The increasing competition and the predicted changes in the retail sector are pressurising marketers to be more competitive in order to ensure that their brands are amongst the leading brands. Marketers need to constantly develop innovative marketing strategies to create brand awareness, as well as to stimulate demand for specific brands. An important tool in this regard is the marketing communication mix, of which sales promotion is one of the most effective elements in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. It is the responsibility of marketers to select the most appropriate sales promotion technique for a specific market segment or, more specifically, to select the most appropriate technique to effectively encourage the desired effect on the consumer buying behaviour. The South African Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) accounts for 40 percent of the total South African population and the black Generation Y portion represents 84 percent of the total South African Generation Y cohort. Those involved in attaining a tertiary qualification are likely to represent the future ‘Black Diamonds’ who represent South Africa’s growing prosperous African middle class that have experienced a 39 percent yearly growth rate in their spending power. Therefore, the black Generation Y student cohort is a very attractive market segment and it is critical to determine what sales promotion techniques are preferred by this specific market segment. The purpose of this study was to analyse the black Generation Y students’ attitudes towards different sales promotion techniques on low involvement products, since low involvement products tend to be more responsive to sales promotion techniques. For this study, the target population comprised black Generation Y students registered at the 23 South African registered public HEIs. From the sampling frame, a non-probability judgment sample of one traditional university and one university of technology in Gauteng was selected. Thereafter, a non-probability convenience sample of 600 black students from the selected HEIs aged between 18 and 24 years was drawn. A self-administered questionnaire was hand delivered to the lecturers and distributed to the respondents during one lecture period. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale their attitudes towards four sales promotion techniques on 20 items as well as to provide certain demographic data. The findings of this study indicate that black Generation Y students have an overall positive attitude towards the sales promotion techniques measured in this study and that these techniques are suitable for inducing specific consumer buying behaviours concerning low involvement products. Furthermore, the findings indicate that buy one get one free and free sample offers are the most preferred sales promotion techniques and are more likely to exert an influence on consumer buying behaviours than the other sales promotion techniques. Insights gained from this study will help both marketers and retailers to understand current black Generation Y consumers’ attitudes towards sales promotion techniques, as well as to understand which sales promotion techniques are preferred and most likely to influence specific consumer buying behaviours. / Thesis (MCom (Marketing management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

The increasing competition and the predicted changes in the retail sector are pressurising marketers to be more competitive in order to ensure that their brands are amongst the leading brands. Marketers need to constantly develop innovative marketing strategies to create brand awareness, as well as to stimulate demand for specific brands. An important tool in this regard is the marketing communication mix, of which sales promotion is one of the most effective elements in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. It is the responsibility of marketers to select the most appropriate sales promotion technique for a specific market segment or, more specifically, to select the most appropriate technique to effectively encourage the desired effect on the consumer buying behaviour. The South African Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) accounts for 40 percent of the total South African population and the black Generation Y portion represents 84 percent of the total South African Generation Y cohort. Those involved in attaining a tertiary qualification are likely to represent the future ‘Black Diamonds’ who represent South Africa’s growing prosperous African middle class that have experienced a 39 percent yearly growth rate in their spending power. Therefore, the black Generation Y student cohort is a very attractive market segment and it is critical to determine what sales promotion techniques are preferred by this specific market segment. The purpose of this study was to analyse the black Generation Y students’ attitudes towards different sales promotion techniques on low involvement products, since low involvement products tend to be more responsive to sales promotion techniques. For this study, the target population comprised black Generation Y students registered at the 23 South African registered public HEIs. From the sampling frame, a non-probability judgment sample of one traditional university and one university of technology in Gauteng was selected. Thereafter, a non-probability convenience sample of 600 black students from the selected HEIs aged between 18 and 24 years was drawn. A self-administered questionnaire was hand delivered to the lecturers and distributed to the respondents during one lecture period. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale their attitudes towards four sales promotion techniques on 20 items as well as to provide certain demographic data. The findings of this study indicate that black Generation Y students have an overall positive attitude towards the sales promotion techniques measured in this study and that these techniques are suitable for inducing specific consumer buying behaviours concerning low involvement products. Furthermore, the findings indicate that buy one get one free and free sample offers are the most preferred sales promotion techniques and are more likely to exert an influence on consumer buying behaviours than the other sales promotion techniques. Insights gained from this study will help both marketers and retailers to understand current black Generation Y consumers’ attitudes towards sales promotion techniques, as well as to understand which sales promotion techniques are preferred and most likely to influence specific consumer buying behaviours. / Thesis (MCom (Marketing management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Problem Saturated markets are known to be competitive, with a wide selection of alternatives. In a saturated market is essential to differentiate a brand to compete in a market. Therefore, innovation has become a central part of a brand’s DNA when developing strategies, such as product evolvement and marketing. Today, there is a research gap of how innovation efforts are perceived by consumers of Generation Y, and how their loyalty to a brand is influenced by the phenomenon. Purpose The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate how Generation Y perceives a brand’s innovation efforts. Further, how their loyalty is influenced by the innovation efforts. One research question was developed to fulfill the purpose; how does innovation influence brand loyalty in saturated markets?   Methodology This thesis was written from a qualitative perspective. To gather empirical data, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The participants were all within the age restriction of Generation Y, and the samples were chosen through the purposive sampling approach.     Findings Several findings were identified from this qualitative research study. The two main findings were of great importance. One finding showed that within the saturated market of low-involvement products, marketing innovation plays a greater role than product innovation. Marketing innovation shows to have a large impact on establishing brand loyalty within a saturated market. Both findings were identified from the viewpoint of Generation Y.

The world today faces many challenges in terms of sustainability and how the world will be able to continue to meet demands of future generations. Sustainability aspects are considered by customers and organizations to a greater extent today than ever before. Businesses need to find new ways forward to encourage sustainable consumption to be able to exist in the future. The increasing amount of food waste represents one of many sustainability challenges and is a stated problem in developed countries. In Sweden, the households stand for the biggest amount of food waste along the entire supply chain. Producing something that is later wasted is an inefficient use of resources. This study aims to identify barriers for consumers to act pro-environmentally when consuming products of low involvement and find ways for the industry to overcome them. The thesis is commissioned for a large bread company in Sweden, who is in the starting blocks of start selling frozen bread, something that is not done to a great extent today. Frozen bread is a more environmentally sustainable alternative than substitute products and it will serve as the low-involvement product in focus of this study. The theoretical framework is built on theories regarding consumer decision-making, consumer behavior, sustainability and sustainable consumption. Through in-store observations of customers accompanied by follow-up interviews, a solid amount of data was gathered which allowed the authors to address the gap between intentions and behavior. Semi-structured interviews with the manager of the grocery store and the commissioned company give insights to the industry perspective of sustainability and consumer behavior. The empirical findings are presented from each data collection instance and are later analyzed and discussed with regard to four sub-purposes and the theoretical framework. The results have shown that existing barriers relate to customers’ habits, inertia, attitudes and lack of knowledge. The industry has the opportunity to bring forward sustainable products without tradeoffs, to create a win-win situation. By appealing to the customers’ hedonic needs and informing them about environmental benefits it is possible to influence customer norms to achieve a pro-environmental behavioral change.

