms. The questionnaire answerers are generally students whose age between 20 and 30. The outcomes show that the Internet group bears the greatest loading while the other two dimensions reported significant results as well. Gender, on the other hand, showed no significant differences in dimensions except the male value brand publicity more. Thus, this study gave suggestions to firms based on the results.

This thesis aims to describe how enterprises can approach and reach older citizens in order to sell new technology products. For that they need information about aspects affecting elderlies purchase decisions regarding these kind of products. The study is based on 13 qualitative interviews where we have applied semi structured interviews and observations of the elderlies behaviour towards an Ipad which we used as a study object during the interviews. The results of this study shows several aspects which affect the elderlies purchase decision regarding new technology but it all comes down to one matter, lack of knowledge. In order to overcome that obstacle, enterprises need to modify their communication strategy. They will be needing information about elderlies preferences and their self-image, meaning how they perceive themselves which is connected to how receptive they are towards new technology. They will also need to communicate information about the products area of use, the quality of the product, that the product is user-friendly and that there is impeccable support and education available. All these aspects have shown to have huge impact on the purchase decision. Enterprises need to assure the elderly segment that they will be able to use these products without complications. Since the social environment, especially the younger segment has shown to have an impact on the elderlies purchase decisions, enterprises must also turn the attention and start communicating this information towards them also.

Research Question: Which factors impact the purchase decision of consumers within emerging markets when shopping online? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between e-commerce factors and the consumer purchase decision within e-commerce on emerging markets to unravel how certain factors impact the consumer purchase decision. The aim is to provide knowledge regarding consumer purchase decision making for retailers entering an emerging e-commerce market, this by carrying out a survey to consumers on a representative emerging market. Hypotheses: H1: E-logistics has a positive impact on the e-consumer purchase decision. H2: E-marketing activities have a positive impact on the e-consumer purchase decision. H3: Online integrity has a positive impact on the e-consumer purchase decision. H4: E-vendor contact alternatives have a positive impact on the e-consumer purchase decision. H5: Web site design has a positive impact on the e-consumer purchase decision. Method: This study has a deductive research approach combined with a quantitative research method. The primary data consists of data collected through carrying out a survey in Warsaw, Poland. The data was later on analyzed using the statistics software programme SPSS. Conclusion: In order for e-vendors to gain market shares and utilize the market capacity of the hyper-competitive emerging markets the factors web site design, e- marketing and e-vendor contact alternatives are essential to address due to their positive impact on the consumers purchase decision.

In recent years there has been a significantly rising trend amongst consumers for health and environmental issues, which has resulted in greater attention for and sales of organic food. Organic food production strives to use natural resources, such as land, energy and water in a sustainable way and the products does not contain artificial fertilizers or chemical pesticides. However, organic food products are also often more expensive and less available in comparison to conventional food products. Despite this, interest for and sales of organic food products have increased around the globe, and in Sweden particularly, the increase in sales has grown largely from an international perspective. This thesis is of qualitative character and is focused on studying some consumers from the Swedish market of organic food. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute with a better understanding on the buying decision process regarding organic food purchase. To achieve this, the authors have studied some consumers that purchase organic food and have searched for patterns that could be identified in the decision process. The consumer buying decision process model has been used for portrayal of the chosen consumers’ decision to purchase organic food products. Interviews with six Swedish consumers were conducted, whereas each respondent continuously purchase organic food products. Results show that the purchase of organic food products begins with discovering an unsatisfied need state, which the consumers of this study desired to change with the purchase of organic food products. This study show how six consumers reason when passing through the stages of the buying decision process, in order to satisfy their desired need state. The authors found that the respondents feel satisfied with purchasing organic food products, which lead them in to continuously buying these products. Altogether, the findings contribute with knowledge that can come to be helpful when wanting to understand more about the consumer decision to purchase organic food.

El propósito del presente estudio fue investigar como la calidad percibida influyen en las intenciones de compras en canales digitales en supermercados en Lima Metropolitana.  Hoy en día, las intenciones de compra son aspectos importantes para el éxito de una compañía a largo plazo. Además, las intenciones de compras son un elemento crítico en la competencia con otros entornos competitivos, por lo tanto, es importante para la industria de supermercados tener en cuenta este punto.  El presente estudio se realizó, empleando los métodos cuantitativos y cualitativos. Otro propósito de este estudio fue proporcionar importantes conocimientos para el mercado de supermercados. Por lo tanto, los líderes y gerentes de supermercado pueden mejorar sus niveles de decisión de compra en relación a la calidad percibida. / The purpose of the present study was to investigate how the perceived quality influence the intentions of purchases in digital channels in supermarkets in Metropolitan Lima. Today, purchase intentions are important aspects for a company's long-term success. In addition, purchasing intentions are a critical element in competition with other competitive environments, therefore it is important for the supermarket industry to take this point into account. The present study was carried out, using quantitative and qualitative methods. Another purpose of this study was to provide important knowledge for the supermarket market. Therefore, supermarket leaders and managers can improve their purchasing decision levels in relation to perceived quality. / Trabajo de investigación

