Retail Consumer Research Articles

The Impacts of Payment Schemes and Carbon Emission Policies on Replenishment and Pricing Decisions for Perishable Products in a Supply Chain

In the supplier–retailer–consumer system, the retailer’s replenishment and pricing strategies impact the entire transaction process, forming a comprehensive trading market. Suppliers offer advance-cash-credit payments to retailers, while retailers provide customers with cash-credit payment options. In the current health-conscious consumer market, purchasing decisions are influenced not only by commodity prices but also by the freshness of products, particularly perishable goods. Growing awareness of climate change and the advent of carbon emission policies have raised concerns about the environmental costs of business transactions. This study focuses on perishable products whose demand is influenced by both price and freshness. It explores the adoption of various payment methods by suppliers and retailers, as well as the impact of carbon emission cap-and-trade policies or carbon tax policies on management and pricing strategies. Suitable inventory models are established to determine the optimal replenishment and pricing strategies for maximizing the current value of total profit. We illustrate that the current value of total profit demonstrates joint concavity concerning both the selling price and the replenishment time. Finally, we verify the proposed models using numerical examples and present the findings of sensitivity analyses. The findings of this study yield several valuable insights for inventory management of perishable goods.

Determinants of impulse buying behavior: The mediating role of positive emotions of minimarket retail consumers in Indonesia

Impulse buying is characterized by quick and unplanned purchasing decisions often triggered by perceived necessity or attractive offers. Minimarkets operate on a smaller scale than hypermarkets and supermarkets but significantly influence consumer behavior, mainly because they use various promotional strategies. This study aims to determine the effect of price discounts and store atmosphere on impulse buying behavior through positive emotions. This study was conducted in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, using a non-probability sampling approach; an online questionnaire was used to collect data from 180 participants through Google Forms. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and partial least square (PLS) estimation methods. The results showed that price discounts and store atmosphere significantly affect positive emotions and impulse buying (p < 0.05). Positive emotions significantly affect impulse buying (p < 0.05). In addition, price discounts and store atmosphere affect impulse buying through positive emotions (p < 0.05). This study uncovers the complex mechanisms underlying consumer responses in the convenience store landscape, providing important insights for retailers and marketers in navigating the evolving retail terrain. AcknowledgmentThis research was funded by the Revenue and Expenditure Budget of the Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara following the assignment agreement letter in the context of implementing the Basic Research Program of the Revenue and Expenditure Budget of the Muhammadiyah University of North Sumatra for the 2023 Fiscal Year, Number: 94/II.3- AU /UMSU-LP2M/C/2023.

The role of online retail website experience on brand happiness and willingness to share personal information: an SOR perspective

PurposeThe study aims to determine the role of online retail website experience on brand happiness and willingness to share personal information using the theoretical lens of the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework. Further, it explores the role of brand intimacy and brand partner quality in mediating the path between brand happiness and willingness to share personal information.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a cross-sectional survey design to collect data from 439 online retail consumers in India, using an online questionnaire. The data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling in IBM Amos.FindingsThe present study found that online retail website experience is significantly related to brand happiness. The finding also supports that brand happiness was positively and significantly related to ‘consumers' willingness to share personal information. This relationship was fully mediated by brand intimacy. Brand happiness also mediated the relationship between website experience and the willingness to share personal information.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the emerging literature on brand happiness and willingness to share personal information. It establishes a central role of brand happiness as a driver and a mediator of consumers' willingness to share personal information with e-commerce retailers, extending the stimulus-organism-response framework in the context of brand happiness and willingness to share personal information. Further, the study establishes the role of website experience as a marketer (and brand) led driver of brand happiness.Practical implicationsThe results have implications for the role of the website in enhancing the consumer experience, which in turn is a driver of brand happiness. Further, managers need to promote brand happiness with the help of website experience to enable consumers’ willingness to share personal information and help organizations customize their marketing campaigns.Originality/valueThis is among the first studies to evaluate brand happiness from the perspective of an online retail website experience and consider consumers’ willingness to share personal information from a branding rather than a technological perspective. Additionally, the study introduces the SOR framework in the context of brand happiness, with website experience acting as a stimulus for consumers, resulting in brand happiness, which is mediated by brand partner quality and brand intimacy (organism), leads to consumers' willingness to share personal information with online retail brands (response).

