The purpose of this research is to develop an established assortment-planning model identifying procedures and activities for women's wear retail buyers. This research built three assortment-planning models: (a) a conceptual moddel based on a secondary data analysis, (b) a practical-use model based on interviews using questionnaire and a set of activity cards, (c) the suggested model based on the conncetion analysis of the previous two models. Integrated DEFinition (IDEF) Functional modeling method was used to describe procedures and variables of functional activities of assortment planning and to increase the consistency of a model developing process. The variables of functional activities were determined as input, mechanism, constraint, connection, and output based on IDEF0 diagram format. Other research and pilot interviews confirmed the reliability of methodology. Experts and interviewees validated the three models. The abstract level of the suggested assortment-planning model included following concepts: (a) problem recognition, (b) information search, (c) qualitative evaluation, (d) quantitative evaluation, (e) product selection plan, and (f) plan sales. / Ph. D.

This diploma thesis aims at the strategy of retail company and its purchase and sale department. Thesis is divided into theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part contains information about business and its functions, basic allotment of range of goods, methods of prizing goods and calculation of profit margins. Furthermore there can be found demands on suppliers, goods and manners of order realizations that are given by the businessmen. Last but not least there are descriptions of the HACCP system and of the key technologies used in such business. The practical part is based on the theoretical one and it includes assortment of analysed company, its structure and concern in overall revenues. After this chapter there follows the purchasing strategy in which the organization of buying within the company, competences of particular employees, and methods of purchasing used across different suppliers and separate phases of purchasing program are demonstrated. In the part called selling strategy there are specified the price system, discount sales, forms of purchasing and staffs. In conclusion of this thesis there is focus on the SWOT analysis in which the main future opportunities and threats of the company are mentioned.

Product design affects many aspects of people¡¦s life. This research use qualitative and quantitative methods, and focus on how simple design cause different consumer responses. First of all, we process a content analysis aiming for household and digital product, and then we conduct the definition and characteristics of simple design. Second, we use experimental design to figure out the pattern of consumer responses to product design both psychological and physical. For psychological responses, we observe the consumer expectation and satisfaction in product appearance, assortment size and functional information; we also exam the different decision making tendency (Maximizer & Satisficer) in consumer approach behavior. According to our research, we conclude that the required elements of simple design are (1) Single Color, (2) Unique Personality, (3) Simple Shapes, (4) Practical Function, (5) Easy to Use, (6) Match, (7) Materials, (8) Aesthetics and (9) Culture & Emotion. For product external appearance, there is high expectation for simple design, and also satisfaction still has a big room to improve. To be more specific, in the aspects of attention drawing, unique symbol and ergonomic is the biggest gap between expectation and satisfaction. In the part of assortment size, simple design causes a higher expectation when the size is large. However, satisfaction did not drop as previous studies suggested, it remains indifferent which could be the suggestion for future product development. In function information, it plays a important role in digital product which means mainly simple designed appearance can only achieve limited benefits. In behavioral response, satisfaction and approach behavior have positive relation, and the responses of store are apparently stronger than the responses of single product. In different decision making tendency, product personality, attention drawing and assortment size are significant, but there is no clear result for function information.

In this dissertation, we show how the firm can improve its revenue and competitiveness through segmenting the market by exploring consumer heterogeneity. In the first essay, we show that asymmetric assortment breadth among two competing retailers can emerge as an equilibrium when consumers differ in their prior knowledge about their product preferences and their shopping costs. Under this equilibrium, the full line retailer expands the market demand by attracting the uninformed consumers with large shopping costs and the single product retailer passes on the savings from a streamlined assortment to the informed consumers by setting a lower price. Therefore, the two retailers soften the competition between them and both achieve higher profits. In the second essay, we consider a setting in which consumers experience distinct instances of need for a durable product at random intervals and derive random amount of utility from each instance. Consumers are differentiated according to the frequency with which they experience instances of need. For a firm that provides a durable product to such a market, we consider the implications of selling versus renting on a per-usage basis. Selling minimizes transaction costs, but may result in inefficient utilization of units that are produced. Alternatively, per-usage rentals allow more utility to be generated per unit of product that is produced. Focusing on these trade-offs, we identify conditions under which the firm should sell, offer per-usage rentals, or offer a combination of the two. In the third essay, we continue to use the durable good framework to study how various forms of government subsidy programs shift consumer's demand patterns and thus generate different magnitude of additional savings in resource consumption. We give the conditions under which each type of cash rebate programs does the best in generating resource savings per dollar spent. / text

