This study investigates the relationship of bank customers’ behavioural patterns based on the customers past transactions, with respect to their profile characteristics. The main aim of this study is to illustrate that different categories of customers (based on demographical variables such as race, gender and age) have statistically significant differences in behaviour, with respect to how they operate their accounts. A theoretical overview on the literature of customer relationship management in the banking sector emphasises the importance of understanding customers to ensure that a business is successful. Four null-hypotheses where formulated based on a general research hypothesis. The data base provided a major South African bank is used to achieve the objectives. Extensive cleaning of the data set was necessary to ensure the validity of the results. The data set had 7860 customer keys. The large data base used contributed to the reliability of the results. The following behavioural variables were used in the study namely, transaction data, average debit and credit transaction amounts and average number of transactions per month. The main results of study indicate that different customer categories have statistically significant differences in behaviour, with respect to how customers operate their accounts. This implies that it is important for the banking sector to consider customer gender differences, age differences and race group differences in the relationship strategies which they employ in their multicultural environment. Further research in the area may be necessary before generalisation can be made on all banking customers.

A dissertation submitted to the faculty of Commerce, law and Management, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements of the Masters’ in Commerce degree in the School of Economic and Business Science - Marketing / The world is changing at a rapid pace and consumer demands are constantly evolving. Innovation is key for brands that aim to stay relevant in todays’ markets. The brand extension strategy is a key marketing tactic to achieve innovation and it has therefore become crucial to understand how marketers can leverage on the parent brand image to build brand extensions. The primary objective of the study was to investigate how brand extensions can leverage on the parent brand image in order to achieve a positive brand extension perception. This was investigated in accordance with specific brand building constructs. The study focused on a consumers’ perspective of the Clover Tropika brand within emerging economic areas. Various literature relating to the parent brand image, brand extensions, as well as the relationship between the two were explored. Literature shows that newly innovated products have a high failure rate should and in an event where they are successful, it is as a result of a brand extension created from an existing brand, where congruency between the two exists. The research was based on a quantitative approach which adopted convenience sampling at Mall intercepts. A total sample of 238 consumers responded to a self-administered questionnaire at Southgate and Maponya Mall which are located in the south west of Johannesburg. All respondents were above the age of 18 and consented to participate in the research by willingly placing their completed questionnaires in the box provided on the day. The data techniques used included Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) which had a core focus on Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) which assisted in confirming the relationships proposed in the conceptual model. SEM also focused on path modelling to determine the causal relations. Nine out of the ten hypotheses proposed had a significant level of p<0.001 proving support for the proposed hypotheses. The research found that there is a significant relationship between brand awareness and brand attitudes, as this hypothesis had the highest path coefficient score. After the research was conducted. it was noted that high recall and recognition of the parent brand, accompanied by favorable attitudes, are key factors in leveraging on the parent brand image to build brand extensions. Moreover, brand extensions need to have high perceived fit in order to leverage extensively on the parent brand image. / NG (2020)

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MSc(Consumer Science))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Consumer Science / unrestricted

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Marketing),University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2018 / Generation Y is emerging as an enormous force in the marketplace, with its growing spending power and its members’ unique spending patterns. This research employs the Mehrabian and Russell (1974) S-O-R model to study the impact of experiential marketing on emotions and behavioural intention of Generation Y consumers in the energy drinks category. More than half of the energy drinks market comprises the fickle and disloyal consumption-driven Generation Y consumers. Customers are repeatedly attracted towards a brand based on its sensory experience. Marketing to customers’ taste, smell, touch, sight and sound therefore contributes to creating powerful memories, thereby presenting real opportunities for marketers to develop repeat purchase behaviour. While there are numerous studies investigating the impact of experiential marketing in developed economies such as the USA, the UK, or Australia, there are limited studies on experiential marketing conducted in emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). The study proposes a mediation model where customer emotions are hypothesised as a key mediator in the relationship between experiential marketing and consumer buying behaviour. Following a descriptive research design, self-administered questionnaires were distributed to a stratified random sample of 700 students from four Universities in Gauteng, South Africa, 689 of whom responded. Respondents were asked to answer questions about their perceptions of their favourite energy drink brand. For the hypotheses testing, a structural equation modelling approach was used, using AMOS software. Results confirm that experiential marketing positively influences emotions, which in turn, influences consumers’ behavioural intentions. The results also confirmed that taste was the strongest multisensory experience. The results provide an empirical demonstration of the effects of experiential marketing on emotions and the subsequent impact of emotions on behavioural intentions. The findings of this study reinforce the importance of understanding the impact of customers’ emotions on behavioural intentions while enabling managers to develop an experiential branding strategy. / XL2019

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Technology: Marketing, Durban University of Technology, 2014. / Consumer behaviour towards marketing communication has a cultural undertone. The forces of globalisation have made it imperative for marketing practitioners to further integrate culturally sensitive variations in marketing strategies. While cultural values are changing due to global trends, culturally sensitive consumer behaviour has attracted more complexities due to media learning. Therefore, the journey to creating a sustainable competitive advantage in a multicultural market such as South Africa entails the realisation of the growing individualistic tendencies of consumers’ cultural dispositions toward marketing communication. The study aimed at investigating the influence of cultural diversity on the perceptions of Africans and Indians in Durban toward marketing communication. The study investigated respondents’ cultural values in terms of the individualism-collectivism (IC) constructs based on marketing communication-specific cultural values (MCSCV). A quantitative study was conducted to attain the objectives of the study, with the use of a self-administrated questionnaire. African and Indian respondents were recruited using judgmental sampling at the main shopping malls in Umlazi and Chatsworth, respectively. The sample selection was based on the representation of respondents’ population in Durban. The study covered a sample size of 283 Africans and 92 Indians. The SPSS software was used to analyse data. The findings of the study reveal that both races showed more individualistic rather than collectivistic tendencies toward marketing communication. The choice of media of Africans and Indians is significantly influenced by their racial identities. Overall, the findings suggest that it is erroneous to direct stereotypic marketing strategies at culturally homogeneous/diverse groups. The study recommends that a thorough study of prevailing cultural cues in ethnic segments should precede the development of marketing communication strategies.

Thesis (M. Tech.: Marketing)-Dept. of Marketing, Durban University of Technology, 2006 xiii, 153 leaves / Many people have used the term “charity shop” without having a clear understanding of it, even although there are numerous articles and a previous research survey about charity shops in the UK, Canada and Australia. It seems that no research has been done in South Africa on this particular topic. Also, the confusion that surrounds consumer perceptions of charity shops highlights the need for marketers to conduct more research on this particular area. The following study was conducted within the South African marketplace, specifically in four Durban areas, using quantitative research methods. The main objective of the research was to determine consumer perceptions of charity shops in the Durban area and the factors influencing these perceptions.