Economic Pricing in Peer-to-Peer Electrical Trading for a Sustainable Electricity Supply Chain Industry in Thailand

The state-owned power Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), a monopoly market in charge of producing, distributing, and wholesaling power, is the focal point of Thailand’s electricity market. Although the government has encouraged people to install on-grid solar panels to sell electricity as producers and retail consumers, the price mechanism, i.e., purchasing price and selling prices, is still unilaterally determined by the government. Therefore, we are interested in studying the case where blockchain can be used as a free trading platform. Without involving buying or selling from the government, this research presents a model of fully traded price mechanisms. Based on the study results of the double auction system, data on buying and selling prices of electrical energy in Thailand were used as the initial data for the electricity peer-to-peer free-trading model. Then, information was obtained to analyze the trading price trends by using the law of demand and supply in addition to the principle of the bipartite graph. The price trend results agree well with those of price equilibrium equations. Therefore, we firmly believe that the model we offer can be traded in a closed system of free-trade platforms. In addition, the players in the system can help to determine the price trend that will occur according to various parameters and will cause true fairness in the sustainable electricity supply chain industry in Thailand.

Exploring drivers of behavioral willingness to reduce plastic consumption and socially responsible consumption behavior: A stimulus–organism–behavior–consequence paradigm based environmental management perspective

AbstractThis study examines the factors that drive behavioral willingness to reduce plastic consumption and socially responsible consumption behavior through the Stimulus–Organism–Behavior–Consequence (S‐O‐B‐C) framework. The study involved 440 retail consumers from the United Arab Emirates, utilizing a four‐wave time‐lagged design. To investigate the hypotheses, the research employed structural equation modeling. The study results suggest that environmental consciousness and values are positively related to environmental knowledge and environmental self‐identity. Furthermore, environmental knowledge and environmental self‐identity are positively linked with the willingness to reduce plastic consumption, while socially responsible consumption behavior is positively associated with the willingness to reduce plastic consumption. Additionally, policy support positively moderated the connotation of environmental knowledge with behavioral willingness to reduce plastic consumption and socially responsible consumption behavior. The proposed S‐O‐B‐C framework enriches the literature on plastic consumption to understand retail consumers' perspectives in an emerging country context. The findings provide insights that will help practitioners and academics understand consumers' plastic consumption intention and formulate strategies that will increase the involvement of consumers in plastic conservation activities.

The Impact of COVID-19 on e-Commerce: A Systematic Review of the Literature on the Purchasing Behavior of Online Retail Consumers

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the retail industry, with a surge in online shopping. This systematic literature review examines the latest research on the impact of the pandemic on e-commerce, with a focus on the behaviour of online retail consumers. The motive behind the study: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in online shopping, as consumers have been forced to stay home and avoid in-person contact.

Agricultural Produce Supply Chain Network of Capsicum: Empirical Evidence from India

Vegetables are important for both nutritional and economic stability and contribute significantly to the agricultural landscape of India. The demand for vegetables is rising, driven by population growth and increased awareness of their benefits. This empirical study highlights the dynamics of agricultural production supply chain networks of capsicum crops in the northwestern Himalayan region, specifically Himachal Pradesh, India. The study employs the Acharya approach to analyse the various marketing channels utilized by farmers in the capsicum supply chain. This methodology sheds light on the economic nuances at each stage and examines marketing channels, costs, margins, price spread and marketing efficiency. Simultaneously, the Garrett ranking method is applied to discern and prioritize constraints faced by farmers. This comprehensive approach ensures a nuanced understanding of the economic and logistical intricacies of capsicum marketing. The analysis of marketing channels reveals five distinct pathways employed by farmers, with Channel-C (Producer–Commission Agent–Retailer–Consumer) standing out as the most dominant, representing 47.25% of the total quantity. Moreover, Channel-A (Producer–Consumer) proves to be the most cost-effective for producers and boasts the highest producer price, while Channel-C, involving commission agents, incurs higher costs. This suggests a preference for intermediaries, emphasizing factors like market access and negotiation skills, whereas Channel-D (Producer–Local Trader–Wholesaler–Retailer–Consumer) has the highest gross marketing margin, emphasizing the trade-offs between efficiency and transaction volume. The results indicate that while Channel-A is the most efficient, it is not the preferred choice due to the lower transaction quantity. Further, the absence of market consultation services, inadequate road infrastructure, high commission charges, nonremunerative prices and untimely availability of vehicles are the major constraints in marketing. The findings of the study call for targeted interventions to create a more robust and farmer-friendly marketing environment for capsicum crops in the region. The study proposes targeted recommendations, emphasizing collaborative efforts between stakeholders, government bodies and farmers. This research contributes to the academic discourse and also offers actionable insights for researchers and policymakers, fostering sustainability, profitability and equity within the capsicum supply chain.