Magistro darbe yra išanalizuoti įvairių Lietuvos ir užsienio autorių vartotojų elgsenai įtaką darantys veiksniai bei vartotojų sprendimo priėmimo proceso etapai. Darbe nustatyti moteriškų striukių asortimento ir kokybės kriterijų ir demografinių veiksnių tarpusavio sąryšiai. Patvirtinama autorės suformuluota mokslinio tyrimo hipotezė, kad pagrindiniai rodikliai, lemiantys vartotojo apsisprendimą pirkti moteriškas striukes yra gaminio kokybė. Gautomis išvadomis ir pasiūlymais galės pasinaudoti moteriškais drabužiais prekiaujančių prekybos įmonių vadovai, siekiantis geriau pažinti vartotojų poreikius ir norintys padidinti pardavimo galimybes. / The present master thesis analyzes various factors, making impact on Lithuanian and foreign consumers’ behaviour and the process stages of consumers’ taking a solution. The work defines the interrelations between women’s jackets assortment and quality criteria and demographic factors. The framed research hypothesis, made by the author, is confirmed that the main indicators, which determine the decision of a consumer to purchase woman’s jackets, is product’s quality. The received conclusions and offers will be useful to heads of companies trading with women’s clothes, who aim at better finding out consumers’ demands and to enhancing selling possibilities.

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

The purpose of this study is to examine and adjust as needed the Kang (1999) assortment planning model to fit the planning process of bridal retail buyers. Five buyers who are owners or managers of small, independent bridal retail businesses were selected purposively and participated in in-person interviews about their assortment planning practices. A model was developed for each company interviewed, depicting the order of the assortment planning steps as practiced by bridal retail buyers. The final models were confirmed with follow-up interviews. Findings from this study suggest that the assortment planning steps used by bridal retailers are similar to the steps used by women's dress buyers, as found in Kang's (1999) study. Bridal buyers use the six steps proposed by Kang to be included in the assortment planning process, however the bridal buyers' assortment plan is more intuitive, integrated, and loosely constructed than that of women's dress buyers. Three following variables were considered for their affect on the bridal retail buyer's process: (a) product-specific factors, (b) company-specific factors, and (c) buyer characteristics. Within the factors, the characteristics of product type and organization size were thought to have the most effect on the process. / Master of Science

