Customer Value Types Predicting Consumer Behavior at Dutch Grocery Retailers

Area of Science:

• Consumer Behavior
• Retail Management
• Marketing Science

Background:

• Understanding consumer value perceptions is crucial for retail success.
• Holbrook's value typology provides a framework for analyzing consumer experiences.
• Differentiating between non-discounter, soft discounter, and hard discounter formats is key in the Dutch grocery market.

Purpose of the Study:

• To profile three Dutch grocery retail formats (non-discounter, soft discounter, hard discounter) based on Holbrook's value types.
• To link these value types to consumer behavior outcomes: Satisfaction, Repurchase Intention, and Word-of-Mouth.
• To evaluate the impact of retail formats on the importance and performance of value types.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a questionnaire-based approach for each retail format.
• Employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test relationships.
• Assessed the importance and performance of value types and their link to consumer behavior outcomes.

Main Results:

• Aesthetics, Altruistic value, and Efficiency positively influence Satisfaction.
• Efficiency is a primary driver for Repurchase Intention and positively impacts Word-of-Mouth.
• Social value and Service Excellence predict positive Word-of-Mouth.
• Significant differences in value perceptions exist across the three retail formats, with soft discounters receiving the most critical consumer evaluation.

Conclusions:

• Consumer expectations at soft discounters involve a combination of low prices and appealing store design/service.
• Efficiency is a critical factor for driving repeat purchases and positive recommendations in grocery retail.
• Retailers must strategically manage value perceptions to align with consumer expectations for different formats.