Författare: Hanna Eriksson, Zara Lood Lindqvist, Alexandra Uhrberg Handledare: Åsa Lindström Examinator: Bertil Hultén Kurs: Examensarbete 30 hp, Civilekonomprogrammet inriktning marknadsföring, Linnéuniversitetet Kalmar, VT 2017, 4FE63E Forskningsfråga: Hur påverkas konsumenter av influencer marketing i jämförelse med annonsering på sociala medier där influencers inte förekommer, vid köpbeslut för low involvement-produkter? Syfte: Denna studies syfte är att analysera och diskutera influencers inverkan på konsumenters köpbeslut för low involvement-produkter. Genom att ta hänsyn till kostnadsbilden för influencer marketing och övrig annonsering på sociala medier samt studera och analysera hur konsumenter uppfattar annonsering i sociala medier för low involvement-produkter med, respektive utan, influencers ämnar studiens författare att generera indikationer kring värdet av en influencer i den unika kontexten. Utöver att generera kunskap på ett nytt och snabbföränderligt teoretiskt område syftar studien till att bidra med praktiska implikationer gällande hur företag som säljer low involvement-produkter samt byråer, vilka har dessa företag som uppdragsgivare, kan förhålla sig till influencers på sociala medier i sin marknadsföringsstrategi. Metod: Detta examensarbete har en induktiv ansats, ett explorativt syfte och en kvalitativ forskningsmetod har använts. Datainsamlingen har skett genom fokusgrupper och ett kvasiexperiment med konsumenter samt semistrukturerade intervjuer med branschrepresentanter. Resultat och slutsatser: Influencer marketing väcker uppmärksamhet i större utsträckning än annan annonsering på sociala medier. Det är dock möjligt att väcka uppmärksamhet genom social medie-annonsering utan influencers för low involvement-produkter. Det är mer troligt att konsumenter påverkas av social medie-annonsering utan influencers då det rör sig om starka varumärken. Vid influencer marketing spelar varumärket inte lika stor roll. Influencer marketing och övrig annonsering i sociala medier kan upplevas som trovärdigt, av olika anledningar.  Teoretiskt bidrag och praktiska implikationer: Konsumenter bortser i vissa fall från influencer marketing för low involvement-produkter då de inte är i behov av expert-utlåtanden för den här typen av produkter. De kan dock agera på influencers rekommendationer av low involvement-produkter för att minska den kognitiva ansträngningen. Konsumenter tenderar att uppfatta annonsering i sociala medier utan influencers som positiv då low involvement-produkten framställs tydligt och på ett tilltalande sätt. Både för- och nackdelar med influencer marketing respektive annonsering i sociala medier för low involvement-produkter har identifierats. Influencer marketing kan vara fördelaktigt för mindre etablerade varumärken medan annonsering i sociala medier kan fungera bra för starka varumärken. Strategier för implementering av influencer marketing respektive annonsering i sociala medier för low involvement-produkter återfinns under avsnitt 7.3.1 samt 7.3.2. / Authors: Hanna Eriksson, Zara Lood Lindqvist, Alexandra Uhrberg Mentor: Åsa Lindström Examiner: Bertil Hultén Course: Master Thesis 30 credits, Master of Business and Economics, Marketing, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Spring 2017, 4FE63E Research question: How are consumers affected by influencer marketing compared to advertisement in social media where influencers are not present, when buying low involvement products? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze and discuss influencers impact on consumers buying decisions for low involvement products. By taking the cost of influencer marketing and residual advertisement in social media into consideration and analyze how consumers perceive advertisement in social media for low involvement products, with and without influencers, the authors of this study aim to generate indicators of the value of an influencer in the unique context. In addition to generate knowledge in a new and fast changing theoretical area this study aims to contribute with practical implications for companies that sell low involvement products and marketing agencies, that advertise this type of products, to determine if they prefer to integrate influencers in social media in their marketing strategies or not. Method: This thesis has an inductive approach, an explorative purpose and a qualitative research have been conducted. Data has been collected through focus groups and a quasi experiment with consumers as well as semi-structured interviews with representatives of the sector. Results and conclusions: Influencer marketing attracts attention to a higher extent than advertisement in social media. It is possible though, to attract attention through social media advertisement for low involvement products. It is more likely that consumers are affected by social media advertisement for strong brands. When implementing influencer marketing, the brand is not that vital. Advertisement in social media and influencer marketing can attain credibility for different reasons. Theoretical contributions and practical implications: Consumers disregard influencer marketing for low involvement products to some extent, since they are not in need of expert opinions when buying low involvement products. They can though act on influencers recommendations for this type of products to minimize the cognitive effort. Consumers perceive advertisement in social media for low involvement products in a positive way when products appears clear and in an appealing way. Advantages as well as disadvantages in using influencer marketing and advertisement in social media for low involvement products have been identified. Influencer marketing can be useful for less established brands while advertisement in social media can work well for strong brands. Strategies regarding influencer marketing and advertisement in social media for low involement products are to be find under chapter 7.3.1 and 7.3.2.