Marketing management of onion seed production

The present study titled ‘Marketing management of onion seed production’ is based on a sample of 90 onion seed growers drawn from Shrigonda, Parner and Nagar tehsils of Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra. The primary data was collected through a survey and pretested questionnaire for the agriculture year 2021–22. The analysis was completed using data gathered from market intermediaries by calculating marketing cost, marketing margin, marketing efficiency, price spread and producer’s share in consumer rupee. Production and disposal patterns of onion seed showed that 90.43 per cent of the produce was marketed. The total amount of onion seed available for sale was 255.18 kg, with 191.54 kg of onion seed sold through channel I, this included Producer  Consumer and was the most efficient method for onion seed distribution. Channel II, included Producer  Wholesaler Retailer  Consumer and accounted the sale of 63.64 kg of total onion seed production. The marketing cost for channel-II was 10.60 per kg followed by channel-I 1.09 per kg. The average per kg price spread for onion seed was 1.09 and 606.37 for Channel I and Channel II, respectively. The marketing efficiency for channel II was 3.

Exploring the Depths of Market Basket Analysis: A Comprehensive Guide to Transaction Analysis with FP-Growth and Apriori Algorithms

This research investigates the role of data science in understanding customer behavior and enhancing sales, focusing specifically on the application of Apriori and FP-Growth Algorithms at a retail store, Deli Point, in Labuan Bajo. It illuminates the impact of 'rubbish data' on transactional data analysis, emphasizing the need for robust data cleaning procedures to ensure accurate results. Utilizing the faster FP-Growth Algorithm, the study effectively analyzed customer purchasing patterns to identify optimal product combinations for sales improvement. It discovered that 'parsley local' and 'mint flores' items had the highest support with a value of 0.036, indicating that strategic placement of these items together could enhance sales. The rule between chicken leg bone, orange sunkist, and chicken breast boneless was found to have a high confidence value and a lift value higher than 1, implying a higher potential for these items to be sold when positioned near each other. This study contributes to understanding consumer behavior and provides insights for enhancing sales and competitiveness in the retail industry. An association rule involving 'chicken leg bone’, 'orange sunkist', and 'chicken breast boneless' demonstrated high confidence and a lift value above one, suggesting significant sales potential when these items are grouped together. This study not only contributes valuable insights into retail consumer behavior and effective product placement strategies but also underscores the transformative role of data science in optimizing sales and boosting competitiveness in the retail sector.

Overall customer satisfaction and demographic characteristics on retail consumers in Oyo State

Overall customer satisfaction and demographic characteristics on retail consumers in Oyo State

Overall customer satisfaction and demographic characteristics of retail consumers in Oyo State

Overall customer satisfaction and demographic characteristics of retail consumers in Oyo State

Psychoactive substance consumption after the Fundão dam mine tailing disaster in Minas Gerais State, Brazil.

Disasters cause changes in morbidity, mortality, and medicine use. Brazil is one of the main producers of mineral ores at great environmental cost. Mine tailings are stored in dams and ruptures have led to major disasters. We investigated the consumption of psychoactive medicines in the municipalities affected by the Fundão dam disaster in Minas Gerais State. An ecological study was carried out on drug consumption, estimated using public purchases in Minas Gerais and dispensing data from private retail pharmacies. Consumption (in number of defined daily doses/100,000 inhabitants per day) was analyzed descriptively in eight municipalities, stratified according to consumption level during a 25-month period. Six comparisons of mean consumption values for both data sets were done for pre- and post-disaster periods. The means of medicine consumption before and after the event were plotted and linear trends were added. Public purchase data evinced high consumption levels. Only pharmaceutical retail showed significant differences between the strata in the pre-disaster versus two post-disaster periods. Smaller municipalities showed an increase in consumption 15 months after the disaster. Clonazepam led the way in pharmaceutical retail consumption, followed by fluoxetine. Medicines showed an upward trend after the disaster. The high public provision may have stifled significant consumption patterns of psychoactive drugs; however, peak consumption were observed in private retail, suggesting a modification in use patterns after the disaster. The decrease in consumption immediately after the event was probably related to lower care-seeking behavior on the part of the population, and significant peaks after the disaster may reflect economic consequences of it.

