På grund av de senaste årens ökade konkurrens inom detaljhandeln har det blivit allt mer nödvändigt att på olika sätt differentiera sig från sina konkurrenter. Ett viktigt verktyg för företagen kommer bli hanteringen av informationsteknologiska strategier. Frågan företagen bör ställa sig är hur de ska lyckas med dessa strategier. Syftet med denna studie är därför att undersöka om informationsteknologiska lösningar kan integreras i en fysisk butik på ett sådant sätt att det skapar mervärde för kunder.Teorin utgår ifrån nyckelorden konsumentbeteende och upplevt värde. Det upplevda värdet har operationaliserats och ligger vidare till grund för studiens sju hypoteser. För att finna svar på studiens syfte har en kvantitativ undersökning gjorts, vilket mer specifikt utgjorde observation och enkät i en fysisk butik. Enkätens genomförande innebar att respondenterna först fick i uppdrag att scanna en QR-kod och ta del av informationen i den, därefter fick de svara på ett antal frågor.Resultaten från enkätstudien visar att respondenterna är positivt inställda till QR-koder i fysiska butiker, dock krävs det att de på något sätt blir introducerade till QR-koden. Genom att erbjuda information som respondenterna normalt inte har tillgång till vid ett butiksbesök visar resultatet att QR-koden ökar den upplevda effektiviteten och bekvämligheten. Emellertid uppskattar respondenterna inte effektivitet i form av att betala en vara med QR-koden för att slippa stå i kassakö, däremot kan QR-koden minska behovet av personlig service. Slutsatsen av resultaten är att QR-koder ökar det upplevda konsumentvärdet i fysiska butiker.Denna studie är baserad på ett icke-sannolikhetsurval, på grund av detta är det av intresse att i framtiden genomföra en större studie med ett representativt urval. Viktigt att ta i beaktning gällande resultaten är att dessa kan vara påverkade av undersökningens kontext som innebär ett påhittat scenario. Slutligen presenterar denna uppsats ett antal förslag på hur företag inom detaljhandel ska förhålla sig till informationsteknologiska lösningar för att öka det upplevda kundvärdet. / Program: Civilekonomprogrammet

