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This paper aims to gain a better understanding of how Swedish branded goods manufacturers (BGMs) deal with the increased usage of private labels.

The approach takes the form of answering the three research questions of this study: how private labels are viewed by BGMs on the Swedish market; how Swedish BGMs strategically respond to the increases in private labels; and how the benefits and drawbacks of these strategic responses are perceived by Swedish BGMs. A contrasting multiple case study of four Swedish companies in the fast‐moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry was used.

The perceived advantages of private labels are connected to their overall control of the market in which they operate, whereas the advantages of BGMs are seen to be linked to product development and superior brand reputation. BGMs respond to private labels by taking them seriously and striving to increase the perceived distance of their brands from private labels in the eyes of the consumers. The overall benefit of these strategies is perceived to be preparedness for increased private label competition, while the drawbacks vary between companies.

In addition to empirical testing based on previous research on private label competition in a new setting, the study also presents suggestions for future research and the implications of the findings for managers.

Findings indicate that BGMs should take the emergence of private labels seriously, while at the same time striving to maintain good business relationships with the retailers.

The study provides insights into the competitive situation between private labels and the manufacturer brands in the Swedish FMCG market.

The purpose of this paper is to review existing literature related to private label brands (PLBs) and to identify the antecedents and consequences involved in the private brand purchase.

The study used a systematic review approach and identified 92 significant published articles between 1960 and 2016 for evaluation using SCOPUS database exclusively in the field of marketing. The journals that have published articles on purchase intention of PLBs are taken into consideration.

The authors provide a holistic framework on the purchasing behaviour of PLBs. The antecedents that emerged out of the most frequently studied factors are grouped as determinants of store brand proneness. The factors of consequences were categorised into loyalty factors along with the moderating variables as product category and retailer related attributes. These findings will serve as a twofold guide to retailers, i.e., help them gain an understanding of the target consumer group characteristics and design strategies to enhance the purchase of private label products.

This investigation considers only published research papers bearing the title of PLBs purchase.

This study is the first attempt of its kind of systematically reviewing the antecedents and consequences of PLB consumers. Both relevant published research and emerging research issues in the field of consumer research have been identified with a view to foster future research needs.

The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a research model encompassing marketing mix activities as antecedents of non-private label consumers’ switching intention, particularly from an emerging market perspective. The study also aims to test the moderating role of general neophobia and gender.

Focusing on non-private label consumers, the study analyzed a total of 211 questionnaire responses. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the research model.

The results suggested that marketing mix activities, particularly advertising, in-store communication, and monetary promotion positively influenced private label brand attitude. Attitude positively influenced switching intention. The proposed moderating effects of general neophobia and gender in the relationship between private label brand attitude and switching intention were supported.

This study provides empirical evidence to the effects of marketing practices on private label brand attitude from an emerging market perspective, complementing previous research which largely focused on developed market. The findings offer managerial ideas in targeting non-private label consumers. The test of moderating variables expands the understanding on attitude-intention link.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of in-store private label marketing to impact the attitude of consumers towards private label brands (PLBs) by influencing consumers' perceived quality variations between the PLBs and national brands.

This study is based on “Cue utilisation theory” and focusses on how retailers can influence consumers' perception of quality variations by providing them in-store marketing cues. Data was collected through the mall intercept method in New Delhi, India. Data analysis was done using AMOS 25 and the PROCESS SPSS macro.

This study establishes the effect of in-store private label marketing in improving consumers' quality perception of PLBs vis-à-vis national brands and thereby leading to a positive attitude towards PLBs. Further, the national brand promotions attitude is found to moderate the relationship between private label marketing and attitude towards PLBs. However, contrary to the authors' expectations, it has a positive effect on this relationship. The study found an insignificant moderation influence of price consciousness.

This study complements existing literature on “Cue utilisation theory” by demonstrating the importance of in-store private label marketing in improving consumers' attitudes towards PLBs. It also extends to fill some gaps in the literature by studying the direct, mediating and moderating relationship among in-store private label marketing, perceived quality variations, price consciousness, national brand promotion attitude and attitude towards PLBs, especially in an emerging market such as India.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the importance of private labels (PLs) offered by each retailer on store loyalty, combining different loyalty-driven factors and assessing the importance of PLs on different loyalty stages – attitudinal and behavioural store loyalty.

Data were collected through a questionnaire (online survey) run in Portugal (n=469). Multi-level regressions were run to estimate the different loyalty models (base and full models) on each loyalty stage.

Results stress the positive contribution of PLs on consumers’ loyalty across different loyalty stages. However, findings suggest that this relationship may not be as strong as suggested in earlier studies. Findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between attitudinal and behavioural loyalty, emphasizing the complexity of the consumer loyalty construct and that multiple store-related factors can positively contribute to it.

Data were collected in one single country. It would be interesting to collect similar data in other countries in order to assess the extent to which results prevail across different competitive and cultural contexts.

Findings indicate that the loyalty factors that contribute to store loyalty are not homogeneous across the different loyalty stages, strengthening the idea that retailers should adopt different loyalty strategies depending on the loyalty stage its target customers are in.

This study is the first of its kind combining in a single framework the loyalty towards the retailers’ brand, store-related variables (in-store and economic factors), and specific consumer and retailer characteristics across different loyalty stages.

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to understand the extent to which price consciousness and quality consciousness influence attitudinal loyalty to store brands (SBs) in different segments of consumers: heavy, medium and light buyers of SBs. SBs are currently consolidated among price-conscious consumers, but less established among the quality-conscious consumers.