The industry that shows the strongest growth and development online is the foodindusty. The prognosis shows that this development will only continue to increase. One problem with the online grocery shopping lies in the fact that consumers find it difficult to differentiate the product packaging. Consumers also find it more difficult to evaluate the product traits online versus in physical stores. Companies must therefore start thinking about designing packaging that should also fit digitally. Companies who do not adapt to the new digital landscape run the risk of losing customers, see the margins fall and being out- competed by other companies who have come further in this work. This study therefore aims to analyze which communicative elements on the digital packaging that consumers consider ease their purchasing decisions when shopping for groceries online. This is to be able to create direct communication on the digital packaging which in turn can lead to purchases. In order to examine this, theories in visual communication and consumer purchasing behavior have been analyzed as secondary data together with primary data in the form of three focus groups and fifteen semi-structured interviews. The interview answers have then been analyzed and set against previous theories. This led to the following conclusions: The communicative elements on the digital packaging that consumers consider eases their purchasing decisions when shopping for groceries online are: Consumers want to be able to easily see the brand's logotype and quantity/volume must be clearly stated. It is also important to have an image presenting the packaging's content, clearly state what the product is and labels, especially in the form of eco-labels and origin. / Den bransch som visar på den starkaste tillväxten och utvecklingen online är livsmedelshandeln. Prognosen visar att denna utveckling bara kommer fortsätta öka. En problematik med handeln av livsmedel online ligger i att konsumenter nästan inte ser någon skillnad på förpackningarna. Konsumenter har även svårare att utvärdera produktegenskaper online kontra fysisk butik. Företag måste därmed börja tänka på att designa förpackningar som även ska passa digitalt. Företag som inte anpassar sig till det nya digitala landskapet riskerar förlora kunder, se marginalerna falla och bli utkonkurrerade av andra aktörer som kommit längre i detta arbete. Denna studie syftar därmed till att undersöka vilka kommunikativa element på digitala förpackningar som konsumenter anser underlättar deras köpbeslut när de handlar livsmedel online. Detta för att kunna skapa en tydlig kommunikation på digitala förpackningar som i sin tur ska kunna leda till köp. För att undersöka detta har författarna analyserat teorier inom visuell kommunikation och konsumentköpbeteende som sekundärdata tillsammans med primärdata i form av tre fokusgrupper samt femton semistrukturerade intervjuer. Intervjusvaren har sedan analyserats och ställts mot tidigare teorier. Våra slutsatser är följande: De kommunikativa element på digitala förpackningar som konsumenter anser underlättar deras köpbeslut när de handlar livsmedel online är: Att lätt kunna se varumärkets logotyp och att mängd/volym tydligt framgår. Det är också viktigt med en bild som förmedlar förpackningens innehåll, vad det är för produkt och märkningar, framförallt i form av miljömärkningar och ursprung.

The author has applied an abductive research design and performed a case study which includes a survey and e-mail interviews of workers within the construction industry. The purpose of the survey and the interviews is to investigate what factors may be the most influential for individuals in establishing their apprehension of natural stones. The research has been made on commission of the case firm which is a natural stones importer located in Sweden and the survey is based on the 17-point CETSCALE originally created by Shimp and Sharma in 1987. The survey was sent to workers with different occupations (architects, contractors and purchasers) within the construction industry who encounter natural stones in their work. Therefore, the theoretical purpose of this study is to contribute to increase the knowledge of country-of-origin effects of imported low-involvement products. The research gap this study aims to fill is to outline what factors are influencing consumers' purchasing behavior on purchasing low-involvement products. The practical purpose of this study is to provide the case firm with more knowledge of the phenomenon of negative COO-effects. Theories on ethnocentrism have been included since ethnocentric tendencies among customers have been considered by previous researchers as one of the contributing factors of fostering negative country-of-origin perceptions. The case firm can implement this knowledge in creating a more effective marketing strategy and thereby develop their operation domestically as they wish to do. Empirical findings of this study demonstrate that cognitive influence is the factor with the largest influence on country-of-origin effects while factors such as familiarity and environmental concerns are less influencing. The author recommends future researchers to further investigate this phenomenon, especially to investigate its connection to cognitive- and other psychosocial factors in order to gain a more solid understanding for why problems related to this phenomenon arise and how they may be encountered. Since Corporate Social Responsibility was demonstrated to be the most influencing factor in consumers’ purchasing decisions of this study, it is suggested to future researchers to investigate the phenomenon of country-of-origin in relation to ethical- and moral standards of individuals.