Sortiment är hos många företag väldigt stort vilket leder till att företag inte kan hantera sina produkter rätt. Problematiken är att kunderna får för mycket valmöjligheter när det erbjuds ett helt produktsortiment. Varje företag behöver ifrågasätta sig hur de ska hantera sitt sortiment när kunderna har för mycket att välja mellan. I denna situation hjälper sortimentsreducering att öka effektiviteten och lönsamheten i förtaget. Ett välplanerat sortiment är en viktig faktor för kundens köpbeslut eftersom för många produktval i sortimentet kan leda till överbelastning. Studien är en fallstudie med syfte att ta fram faktorer och processer som bör beaktas vid en sortimentsreducering hos ett producerande företag. Studien kommer att avgränsas mot att studera sortimentsreducering hos ett svenskt företag som tillverkar kontorsmöbler. För att besvara syftet och frågeställningarna utfördes fyra semistrukturerade intervjuer och ett studiebesök med anställda som hade relevant kunskap inom området. I metoden har abduktion antagits som vetenskapligt angreppsätt. Den teoretiska referensram togs fram genom litteratursökningar via databaser och böcker som sedan diskuterades i en jämförelse mot den sammanställda empirin som analyserades och diskuterades. Studiens slutsats visade vilka faktorer och processer som företag bör beakta vid en sortimentsreducering. De framtagna faktorerna var sortimentets djup och bredd, företagsimage, flexibilitet, kategoristyrning samt implementering av modulära och standardiserade produkter. Genom att integrera dessa faktorer kan företag göra en reducering effektivt. Studien visade tre processer med hjälp av modeller vid hänsyn till sortimentsreducering som skulle kunna implementeras på företag. Dessa modeller är ABC-analysen, Porters femkraftsmodell och sortimentsplaneringsmodellen. Genom att integrera de olika faktorer och processer för sortimentsreducering kan företaget göra en lönsam reducering i sortimentet. / Many companies have a large assortment, where most are incapable of correctly handling their products. Result of such assortment usually is overload of customers with an abundance of options. Every company needs to question themselves how to handle their assortment when customers has to many choices to pick. In this situation assortment reduction helps to increase efficiency and profitability of organizations. A well-planned assortment is an important factor for the customers purchase decision as too many choices in the assortment can lead to overload.   This study is a thesis written with the purpose of developing factors and processes to take into account for a products assortment reduction at a producing company. This study is limited to studying product assortment reduction at a Swedish company that manufactures office furniture. The purpose and questions are answered through four semi-structured interviews and a study visit accompanied by employees with relevant knowledge to thesis. In the method, abduction has been adopted as a scientific approach. A theoretical frame of reference was developed through literature searches through databases and books, which were the discussed in a comparison with the compiled empirical data that were analyzed and discussed.  The study´s conclusion showed which factors and processes companies should take into account in an assortment reduction. The factors developed were assortment depth and breadth, corporate image, flexibility, category management, implementing modular and standard products. By integrating these factors, companies can make a reduction effective. The study showed three processes using models with regard to product assortment reduction that could be implemented in companies. These models are the ABC-analysis, Porters five forces and the assortment planning model. By integrating the various factors and processes for product assortment reduction, the company can make a profitable reduction in the assortment.

A cursory review of domestic apparel production data from ‘Cotton Counts Its Customers’ reports by The National Cotton Council of America showed a discrepancy between the amounts of cotton utilized in domestically produced women’s apparel and that for men’s apparel. It appeared that the men’s apparel sector had a higher percentage market share of cotton than women’s apparel. For both genders, cotton’s dwindling market share was similar to that of diminishing domestic US apparel production overall. Since the majority of apparel in the U.S. is imported, import data was obtained from the United States International Trade Commission and compiled with the domestic apparel data to offer a more expansive view of cotton’s market share and its use separated by gender. The compilation of domestic and import apparel data followed the overall trend of a higher percentage of weight of cotton being used in men’s apparel than in women’s. Challenging apparel categories which may offer potential for expanded utilization with increased performance were Coats, Underwear/Nightwear, Suits, and Dresses. In an attempt to add context to the apparel market data, we explored two stages of the apparel supply chain: the first at the retail setting, the second at the consumer purchase and wear decision level. At the retail level, we investigated the availability of fiber composition information and its use as a part of the assortment offered to consumers. Two stores were selected for this exploratory phase and retail availability by gender and fiber content were physically tallied in the two retail settings. In both retail assortments, there was no emphasis of fiber composition as part of the information offered to the consumer. For the consumer wanting to find cotton apparel in these two settings, prior knowledge regarding the feel or look of cotton would seem necessary to facilitate locating cotton among the assortment of apparel. Fiber blends can offer cotton-like appearance and hand, so fiber composition tags could give consumers certainty regarding the garments they are buying. In addition to the observations above, we also noted in both stores a prevalence of cotton in men’s apparel, and a larger presence of man-made fibers in women’s apparel, which reflects the overall market situation. Finally, the second exploratory stage focused on clothing diaries and a wardrobe inventory provided by a small purposeful sample of respondents to examine the role of fiber composition, cotton in particular, in the individual’s garment purchase and daily-use decisions. The findings suggested that fiber composition was an important part of the daily garment selection process, based upon the daily activity and a set of personal beliefs about what the diary respondent felt that fiber had to offer. Similar to the market data Results, in the Clothing Diary responses males showed a greater tendency to select both 100% cotton Tops and Bottoms than did the female respondents. Overall, cotton appeared challenged by man-made and other fibers when the respondents needed to “dress up”, to attend to athletic activity, or to satisfy the need for specific functionalities such as rapid drying. / text