After reviewing the literature and constructing a theoretical model, the authors performed a study on Spanish food products, a sector in which SBs have achieved a significant market share. They collected data through a personal survey and analyzed it using structural equations modeling, and they performed a multigroup analysis of heavy buyers, medium buyers and light buyers of SBs.

The results obtained alert retailers to the tremendous importance of price vs quality in the formation of SB value and loyalty to SBs among heavy buyers of these brands, show the balance between price and quality as components of SB value and generators of loyalty among medium buyers and recognize the need to strengthen the image of SB quality to reinforce SBs’ value and smart shopping associations to increase light buyers’ loyalty to SBs.

The study contributes new evidence and knowledge on SB loyalty among consumers who show different usage of these brands (heavy, medium and light buyers). It then assesses the short- and long-term value of each segment of customers for the retailer and recommends retail strategies adapted to each segment.

Given that existing retail brand research tends to treat each level of a retail brand as a separate concept, this paper aims to unveil the holistic nature of a multi-level retail brand, considering the distinctiveness of each level and the interrelationships between the images of different levels.

This study uses a scoping review approach that includes 478 retail brand articles. Subsequently, a thematic analysis method is applied.

The brand attributes that shape the distinct image of each retail brand level encompass diverse intrinsic and extrinsic attributes. Moreover, the holistic nature of a multi-level retail brand is formed by the interrelationships between the images of different levels, which are reflected in the presence of common extrinsic attributes and their interplay at attribute, benefit and attitude levels.

Theoretically, this review provides conceptual clarity by unveiling the multi-level yet holistic nature of a retail brand, helping researchers refine and extend existing theories in retail branding, while also providing new research opportunities in this field. Practically, the findings could guide retailers in implementing differentiated branding strategies at each level while achieving synergy across all levels.

Discount retailing in the UK has taken on a higher profile over recent years owing to the effects of the recession. Interest has largely centred on the growth of discount grocery retailing and the potential emergence of US‐style warehouse clubs. Nine discount clothing retailers currently present in “conventional” retail environments were studied. Examines in particular the nature of discounting and the business practices employed by those discount retailers. Suggests that discount clothing retailing in the UK is characterized by: both core business discounters and clearance outlets; a high degree of planned purchasing as a result of own‐label activity, information technology and relationships with manufacturers; importance of image and service in attracting customers.

This paper aims to explain variations in store brand penetration using trust. It aims to help both retailers and manufacturers predict store brand purchases through an improved understanding of the impact of trust in store brands across 10 different store brand product categories and among nine different grocery retailers.

Data were collected through a telephone survey of 904 participants responsible for the household grocery shopping with a quota of 100 respondents from each of the nine leading grocery retailers in Greece.

The findings provide empirical support that store brand purchases are positively influenced by the consumers’ perceived level of trust toward the retailer’s store brands. Results also confirmed variations in store brand penetration across the ten product categories that were tested, variations among the retailers and variations in the level of trust.

This paper is adding to the store brand literature from a quantitative perspective and is contributing to the theory, as there is no clear theoretical view on the effect of trust on store brand purchases.

El objetivo de este artículo es explicar las variaciones que se producen en la adopción y penetración de la marca de distribución a partir de la confianza que los consumidores depositan en esta. Con ello se pretende ayudar tanto a los distribuidores como a los fabricantes en la predicción de las compras de marcas de distribución a través del impacto de la confianza en diez categorías de producto distintas y diferentes cadenas de distribución de alimentación.

Se recogen datos a través de encuestas telefónicas a una muestra de 904 individuos responsables de la compra de productos de alimentación en el hogar distribuidos equitativamente entre las nueve marcas líderes de distribución alimentaria en Grecia.

Los resultados empíricos obtenidos apoyan el planteamiento del trabajo de que las compras de marcas de distribución están influidas positivamente por el nivel de confianza que los consumidores manifiestan hacia las mismas. Los resultados también confirman que la variación en el grado de penetración de las marcas de distribución en las distintas categorías de productos y cadenas de supermercados analizadas viene explicada por las variaciones en los niveles de confianza manifestados.

Este trabajo contribuye a la literatura de las marcas de distribución no sólo en aspectos teóricos sino también empíricos al no existir hasta la fecha un posicionamiento teórico claro sobre el efecto de la confianza en la adquisición de las marcas de distribución.

This research seeks to investigate how in-store mobile use affects store loyalty directly or indirectly via the mediation of store value and whether social influence moderates such relationships.

Based on a sample of 862 actual customers from a market research company panel, we used structural equation modelling to test a series of research hypotheses.

The results show a positive but weak effect of in-store smartphone use on loyalty. This effect is significantly mediated by the store’s hedonic and symbolic value dimensions, but not by its utilitarian value. This research also uncovers significant moderation effects of social influence on the relationships investigated. The effect of in-store smartphone use on store loyalty is stronger when social influence is lower. However, the effects of hedonic and symbolic store value are stronger when social influence is higher.

This research is carried out in one country (France). It focuses on social influence through in-store mobile phone use; it would also be useful to consider physical social influence.

Retailers should position their stores on specific value dimensions and use social influence appropriately to improve loyalty. For instance, utilitarian value should be offered to customers with low social influence. To prevent negative social influence, retailers could develop “controlled” social influence through their own private mobile app to favour interaction.

This research underlines the critical role of store value and social influence on the relationships between smartphone use and store loyalty. It shows that the effects of value dimensions (utilitarian, hedonic and symbolic) on loyalty differ depending on social influence level.