How often have you walked around in the supermarket trying to decide what product by which brand to choose? The options are many. Some people look for the price tag while others are more influenced by the esthetic appeals of the packaging design. Some people might look for ethical or environmental aspects of the brand. The area of corporate social responsibility (CSR) interests many people today and is a growing concern. We found that consumers consider companies acting ethically while also new jobs among the most important responsibilities by firms today. These factors are making the purchase decision process even harder for consumers. Sweden is one of the most socially responsible countries in the world, making it important for Swedish companies to integrate CSR into the core of their businesses. One example of such integration is Fairtrade, a concept that has grown tremendously during the last decade, while the attention focused on socially responsible behavior by firms has increased. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between Fairtrade and the purchase decision of consumers living in Sweden, to investigate the awareness and perception of Fairtrade and how that ultimately translates into making a purchasing decision. From this we developed the research question: “What factors influences Swedish consumers purchase decision in buying products from Fairtrade Sweden?” The target group of our research is young adults ages 18-30. The nature of our degree project is quantitative with a deductive approach. The research philosophy is objectivism since we do not intervene in any way as we observe the data collected from our survey. Furthermore a positivistic approach is used since we rely heavy on numbers and data rather than words. We received 158 participants in our survey. The theoretical framework consists of theories within the areas of CSR, branding, consumer attitudes-behavior and finally previous empirical studies about Fairtrade. From the theories we have developed a series of hypotheses, which we test statistically using independent-samples t-test and bivariate correlation tests. Statistical support for gender differences between men and women were found and also positive correlations between willingness to pay for Fairtrade products and how often participants purchase Fairtrade products were found. The findings from our research show that the 18-30 year old Swedish consumers find Fairtrade important and the general attitude towards Fairtrade is positive. Most consumers chose Fairtrade to help people and because it makes them feel good. The most common reasons why not to choice Fairtrade is because of the price or that the products simply cannot be found. Women are keener on purchasing and caring about Fairtrade products compared to men.

Word-of-mouth har länge varit ett intressant och viktigt fenomen inom marknadsföringen. Med introduktionen av Internet och den växande populariteten av sociala medier, så har word-of-mouth förändrats och är nu tillgänglig för många fler konsumenter online och världen över. Word-of-mouth som sker över Internet har fått namnet elektronisk word-of-mouth (förkortat eWOM). Denna studie har undersökt skillnader i inflytandet av olika word-of-mouth-källor, specifikt traditionell muntlig WOM och eWOM. Detta för att se om det finns några skillnader i hur konsumenter söker och tar del av WOM-information inför köpbeslut av nya produkter eller tjänster. Denna studie har också perspektivet att endast kolla på inflytandet av negativa WOM-källor och hur dessa påverkar konsumenters köpbeslut. Studien har genomförts med hjälp utav ett elektroniskt frågeformulär som distribuerats genom Högskolan i Borås studenter samt genom Facebook. Frågeformuläret består av frågor och avsnitt gällande hur viktigt WOM är för konsumenter innan köp av en tidigare oprövad produkt eller tjänst, trovärdigheten av WOM informationen, hur WOM kan ändra ens attityd samt sannolikheten att man avstår köp på grund av negativ WOM.Resultatet från frågeformuläret visar på att traditionell muntlig WOM fortfarande anses vara den bästa WOM-källan, den som används mest och anses vara den mest trovärdiga källan för WOM och fick högst poäng i alla kategorier från frågeformuläret. eWOM från ratingsidor rankades som näst bäst medan eWOM från ens Facebookvänner ansåg vara det sämsta alternativet för eWOM i alla kategorier. Slutsatsen dras därför att negativ WOM-information influerar konsumenter på olika vis beroende på vilken WOM-källa det kommer ifrån. Traditionell muntlig WOM anses vara det bästa, även om eWOM används mycket så anses det inte vara lika trovärdigt och informativt. / Word-of-mouth has been an important phenomenon in marketing for a very long time. With the introduction of the Internet and the growing popularity of social media, word-of-mouth communication has changed and is now available for consumers from all over the world with just the click of a mouse on your computer. This phenomenon has been given the name electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). This study has examined the influence of different WOM-sources, specifically traditional oral WOM and electronic WOM to see if there are any differences in how consumers search and use different WOM-information in their purchase decision. This study has also taken an approach to only look at the influence of negative word-of-mouth from different WOM-sources and their influence. To research this an electronic questionnaire has been used and distributed to student at the University of Borås and also over Facebook. The questionnaire consists of questions regarding how important looking for WOM information before a purchase it, trustworthiness of WOM, how WOM can change your attitude to a product or service and the possibility of not going through with a purchase based on information from WOM-sources.Results from the questionnaire shows that traditional oral WOM is still considered to be the best, most used and trustworthy source of WOM as it scored highest in all categories of the questionnaire. eWOM from rating sites scored second in all categories, and eWOM from Facebook friends scored lowest in all categories. It can therefore be concluded that negative WOM-information can influence consumer purchase decision in different ways, and even though eWOM is widely used it is considered to be less informative and trustworthy than traditional oral WOM.