Modelling Sustainable Marketing with Retail Consumers’ Purchasing Intentions: Evidence from the MENA Region

Retailers strive for sustainability, relying on marketing efforts. Retail business sustainability (BS) is a debated topic, necessitating research on customer support for sustainable businesses. This study explores how Eco-Friendly customer Behaviour (EFB) mediates the connection between Sustainable Marketing (SM) and Consumer Intention to Buy (CIB) in retail. Data from 914 retail consumers underwent PLS-SEM analysis to thoroughly examine complex relationships among model variables, including potential mediation effects. The findings strongly back the link between SM and CIB. The notable role of EFB in mediating the SM-CIB relationship underscores EFB's significance in guiding CIB. For the first time in the MENA region, this study addresses how retail customers' purchasing intentions are affected by the SM fields of action. The tested model expands the previous GREEN model, providing theoretical and practical inferences.

Changes In Retail Consumer Shopping Behavior After The End Of Covid 19 In Indonesia: Towards Digital Transformation Behavior

This study aims to determine the changes in online shopping behavior of retail consumers after the end of covid 19 in Indonesia and the possibility of online shopping sustainability in the future towards digital transformation. Changes in consumer behavior occur due to the application of social distancing, including changes in the selection of retail product purchase locations and changes in transaction models to obtain the required retail products. The change of buying and selling locations and payment models from offline to online is inevitable. Therefore, Indonesian people are now increasingly accustomed to making purchases of various purposes online. Now, more and more people are making purchases online, so the impact on online stores is beginning to be seen with the increase in transaction activity. Research methods using previous research literature. The type of retail in this study is limited to the category of independent traditional retail stores such as food stalls, mini supermarkets, grocery stores and fashion stores as well as online shopping services that are still valid until the time of this study. Suggestions for consumers and businesses to continue to adjust online shopping behavior with the Times and technological sophistication towards digital transformation. In the future, online shopping is still needed because of the practical way with digital transformation service facilities that match consumer demands.

Coffee Roasting Training To Improve Production Quality And Efficiency Of Ksu Ketakasi Coffee Business

Competition in the coffee business is increasingly widespread with high interest from coffee consumers ranging from retail consumers to industrial scale. The interests of coffee consumers vary according to consumer needs. The level of diversity in coffee consumer needs means that coffee bean business activists must improve the quality of their production and increase production efficiency. KSU Ketakasi is a cooperative that supports coffee farmers on the slopes of Argopuro, specifically coffee farmers from Sidomulyo Village, Silo District, Jember Regency. KSU Ketakasi is developing its business line starting from selling raw beans, roasted beans, to ground coffee, one of the processes that influences the sustainability of this process is the coffee bean roasting process. The correct process of roasting coffee beans is considered capable of improving the quality of production from coffee entrepreneurs and selecting the right roasting machine is also a benchmark for increasing efficiency in the production process. The following activities carried out in community service include providing education to farmer members of the KSU Ketakasi cooperative so that they can process coffee beans with good quality and be able to increase the efficiency of the roasting process by using a smart eco roasting machine.

Beliefs, flow and habit in continuance of over-the-top (OTT) platforms

PurposeThe demand for over-the-top (OTT) video streaming services has grown manifold in the last few years. With increasing competition in the OTT market, it is vitally important for businesses to understand OTT retail consumers' continuance intentions. This study aims to understand the antecedents of the continuance intention of OTT platforms and distinguish the most essential and best-performing predictor variables of continuance intention.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs an integrated research model based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), flow theory and habit. Data collected from OTT retail consumers (n = 383) using the online survey method are analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results elucidated which TPB antecedents and dimensions of flow experience affect OTT platforms' continuance intention. The most important factors affecting continuance intention were habit, attitude and perceived behavioral control, while the best-performing factors were perceived behavioral control, perceived enjoyment and attitude.Originality/valueThe study is unique in harmoniously integrating conscious cognitive intention, intrinsic motivation and habit of performing an activity to explain OTT platforms' continuance intention.