Detaljhandeln och dess konsumenter har sedan andra världskriget genomgått en stor förändring. Hos kunden skildras denna förändring i ett mer oberäkneligt konsumtionsmönster, samtidigt som detaljhandeln då tvingas utvecklas för att möjliggöra uppfyllandet av kundens nya behov. Forskning har visat att kundens köpbeteende allt mer styrs av värdeupplevelsen och att om en detaljist kan leverera kundvärde kan denne bli framgångsrik. Det är problematiskt att förstå vad en kund upplever som värdeskapande i köpprocessen, vilket vår uppdragsgivare önskar få hjälp med att åskådliggöra.Syfte: Syftet med denna kandidatuppsats är att ta fram en modell som utifrån värdeskapande variabler skall hjälpa uppdragsgivaren att förstå de faktorer som leder till att kunden upplever värde under köpprocessen och vilka effekter dessa ger för detaljhandelns förändringsarbete.Metod: Uppsatsen består av en litteraturstudie som inkluderar en systematisk litteraturöversikt och en analys av kvalitativ karaktär. Metodvalet resulterar i byggandet av en modell, vilken ämnar besvara uppsatsens syfte.Resultat: Den genomförda studien har visat att det finns fyra viktiga förutsättningar som ligger till grund för den utveckling som detaljhandeln har genomgått. Dessa förutsättningar påverkar ett detaljhandelsföretags existens och består av demografi, teknisk utveckling, globalisering och kundens ökade köpkraft. Vidare har detaljhandels utveckling påverkat kunden genom att denne erhållit ett förändrat kundbeteende som tenderar att vara allt mer värdestyrt. Det förändrade kundbeteendet har resulterat i att ett detaljhandelsföretag måste förstå hur denne kan leverera kundvärde för att kunna bli framgångsrik. Slutsatsen är att den framtagna modellen visar för uppdragsgivaren hur ett detaljhandelsföretag kan skapa upplevt värde för kunden och resulterar i ökad förståelse för givet ämnesområde.Vidare forskning Förslag till vidare forskning är att uppdragsgivaren testar den skapade forskningsmodellen i ett verklighetsförankrat sammanhang för att fastställa dess lämplighet. Görs detta är det lättare att uttala sig om modellens slutgiltiga trovärdighet. / <p>Since the Second World War, the retail industry and its consumers have changed. The consumers have developed an unpredictable consuming pattern, which has forced the retail industry to adjust in order to fulfill the new needs of the consumer. Research has indicated that the consumer has become more value driven, and if the retailer delivers consumer value, the possibility of success will increase. To understand what the consumer perceives as value in the buyer decision process is problematic, and to help visualizing this problematic matter is what our client wishes.</p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to create a model based on value adding factors, aiming to help the client’s understanding in which of these factors that lead a customer to perceive value during the buyer decision process, and also in what changes this will bring to the retail industry.</p><p>Method: The thesis consists of a literary study. This literary study focuses on a systematic literature review and a qualitative analysis. The research method results in the construction of a model, which aims to answer the purpose of this thesis.</p><p>Result: The findings show four important conditions underlying the development of the retail industry and these conditions are; demography, technological development, globalization and increased consumer buying power. These four conditions are crucial for a retailer’s existence. Further, the development of the retail industry has affected the consumer in a way that has changed the consumer behavior towards being more value driven. The change in consumer behavior has made it important for the retailer to deliver consumer value in order to become successful. The conclusion is that the developed model shows the client how a retailer can create perceived value for customer and will result in a greater understanding in the given field of study.</p><p>Further research: The suggestion for future research is to examine how well suited the developed model is in the reality. Through this examination the trustworthiness of the model will be easier to comment on.</p><p>Program: Textilekonomutbildningen</p>

O grande crescimento da comunicação boca a boca, principalmente após a popularização da internet e redes sociais, aumentou a circulação de opiniões sem que o indivíduo tenha consumido, utilizado ou até mesmo tido algum tipo de contato com o produto. Por isso, é necessário que as empresas entendam melhor quais características devem promover em suas marcas para aumentar o valor percebido pelo cliente, proteger-se do boca-a-boca negativo e estimular o positivo. Assim, o objetivo do trabalho é analisar as inter-relações entre personalidade de marca, valor percebido e atitude e seus efeitos preditivos sobre o boca-a-boca entre os consumidores antes da compra. Neste estudo descritivo foram obtidas 1.156 respostas on-line para a utilização de modelagem de equações estruturais. Foram aplicadas ferramentas estatísticas preparatórias, que validaram os dados para aplicação do método PLS, permitindo estimar uma série de relações de dependência entre variáveis latentes. Foi confirmado que uma cadeia de eventos anterior à compra, formada pelos construtos sob análise e moderada pela familiaridade com a marca e envolvimento com o produto, resulta na intenção do consumidor realizar o boca-a-boca, especialmente o positivo. Quando percebidos, a competência da marca e os atributos emocionais do produto tendem a se sobressair ao preço e influenciar com maior relevância a atitude do consumidor para estímulo ao boca-a-boca. / As internet and social media usage expands, significant growth in word-of-mouth communication has increased consumers\' opinion-sharing about products and brands, regardless they ever having used, consumed, or been in contact with such products. For this reason, it is crucial for companies to better understand the cognitive and emotional aspects of such consumer behavior in order to protect their brands from negative word-of-mouth and stimulate positive mentions. Therefore, this work aims at analyzing the interrelations between brand personality, perceived value and attitude, as well as their predictive effects in word-of-mouth communications between customers before the purchase. In this descriptive study, 1,156 self-administered questionnaires data was subjected to Structural Equation Modeling analysis. Statistical analysis validated the data for PLS path modeling which, in turn, allowed estimation of several dependent interrelationships between latent variables in a model developed from literature. Results suggest that a chain of events, comprised by the analyzed constructs and moderated by brand familiarity and product involvement, results in customer\'s intention to engage in predominantly positive word-of-mouth prior to the purchase. When actually perceived, brand competence and emotional attributes overweight price perception in influencing customer\'s attitude toward word-of-mouth behavior.