M. Tech. Business Administration / The purpose of this study is to profile the suburban mall shopper in terms of their demographic profile characteristics and to gain an understanding of the factors that mall managers employ to attract these shoppers to their suburbian shopping malls as well as the influence these factors may have on their consumer behaviour.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Successes at local and international wine competitions are frequently used to achieve differentiation in the market place. Acting like third party credentials, award medals are meant to support a producer’s claim of superior quality. Over the past decade, there has been a notable increase in the number of wine competitions to which producers are encouraged to submit their wines. Producers are promised recognition for their success, while the organisers gain from the entry fees that producers pay, regardless of their success. It is the purpose of this study to examine, whether in the mind of the consumer wine awards do indeed play a significant role in influencing consumer choices. Initially, a literature review was conducted to establish the role of wine awards in the context of wine marketing. Based on the findings, a survey was conducted among South African wine consumers. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The analysis showed that while wine awards are indeed recognised by the consumer as a cue that shapes their choices, their importance is relatively low compared to other cues. Yet, having established that decision-making is a complex set of interactions, wine awards do nevertheless play a role in supporting a decision in certain circumstances and for certain customer segments. Generally speaking, it was found that the more sophisticated a consumer is, the less regard exists for wine awards. Not only do wine awards have lesser power in shaping decisions, but also attitudes towards the concept of wine awards are more negative. Lesser informed consumers tend to take more guidance, and are less opinionated about the concept of third party ratings. It was also shown that a few industry-specific issues undermine the value and potential impact of wine awards. Firstly, the increasing number of wine competitions appears to dilute the value of wine awards as a marketing tool. Secondly, consumers are sceptical regarding honesty that producers apply in marketing their awards; an independent monitoring authority is seen as a solution to raise the profile of wine awards in South Africa, thus creating more credibility and power for this tool. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suksesse behaal by plaaslike en internasionale wynkompetisies word dikwels gebruik om differensiasie in die markplek te verkry. Net soos getuigskrifte van ‘n derde party, word toekennings gebruik om ‘n produsent se aanspraak op uitmuntende gehalte te ondersteun. Oor die afgelope dekade was daar ‘n aansienlike toename in die getal wynkompetisies en produsente word aangemoedig om hulle wyne daarvoor in te skryf. Produsente word erkenning vir hulle sukses beloof, terwyl die organiseerders voordeel trek uit die inskrywingsgelde wat produsente betaal ongeag of hulle sukses behaal of nie. Dit was die doel van hierdie studie om te ondersoek of wyntoekennings wel na die oordeel van die verbruiker ‘n belangrike rol speel om die verbruiker se keuse by wynaankope te beïnvloed. ‘n Literatuuroorsig is aanvanklik uitgevoer om die rol van wyntoekennings in die konteks van wynmakery te bepaal. Met daardie bevindings as grondslag is ‘n opname onder Suid-Afrikaanse wynverbruikers uitgevoer. Hierdie data is ontleed met behulp van beskrywende en afgeleide statistiese metodes. Die ontleding het aangetoon dat, hoewel wyntoekennings wel deur die verbruiker erken word as ‘n riglyn by hulle keuses, die belangrikheid daarvan relatief laag is vergeleke met ander riglyne. Nogtans, aangesien daar bepaal is dat besluitneming ‘n komplekse stel interaksies behels, speel wyntoekennings wel ‘n rol om ‘n besluit te ondersteun onder sekere omstandighede en by sekere kliëntsegmente. Oor die algemeen is daar bevind dat hoe meer gesofistikeerd ‘n verbruiker is, hoe minder waarde word aan wyntoekennings geheg. Nie alleen dra wyntoekennings dan minder gewig by die beïnvloeding van keuses nie, maar die houding teenoor die konsep van wyntoekennings is meer negatief. Minder ingeligte verbruikers is geneig om hulle meer te laat lei deur die konsep van ‘n derde party se oordeel en het minder van ‘n eie mening daaroor. Daar is ook aangetoon dat ‘n paar kwessies spesifiek tot die wynindustrie die waarde en potensiële impak van wyntoekennings ondermyn. Eerstens lyk dit asof die toenemende getal wynkompetisies die waarde van wyntoekennings as ‘n bemarkingsinstrument verwater. Tweedens is verbruikers skepties oor die eerlikheid van produsente by die bemarking van hulle toekennings. ‘n Onafhanklike moniteringsgesag word gesien as ‘n oplossing om die profiel van wyntoekennings in Suid-Afrika te verbeter en sodoende groter betroubaarheid en mag vir hierdie bemarkingsinstrument te bewerkstellig.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree of Technology: Marketing in the Department of Marketing, Technikon Natal, 2001. / The purpose of this investigation is to define the level of socio-economic empowerment of South African women by identifying their lingerie buying behaviour in the Durban area. This research set out to establish if there are relationships between the following three variables: * The level of emancipation of women - If they are high or low In socio-economic emancipation according to criteria identified in the literature review * Their buying motivations - When buying lingerie, do they consider it as a pleasurable and enjoyable experience or a task to complete? * The type of shops they patronise - Shops with a high level of service or self-service shops In order to reach this aim, the literature review provided information about the evolution of women since the beginning of the 1960's, about the evolution of South African women, especially since the end of the Apartheid system, and finally, about the influence of these evolutionary changes on fashion and on the lingerie field in particular. The purpose was to emphasise the link that exists between the level of empowerment of women and their fashion buying habits. Thus, it has been established that women do not only buy to please the members of their family, but also to affirm their personal identity. Moreover, four categories of women were identified according to their level of emancipation; that is, whether they are career oriented (plan to work or career women) or whether they are home ivprevent / M

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Strategic Marketing 2016 / Since 1994, the number of South Africans who have the ability to hire domestic help has increased due to the economic inclusion of the African majority. This research has been conducted amongst South Africa’s middle to upper class (also referred to as LSM 7-10 or LSM A). A sizeable number of them have a monthly household income of R50 000 and above and another significant number is made up of business owners. The aim of the study is to assess the extent to which domestic workers’ perceived brand quality of homecare products influence the brand loyalty of the same as far as their employers are concerned. The data collection of this study was exclusively conducted online for the simple reason that the target population of the study is made up of office bound and busy people. A large majority of the respondents in fact spend 4-5 hours in their homes per day during the week. Therefore expecting them to fill in a questionnaire and submit to the researcher would have been a challenge. The research’s point of departure was based on the assumption that employers of domestic workers are not the end users of the products under discussion as their lifestyle did not permit this. However, the fact that the employers are the eventual buyers of the products presented the researcher with a point of curiosity. The key finding of the research was that there was a very strong link between Employer Brand Association and Employer Brand Loyalty. However, there was a weak influence of Employer Brand Awareness on Employer Brand Loyalty. These findings therefore ultimately suggest that domestic worker Brand Quality perceptions, will influence the Brand Equity of homecare products in South Africa. Overall, the Domestic Worker Perceived Brand Quality of homecare products had a positive influence on Employer Brand Awareness and Employer Brand Associations / GR2018