Perceived value in food retail: moderating effect of store format

Objective - This paper’s purpose is to measure the value perceived by food retail consumers under the moderating effect of the store format. Methodology: An online survey was administered to 493 food retail consumers. For the data analysis it was used the quantitative technique of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The analyses were performed with the aid of Minitab software version 12.1 and SmartPLS version 3. Results: The highest explanation degree of the perceived value for the Super / Hypermarkets format was the variables Products and Store Environment, as was the case for Wholesale self-service format. However, it should be noted that the Wholesale self-service format had the lowest structural coefficients for all paths of the model, indicating that the factors have less explanatory power on the perceived value of the consumer compared to the Super/Hypermarkets format. A notable difference between formats was noticed in the factor a Additional services variable, showing its vocation aimed at lower costs. Theoretical/methodological contributions: The investigation developed a quantitative model that demonstrates the adequacy of the model's component variables and that they vary according to the store format. The model developed can also be used as a basis for future research in other countries on food retail and other variations of retail. Relevance/Originality: This study is the first to investigate and measure the value perceived by food retail consumers, also taking into account the store format.

Enablers and inhibitors of digital hoarding behaviour. An application of dual-factor theory and regret theory

The study examines the factors influencing digital hoarding behaviour by applying the dual-factor and regret theories. Additionally, we examine the moderating effect of dispositional greed and fear of missing out (FOMO). Online questionnaires were employed to gather data from a total of 285 participants. The findings indicate that clutter propensity has a negative impact on both perceived materialism and anticipated regret, digital withholding has a positive impact on perceived materialism, anticipated regret and perceived materialism has a positive impact on digital hoarding, digital hoarding has a positive impact on psychological well-being and a negative impact on privacy and security issues. Moderation analysis shows that dispositional greed significantly moderates the relationship between technostress, digital withholding and anticipated regret. The association between digital withholding and perceived materialism is also moderated by dispositional greed. FOMO also significantly moderates the relationship between digital withholding and perceived materialism. This study's findings make valuable additions to the current academic understanding of digital hoarding and provide direction to digital marketers in understanding retail consumers' behaviour towards digital hoarding.

A New Benchmark for Consumer Visual Tracking and Apparent Demographic Estimation from RGB and Thermal Images

Visual tracking and attribute estimation related to age or gender information of multiple person entities in a scene are mature research topics with the advent of deep learning techniques. However, when it comes to indoor images such as video sequences of retail consumers, data are not always adequate or accurate enough to essentially train effective models for consumer detection and tracking under various adverse factors. This in turn affects the quality of recognizing age or gender for those detected instances. In this work, we introduce two novel datasets: Consumers comprises 145 video sequences compliant to personal information regulations as far as facial images are concerned and BID is a set of cropped body images from each sequence that can be used for numerous computer vision tasks. We also propose an end-to-end framework which comprises CNNs as object detectors, LSTMs for motion forecasting of the tracklet association component in a sequence, along with a multi-attribute classification model for apparent demographic estimation of the detected outputs, aiming to capture useful metadata of consumer product preferences. Obtained results on tracking and age/gender prediction are promising with respect to reference systems while they indicate the proposed model’s potential for practical consumer metadata extraction.

The Relationship Between Customer Shopping Experience with Customer Loyalty at Alfamart Store in Bandung City

The purpose of this research is to find out and analyze the relationship between the dimensions of experience design and experience delivery in the consumer experience variables with the dimensions of customer satisfaction, service quality, switching costs, and attractiveness in the consumer loyalty variable at Alfamart outlets in the city of Bandung. The object of research under study is consumer experience and consumer loyalty. Associative descriptive analysis and a type of survey in the form of a questionnaire were used in this study. Non-probability sampling is the sampling technique used in this study using purposive sampling. For Statistical Analysis this study uses Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Alfamart retail consumers living in Bandung's city are the population in this study.