This research attempted to discover how Additive Manufacturing (AM) can best be used to increase the value of personalised consumer products and how designers can be assisted in finding an effective way to facilitate value addition within personalisable product designs. AM has become an enabler for end-users to become directly involved in product personalisation through the manipulation of three-dimensional (3D) designs of the product using easy-to-use design toolkits. In this way, end-users are able to fabricate their own personalised designs using various types of AM systems. Personalisation activity can contribute to an increment in the value of a product because it delivers a closer fit to user preferences. The research began with a literature review that covered the areas of product personalisation, additive manufacturing, and consumer value in product design. The literature review revealed that the lack of methods and tools to enable designers to exploit AM has become a fundamental challenge in fully realising the advantages of the technology. Consequently, the question remained as to whether industrial designers are able to identify the design characteristics that can potentially add value to a product, particularly when the product is being personalised by end-users using AM-enabled design tools and systems. A new value taxonomy was developed to capture the relevant value attributes of personalised AM products. The value taxonomy comprised two first-level value types: product value and experiential value. It was further expanded into six second-level value components: functional value, personal-expressive value, sensory value, unique value, co-design value, and hedonic value. The research employed a survey to assess end-users value reflection on personalised features; measuring their willingness to pay (WTP) and their intention to purchase a product with personalised features. Thereafter, an experimental study was performed to measure end-users opinions on the value of 3D-printed personalised products based on the two value types: product value and experiential value. Based on the findings, a formal added value identification method was developed to act as a design aid tool to assist designers in preparing a personalisable product design that embodies value-adding personalisation features within the product. The design method was translated into a beta-test version paper-based design workbook known as the V+APP Design Method: Design Workbook. The design aid tool was validated by expert designers. In conclusion, this research has indicated that the added value identification method shows promise as a practical and effective method in aiding expert designers to identify the potential value-adding personalisation features within personalisable AM products, ensuring they are able to fully exploit the unique characteristics and value-adding design characteristics enabled by AM. Finally, the limitations of the research have been explained and recommendations made for future work in this area.

Cette thèse a pour l’objectif principal d’identifier et de comprendre les facteurs clés qui contribuent à fidéliser le consommateur à un Drive dans un contexte de distribution cross-canal. Elle se compose de deux parties. Dans la première partie, nous avons d’abord mené une revue de littérature tournant autour de quatre champs de recherche : l’innovation commerciale, la stratégie de distribution cross-canal, le comportement cross-canal et la fidélité du consommateur. Elle a été combinée à une étude qualitative exploratoire. Ces deux étapes nous ont permis de proposer un modèle conceptuel de la qualité de service perçue du Drive et de ses effets sur les représentations mentales du consommateur ainsi que sur sa fidélité au Drive évalué. La deuxième partie est consacrée au teste les hypothèses, le modèle de recherche et à l’analyse des résultats. Pour cela, une enquête quantitative a été réalisée auprès de 500 utilisateurs du Drive. Les répondants ont été subdivisés en deux sous-échantillons (N1 = 150 et N2 = 350) pour réaliser les analyses factorielles exploratoires et confirmatoires. Le test du modèle général ainsi que des hypothèses de recherche a été conduit en recourant à la méthode des équations structurelles, plus précisément à la modélisation PLS-PM au moyen du logiciel XLSTAT 2017. Nos résultats confirment que dans un contexte de distribution cross-canal, l’évaluation globale du consommateur ne dépend pas d’un canal mais de l’intégration des canaux utilisés qui permet au consommateur de vivre une expérience à la fois originale, plaisants et intéressante. Cette dernière contribue à la création de la fidélité du consommateur à un Drive. / The main objective of this thesis is to identify and understand the key factors that contribute to consumer loyalty to a Drive-in in a cross-channel distribution context. It consists of two parts.In the first part, we present a literature review around four fields of research: commercial innovation, cross-channel distribution strategy, cross-channel behavior and consumer loyalty. We complete this part with an exploratory qualitative study (in-depth interviews with consumers). These two steps allowed us to propose a conceptual model of the perceived quality of service of the Drive-in and its effects on the mental representations of the consumer (perceived overall value and satisfaction) as well as on its fidelity to the evaluated Drive-in.The second part is devoted to testing the hypotheses, the research model, and the analysis of the results. For this, a quantitative survey was conducted among 500 consumers of Drive-in. Respondents were divided into two sub-samples (N1 = 150 and N2 = 350) to perform exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes. The general model test and research hypotheses were conducted using the structural equations method. In detail, to run the PLS-PM (Partial least squares) modeling, we employed XLSTAT 2017 software. Our results confirm that in a context of cross-channel distribution, the overall evaluation of a consumer does not depend on a channel, but it is related to the integration of the used channels which creates an original, pleasant and interesting experience for consumers. With the integration of channels, Drive-in consumers have an original, pleasant and interesting experience which contributes to the creation of consumer loyalty.

Cette thèse considère les consommateurs du commerce mobile de vente de détail comme objet de recherche en prenant la valeur perçue du commerce mobile comme point de départ. La question fondamentale de cette recherche est : quelles sont les relations entre la valeur perçue et la satisfaction du commerce mobile sur la fidélité du consommateur. L’objectif principal de cette recherche est donc d’identifier et de comprendre les facteurs clés qui contribuent à fidéliser le consommateur au commerce mobile dans un contexte de la vente au détail. Pour cela, nous avons clarifié le contenu spécifique de la fidélité des consommateurs de commerce mobile, et construit un modèle de recherche pour expliquer la fidélisation. Pour bien préciser comment les consommateurs perçoivent et évaluent le commerce mobile, nous avons effectué une étude qualitative exploratoire via des entretiens semi-directifs et une analyse de contenu avec Nvivo11. Grace à l’analyse qualitative, nous avons pu proposer un modèle de recherche avec des variables pertinentes. Cette recherche a utilisé Partial Least Squares(PLS) pour le modèle d'équation structurelle (SEM) pour tester le modèle et les hypothèses. / This thesis considers retail consumers of mobile commerce as a research subject, takes the perceived value of mobile commerce as the starting point. And we tries to conduct the research on this fundamental question: what are the determinants mechanism of the perceived value and satisfaction of mobile and their effects on loyalty. The main objective of this research is therefore to identify and understand the key factors that contribute to consumer loyalty to mobile commerce in a retail context. For this, we clarified the specific content of mobile commerce consumer loyalty, and built a research model to explain loyalty. In order to clarify how consumers perceive and evaluate mobile commerce, we conducted a qualitative exploratory study through semi-structured interviews and content analysis with Nvivo 11. Thanks to the qualitative analysis, we proposed the research model with relevant variables. This research uses Partial Least Squares (PLS) for the Structural Equation Model (SEM) to test the research model and hypothesis.

<p>The aim of this paper is to define the perceived consumer values that physical record stores create in order to compete with other distribution technologies. A qualitative method has been used, based on interviews with managers of three records stores in Stockholm. Interviews with their customers have been conducted also. The content has been analyzed with passable theories and the two sources have been compared when adequate.The conclusion of the study is that the physical record stores create many different consumer values, and that many of these are hard to transfer to other distribution technologies. One of the most important values for the consumer is that the personnel have a broad knowledge about music. Other notable values are the emotional feelings of searching for something and the atmosphere the record store creates. A pattern that is visible is that the niche record stores create more consumer values then the commercial record store. The conclusions indicate that there are opportunities for niche physical record stores and that the future for the record stores is not as bleak as may be perceived.</p>