The diploma thesis aims to capture the specifics of financial products that mostly affect consumers in the market. In the first theoretical part we encounter terms such as intangibility, inseparability or contingent consumption of financial products. The thesis then incorporates those specifics into the consumer behaviour in financial markets, especially in the purchase decision process. Subsequently, it focuses on the specific situation in the banking market in the Czech Republic, including the market shares of banks as well as the offers of current accounts. The practical part of the work shows through a primary research - conducted by polling Czech consumer of bank accounts - how people not only acquire this financial service but also use it. This section is concluded by a shorter secondary research which uses data from the professional marketing database MML-TGI. Finally, on the basis of previous research findings it formulates conclusions in a form of marketing recommendations for banks.

The thesis deals with the role of consumer contests in commercial communications. The aim of this thesis is to assess their role in communication mix. The theoretical part analyzes consumer contests as one of sales promotion tools and describes their specific features. The practical part stems from my field research and examines whether consumer contests have any impact on purchase decision and on brand awareness.

The purpose of this study was to explore the integration of a branded retail application in physical stores. Doing so, this study was conducted with a qualitative and abductive approach in the form of a case study focusing on H&M. The empirical material was collected through think-aloud observations and semi-structured interviews with 22 participants in total. The theoretical framework consisted of 6 aspects related to smart customer experience, including convenience and time convenience, personalisation, interactivity, control, usefulness, and involvement. Furthermore, the concept of the purchase decision process was also included in the theoretical framework. Five themes regarding the usage of the branded retail application in physical stores was found, including prior store visit usage and in-store usage, in-store information, selective information, visualisation of items in-store, and in-store communication. From this, it was concluded that using the app in-store provide several benefits depending on how the app is used. This leads to the conclusion that the app influences in different phases of the purchase decision process.

Social media is a big part of a millennial's life. It is where they communicate with their friends and share experiences. Companies know this and are subsequently trying to reach consumers on social media with their advertising. However, millennials are not highly affected by advertising but care a lot about what other people think and feel about products. The millennial generation is the adult generation that is using social media the most and is also one of the biggest consumer bases in e-commerce. This means that companies need to adapt and try new ways to reach these consumers. This thesis will therefore explore and describe if advertising on social media influences millennials purchasing behavior via Electronic Word Of Mouth (EWOM) rather than having a direct effect on their purchasing behavior. The research question that will fulfill the purpose is "Does advertising on social media influence millennials purchasing behavior via EWOM?". To achieve results and answer the research question, a literature review was conducted and complemented with a self-administered, internet questionnaire. The results show that there seems to be a correlation between millennials seeing advertising on social media and starting to search for more information about the product through EWOM before making a purchasing decision

O papel dos sentimentos e das emoções é extremamente relevante para o entendimento do comportamento do consumidor. Por isso, o presente trabalho busca verificar quais são os reflexos do sentimento de afinidade com um país estrangeiro na relação do consumidor com produtos e serviços do referido país. Optou-se pela realização de uma pesquisa de caráter exploratório, por meio da utilização de métodos qualitativos: aliadas às 24 entrevistas em profundidade com indivíduos que possuem ligação afetiva com um país estrangeiro, foram utilizadas as técnicas de videografia e de elicitação por fotos e objetos. A análise dos dados ocorreu essencialmente com base no método de análise qualitativa de conteúdo, com o auxílio do software QSR NVIVO 8. Os resultados encontrados indicam que o sentimento de afinidade com o país estrangeiro geralmente ocorre em função do contato direto do indivíduo com o local, sua cultura, seu cenário e sua economia. Além disso, o país pode assumir diferentes significados para os entrevistados. O sentimento de afinidade atua na geração de atitudes majoritariamente positivas em relação a produtos e serviços ligados ao país querido. Os consumidores, quando defrontados com ofertas oriundas de diferentes origens manifestam um interesse especial por aquelas que fazem referência ao local querido. Ainda, é possível verificar que esses sujeitos buscam manter-se ligados ao país estrangeiro através do consumo de produtos e serviços que lembram o país, o que acaba interferindo na própria construção de suas identidades. / The role of feelings and emotions is highly relevant for the comprehension of consumer behavior. Therefore, the aim of this study is to verify the reflections of the affinity feeling for a foreign country in the relationship between the consumer and its products and services. It was chosen to conduct an exploratory research, through the use of qualitative methods: combined with 24 in-depth interviews with individuals who have an emotional connection with a foreign country, there have also been used two techniques: videography, and elicitation by pictures and objects. Data analysis was mainly based on the qualitative analysis methodology, with the assistance of the QSR NVIVO 8 software. The results indicate that the affinity feeling usually occurs due to the individual's direct contact with the foreign country, its culture, its landscape and its economy. Moreover, the country can assume different meanings to the respondents. The affinity feeling actuates in the generation of mostly positive attitudes toward products and services related to the beloved country. When consumers confront themselves with offers from different origins, they declare special interest for those linked to the beloved place. Further, it is possible to notice that these individuals try to remain connected to the foreign country through the consumption of products and services related to it, what ends up interfering in the construction of their own identities.

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo principal determinar los factores de las variables del marketing mix que inciden significativamente en la intención y decisión de compra de mujeres de 18 a 25 años de edad de los NSE A y B de la Zona 7 de Lima Metropolitana (Miraflores, San Isidro, San Borja, Surco, La Molina) en la industria de la moda de prendas de vestir, con un enfoque especial en los influencers como parte de la P de promoción. Para ello, se realizó un estudio con enfoque mixto, ya que fue tanto cualitativo como cuantitativo. Por un lado, se utilizó el análisis factorial para medir la influencia en la intención de compra; y por el otro, el análisis discriminante para medir la influencia en la decisión de compra. Utilizamos esta metodología para medir el impacto de cada uno de los factores de las variables del marketing mix (producto, precio, plaza y promoción) y especialmente para validar si los influencers generan un impacto significativo sobre la intención y decisión de compra como parte de la P de promoción. Se realizó una entrevista a profundidad a un experto del rubro de la moda para validar nuestros objetivos e hipótesis. Asimismo, se realizó un Focus Group para obtener información relevante del segmento. Finalmente, se aplicó una encuesta a una muestra de 415 personas con la que se obtuvo la información necesaria para realizar el análisis estadístico. / The main objective of this research is to determine the factors of marketing mix variables that significantly affect purchase intention and decision of women between 18 and 25 years old that belong to the A and B socioeconomic status from seventh zone of Metropolitan Lima (Miraflores, San Isidro, San Borja, Surco, La Molina) in the fashion and clothing industry, with an special focus on influencers as part of promotion P. For this, we make a mixed approach study, since it was both qualitative and quantitative. On one hand, factor analysis was used to measure the influence on purchase intention; and on the other, the discriminant analysis to measure the influence on purchase decision. We use this methodology to measure the impact of each one of the factors of the marketing mix variables (product, price, place and promotion) and especially to validate if influencers generate a significant impact on purchase intention and decision as part of promotion. An in-depth interview was conducted with an expert from the fashion industry to validate our objectives and hypotheses. In addition, a Focus Group was carried out to obtain relevant segment information. Finally, a survey was applied to a sample of 415 people with whom the necessary information was obtained to perform the statistical analysis. / Tesis

<p>In today’s world, consumerism is dominating all the aspects of our life. In society, life follows the pattern of the capitalist culture where the human values have a different measure. We do live in a branded world. There is no doubt about it. We all make product decisions every day. We probably all have certain types of products of which we like only one or two brands, while we buy other things based on what is on sale on a given day. This inclination to buy branded products is rooted in two basic things: recollection and satisfaction. We remember which one we like by brand name.</p><p>A survey by the Henley Centre revealed that the public trust brand names such as Kellogg’s, Heinz and Marks & Spencer more than Parliament, the police and the legal system (Sunday Times, “A can of worms is a bad diet”, 5 April 1998). This research highlights the importance of the relationship between consumers and key brands; and shows that it has strengthened to such an extent that it is now healthier than the relationship with our social structures. This is evidence of the power of consumer culture and the liberal free market economics of the westernized world. The Brands not just represent the symbol of the company but also to a greater extant defines lives people in the society. What a person uses can reflect his taste, his or her status in the society, his / her economic background as well. This makes a deep connection between the company and its brand, with the consumer. In this two way relation both the company and consumers are dependent on each other.</p><p>The salient of purpose of our study was to find out to what extent brand names influence the consumers’ purchase decisions with regard to high-involvement products. We conducted this study based on theories and survey. We reviewed a good number of relevant theories of brand and consumer decision making process. We also conducted a survey among the students. The respondents of our survey were those students who own a notebook PC, a high involvement product. We used convenience sampling for our survey. We analyzed the data of the survey in order to be able to draw conclusions and find answers to our questions.</p><p>On analysis of the collected data, we came to a conclusion that brand names have an influence on the consumer decision not only in case of notebook PC, but also in other product categories. The overall means of brand equity for male and female student are 3.64 and 3.66 respectively. Both the means are considerably higher than the average of 2.5 on the Likert Scale. So, it is reasonable to say that both male and female students’ purchase decisions are influenced by the brand equity to an extent. The consumers are very conscious about branded products because they have the view that well-known brands are more reliable. This study also explains that customers trust the branded products. Before purchasing a notebook PC people do not consider the lesser known brands. Our survey results show that the respondents previously automatically knew which brand of Notebook PC to buy. The mean of the statement “I automatically knew which brands of this product to buy” was much higher than average indicating that respondents had only a few brands in their evoked set and they ended up buying their top-of-the-mind brand. Consumers opined that well-known brand companies maintain quality of their product. Which is why, brand name affects the customer choice while making a purchase decision. Moreover, consumers also tend to trust well-known branded products. The mean of the statement “When I see an advertisement of this brand I believe the information in it is accurate” was much higher than the average which testifies to the fact that consumers usually trust the brands.</p>

Title: “A Study of Factors That Affect Green Purchase”   Due to the environmental issues, green products have got more attention during the latest years and the availability of such products is increasing in many food stores. The appearance of eco-label assists the consumers in the store to buy eco-friendly products which are less harmful to the environment. Eco-labels which are frequently available in the food stores are; The Nordic eco-label (Svanen), Krav, The Euro Flower, MSC label (Marine stewardship council) and Bra Miljöval.  Governments in some countries are supporting these labels to ensure the sustainable development and a better quality of life for everyone, and for the generations to come. A question, which arises here, is that what compels the consumers to choose eco-labelled products over conventional ones. We have short-listed several factors during literature review which can influence the consumers green purchase behavior and these factors are; Eco-motivation, Eco-knowledge, Gender, Peer influence, Price and Shelf space.    The purpose of this study is to get a deeper understanding of the factors that can affect green purchase of food products in the store. Thus our main research question that we want to answer with our study is: “Which are the most important factors that influence the purchase behavior of eco-labelled products?” Along with this main research question we are also interested to know if ‘shelf space’ is an important factor that can affect the consumer’s choice of eco-labelled products in the store. Due to lack of data there is still no clear understanding about the role of shelf space in the purchase decision of green products. To answer these questions we will investigate all these factors and try to understand their influence on consumer green purchase behavior.  This quantitative study is carried out in Umeå, Sweden with 150 respondents and focuses mainly on the food market consumers. We stand on objectivist position for this study and we believe that cross-sectional research design is most suitable to fulfill our research purpose. We developed several null hypotheses and for this purpose we distributed our research questionnaire at the entrance of different super markets in Umeå, Sweden to collect our data from the respondents. We applied convenience sampling with simple quota to this research. We evaluated the gathered data with help of SPSS. Results proved that eco-motivation and shelf space plays vital role (positive correlated) in the purchase decision of eco-labelled products. We have provided statistical evidence that eco-motivation and shelf space induce actual purchase of green products. Eco-knowledge shows to induce interest in eco-labelled product but does not help in actual purchase of eco-labelled products. Surprisingly price and gender has not shown any influence on the consumer green purchase. We believe that our findings and recommendations can contribute in the area of consumer’s ecological behavior research. Due to our sampling technique (convenience) and small size of our respondent we cannot generalize the results of this study.   Key words: Purchase decision, Green marketing, Eco-labeling, Shelf space, Eco-motivation, Eco-knowledge, Gender, Price, Peer influence