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo el análisis de los claims nutricionales en los empaques de leche evaporada. Actualmente, el consumidor se encuentra cada vez más informado por lo que se muestra más exigente con los productos que consume. Es esencial para las marcas el ofrecer a sus consumidores la información necesaria sobre los productos que consume y que esta sea verídica. Se han conocido casos en el mercado lácteo peruano en el que las marcas han hecho un mal uso de los claims nutricionales y han sido fuertemente sancionadas. Los claims nutricionales tienen como tarea principal informar al consumidor y su buen uso puede influir en la decisión de compra. Existen dos tipos de claims nutricionales: los claims nutricionales de contenido absoluto y los claims nutricionales de salud, ambos cumplen roles muy parecidos con la diferencia de que los de salud brindan información sobre los beneficios, peligros y valores nutricionales del producto mientras que los de contenido de su composición. El público escogido para el desarrollo de esta investigación ha sido las madres de familia de entre 35 a 40 años pertenecientes al nivel socioeconómico C, ya que por lo general estas son las decisoras de compra de los productos del hogar, especialmente los que tienen que ver con la nutrición y salud de los hijos. Se pudo tener acceso a interactuar con el público objetivo y con especialistas del mercado lácteo, haciendo un contraste de la información obtenida por ambos lados. / The objective of this research is the analysis of nutritional claims in evaporated milk packaging. Currently, the consumer is increasingly informed by what is more demanding with the products you consume. It is essential for brands to offer their consumers the necessary information about the products they consume and that this be true. There have been cases in the Peruvian dairy market in which brands have misused nutritional claims and have been heavily sanctioned. Nutrition claims have as main task to inform the consumer and its good use can influence the purchase decision. There are two types of nutritional claims: absolute content nutritional claims and nutritional health claims, both fulfill very similar roles with the difference that health claims provide information on the benefits, dangers and nutritional values of the product while the content of its composition. The public chosen for the development of this research has been mothers of families aged between 35 and 40 belonging to socioeconomic level C, since these are usually the decision makers of household products, especially those that have to do with the nutrition and health of the children. It was possible to have access to interact with the target audience and with specialists of the dairy market, making a contrast of the information obtained by both sides. / Trabajo de investigación

More and more people choose to shop online in favor of physical stores. E-commerce websites are facing several challenges today including conversion rates and customers leaving the online shopping cart without making any purchases.  This thesis looks closer into how the aesthetics of an e-commerce website can lead to purchases and fewer abandoned carts. The goal is to answer how web aesthetics can influence customers’ desire to complete a purchase.  To answer the research questions a literature review has been carried out together with an empirical study. For the empirical study, three different designs were created, with one adhering to design principles and other two were not. Then, we conducted interviews to collect participant’s opinions about three designs and influence of their purchase decision.  The result showed that the aesthetically pleasing design was most liked by the par- ticipants. When comparing the three designs, 92% of participants preferred to buy from the good-looking design.  Through our research, we conclude that website’s aesthetics plays a significant role besides pricing and supply, that leads a customer to not abandon the purchase. In conclusion, customers value web aesthetics as it does influences their decisions. It can be argued that dislike of website design poses a risk that they leave the website without making any purchases.

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar el grado de importancia de las variables valor del producto y calidad percibida de la marca, dentro del valor de marca, en productos denominados como ‘saludables’ de marcas propias de supermercados en la categoría abarrotes en la intención de compra de los consumidores Limeños. La investigación inicia con una introducción de la situación actual del mercado en Lima. Se amplía este estudio con un análisis de las posturas de diversos investigadores sobre temas claves como valor de marca, decisión de compra, marcas blancas y alimentación saludable. Los objetivos establecidos se corroborarán con el enfoque correlacional empleado para este trabajo. La metodología utilizada es de tipo mixta, la cual incluye tanto investigación cuantitativa como cualitativa. Finalmente se quiere identificar si la calidad percibida de la marca es menos importante que el valor del producto reflejado en su precio. / The present research has as objective to analyze de importance degree of the variable’s product value and brands perceived quality, within the brand equity, in products named as ‘healthy’ of supermarkets private labels in the grocery category on the purchase intention of consumers of Lima. The investigation starts with an introduction of the current situation of the market in Lima. This study is extended with an analysis of diverse investigators positions about key issues as brand equity, purchase decision making, private labels and healthy eating. The established objectives will be corroborated with the correlational approach used for this research work. The methodology employed is a mixed type, that includes both quantitative and qualitative research. Finally, this investigation pretends identify if the brands perceived quality es less important than the product value reflected in their price. / Trabajo de investigación

Magistro baigiamajame darbe išanalizuota ir įvertinta vartotojų elgsenos veiksnių įtaka sprendimo pirkti priėmimo procese, iškeltos vartotojų elgsenos problemos, susiję su vartotojo sprendimu pirkti bei pateikti siūlymai, kaip šias problemas spręsti. Pirmoje darbo dalyje teoriniu aspektu tiriama vartotojų elgsenos samprata, pateikiamos skirtingos Lietuvos bei užsienio autorių nuomonės apie vidinių ir išorinių veiksnių įtaką vartotojų elgsenai bei vartotojų sprendimo priėmimo procesui. Antroje dalyje nagrinėjama UAB „MSF Lithuania“ įmonės veikla, atliktas tyrimo metodikos pagrindimas bei iškelta pagrindinė tyrimo hipotezė. Anketinės apklausos metodu nustatytos demografinės charakteristikos ir veiksniai, turintys daugiausiai įtakos parduotuvės „Marks & Spencer“ vartotojui priimant sprendimą pirkti, bei jų priklausomybė, SPSS programa susisteminami tyrimo metu gauti duomenys, patvirtinama ar atmetama hipotezė ir daromos išvados. / In Master‘s Work analized and evaluated consumer‘s behaviour factors that influence the purchase decision making process, also raised the problems related to the customer purchase decision and made recommendations to solve these issues. The first part examined the theoretical aspects of consumer behaviour concept, compared Lithuanian and foreign author‘s opinion on the internal and external factors that influence consumer behaviour and customer decision making process. In the second part examined “MSF Lithuania“ Ltd. activities, investigated methodology validation and raised fundamental research hypothese, by questionnaire survey method determined consumer behaviour factors that affect “Marks & Spencer“ customer purchase decision the most. By SPSS program systematized the data obtained during the investigation, confirmed or rejected hypothese and draw conclusions.

Eco-labels impact consumers‟ likelihood to buy eco-labelled products and serve as a tool during the decision-making process that helps consumers make informed purchase choices. The textile industry is responsible for a large amount of pollution, but has started to follow a more holistic, eco-friendly approach. Information about their eco-friendliness is communicated to consumers via eco-labels. Consumers can influence the textile industry to include more eco-labelled textile products in their desired range of products, by buying and demanding eco-labelled textile products. However, international studies indicate that consumers do not understand textile eco-labels and the information that is found on these labels. A lack of understanding prevents consumers from including such products in their pre-purchase decision-making process. Yet some consumers, from developed and developing countries, are willing to buy eco-labelled products and pay more for such products. Limited research in this regard, within a South African context, is available hence, more research was required in this study field. Therefore, this study aimed to explore consumers‟ understanding and utilisation of textile eco-labels during pre-purchase decision-making. The research for the study was done using a convenience and purposive sampling method with a quantitative structured online questionnaire for data collection purposes. Findings suggest that respondents were environmentally conscious, but only to some extent. Most respondents objectively understood textile eco-labelled products, but not textile eco-labels or organic label information regarding cotton production processes. Respondents indicated that they do not use textile eco-labels when making a pre-purchase decision, yet they somewhat recognised the need to buy eco-friendly textile products, because they are aware of environmental implications. Regarding the information on eco-labels, respondents searched for information surrounding the quality of eco-labelled textile products, followed by the care instructions and the credibility of the eco-label on the product. Finally, there was a segment of respondents who buy and utilise textile eco-labelled products, and are willing to pay a higher price for these products. The higher price was the main factor that prevented other respondents from buying eco-labelled textile products. Consumers can benefit from education regarding environmental issues and how their purchasing choices can make a difference in protecting the environment. Furthermore, educating consumers about eco-labelled textile products might increase their awareness and utilisation of these products. In turn, this awareness about eco-labels might encourage consumers to include these kinds of products in their pre-purchase decision-making process. Additionally the industry can strive towards keeping eco-labelled products‟ prices relatively equal to regular product‟s prices to make it easier for consumers to choose between the different products, based on their environmental attributes and not price. Finally, the textile industry and manufacturers can focus on making textile eco-labels more attractive and attention-grabbing in order to focus consumers‟ attention on these labels. Furthermore, on these labels, symbols and words should be used together and all elements should correspond to enhance consumers‟ understanding. If all of these elements of an eco-label convey the same message, consumers might be able to understand the intended message by manufacturers and the industry better. / M Consumer Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014