The content of customer-perceived value has in this study been explored with the aim of providing an understanding of the concept. The evolving service-centered logic for marketing puts an emphasis on value, especially the value perceived and determined by the customer. Concurrently, a development is recognized within the industrial business-to-business sector where goods and services are packaged into total service offerings – with an increasing prominence for services. This is the background of the study. The study itself was conducted in order to elucidate the concept of customer-perceived value in a context where total service offerings are provided within dyadic business-to-business relationships. The conceptual framework, guiding the empirical study, has its points of departure in the field of service research. A case study conducted in the commercial aircraft engine maintenance industry has provided a description – depicted in value maps – of context-specific attributes forming the dimensions of customer-perceived value. It is suggested that customer-perceived value is created at three levels; at a product level, at a partnership level, and at a psychological level. Furthermore, the value maps clarify the double nature of customer-perceived value, which is found to have both an origin side – how the service provider should act to deliver value – and a side illuminating the more or less monetarily quantifiable effects of value. The origin and effect of customer-perceived value are proposed to be explained by a model where the notion of “flow” is central. Flows of goods, information, risk, involvement, and money intersect the value features and provide the sources of value on the origin side of customer-perceived value. The effects can be traced to the flows of revenue benefits, cost benefits, interest effects, and costs to use. Concurrently, flows both build, and are filtrated by, “trust” during the process in which the customer’s perception of value comes into being. On the effect-side of value, the concepts stochasticity and substantiality are introduced in order to capture the uncertainties that make translations into monetary terms difficult. The outcome of the abductive reasoning in the final phase of the investigation is a conceptual model – proposed as the main contribution of the study – summarizing aspects of customer-perceived value. My definition of customer-perceived value, together with a list clarifying the many facets of the concept, concludes the study.

The aim of this paper is to define the perceived consumer values that physical record stores create in order to compete with other distribution technologies. A qualitative method has been used, based on interviews with managers of three records stores in Stockholm. Interviews with their customers have been conducted also. The content has been analyzed with passable theories and the two sources have been compared when adequate.The conclusion of the study is that the physical record stores create many different consumer values, and that many of these are hard to transfer to other distribution technologies. One of the most important values for the consumer is that the personnel have a broad knowledge about music. Other notable values are the emotional feelings of searching for something and the atmosphere the record store creates. A pattern that is visible is that the niche record stores create more consumer values then the commercial record store. The conclusions indicate that there are opportunities for niche physical record stores and that the future for the record stores is not as bleak as may be perceived.

Online group-buying is one of popular and innovative business models in the Internet age. Its essence is that the price will go down as the accumulated orders are increasing. A challenge is how to design the price curve, i.e., the relation between price and volume. Researchers have observed the consumer behavior phenomena of demand externalities, price-drop effect, and cycle ending effect in online group-buying transactions. All are related to the design of price curve. Therefore, if the price curve design can attract consumers and make profit as well, it will make the group-buying more successful. Based on above background, the purpose of this study is to explore the impact of price reduction frequency on consumers¡¦ perceived value and perceived transaction utility and then in turn on consumers¡¦ intention. In addition, this study also explores how the consumers¡¦ price sensitivity mediate the impact of price reduction frequency on consumers¡¦ perceived value and perceived transaction utility. A field experiment was done first. Then, an online experiment was designed and implemented based on the observation of the field experiment. The research result indicates that price reduction frequency will positively affect the consumers¡¦ perceived value and perceived transaction utility. Further, both consumers¡¦ perceived value and perceived transaction utility will affect the consumers¡¦ intention. In addition, the consumers¡¦ price sensitivity modulates the impact of price reduction frequency on consumers¡¦ perceived value and perceived transaction utility. Finally, the observations of field experiment and lab experiment demonstrate the phenomena of demand externalities, price-drop effect, and cycle ending effect proposed by previous researches.