Abstract

DIAS, Moema Brasil  and  OLIVEIRA-CASTRO, Jorge M.. Comportamento de procura por produtos: efeitos da quantidade de marcas. Rev. Psicol., Organ. Trab. [online]. 2006, vol.6, n.1, pp. 195-232. ISSN 1984-6657.

There is no consensus in the literature concerning the possible effects of increasing the number of alternative brands on the behavior of consumers. The present study investigated the effect of brand quantity on the duration of search behavior in supermarkets, using a methodology based on direct observation. During the observation period, 1509 buying occasions were recorded, in six products categories, with the number of alternative brands varying from 3 to 12. Search duration was measured from the moment consumers started to look at the product on the shelf until they picked it up and placed it in the shopping cart. Regression analyses, relating search duration to quantity of brand and other variables (shelf space, level of brand differentiation, among several others), suggested that increases in the number of alternative brands were significantly related to increases in search duration. Analyses also indicated decreases in search with increases in brand differentiation, increases in cart volume, decreases in product shelf space, presence of promotions, and increases in average product price. Such results demonstrate the usefulness of a behavioral approach that emphasizes potential effects of situational variables on consumer behavior and suggest several managerial applications

Keywords : number of brands; search behavior; consumer behavior; behavior analysis; marketing.

        · abstract in Portuguese     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )