Papers by Francesca De Canio
This paper focuses on retail brand awareness (RBA), retail brand equity (RBE) and customer loyalt... more This paper focuses on retail brand awareness (RBA), retail brand equity (RBE) and customer loyalty (CL) to the retailer as a brand. Specifically, a model is proposed aimed at verifying the effect of RBE on the intention-behavior loyalty path and the effects of some RBE antecedents, namely retail brand image (RBI) and retail perceived value (RPV), conceived as a result of retail brand awareness (RBA). The paper contributes to extant literature investigating the RBE role at the retailer level rather than at the store or private label level, as previous literature did so far. A survey was carried out administering a structured questionnaire to a sample of consumers. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the suggested model. Results show that all the postulated relationships are verified, supporting the strong role of RBE in developing customer loyalty to the retailer, triggered by RBA. Theoretical and managerial implications are derived.
PurposeEnvironmental concern is getting increasing importance in consumer shopping decisions. Nev... more PurposeEnvironmental concern is getting increasing importance in consumer shopping decisions. Nevertheless, to date, sustainable packaged foods are not always the first option when consumers go shopping. This paper analyses how environmental concern moderates the role played by external factors – preference towards sustainable retailers and trust in sustainable producers – in determining consumer purchase intentions for sustainable packaged foods. Consumer involvement in eco-friendly labels, increasingly present in food packages, is investigated as indirectly impacting pro-environmental purchase intentions.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey administered to a sample of Italian food shoppers is used for the empirical analysis. A total of 278 structured questionnaires were modelled using a structural equation modelling approach.FindingsFindings show that producers and retailers' policies in favour of sustainability are key in determining consumers' sustainable purchase...
This study focuses on retail brand extension from the consumer perspective when nontraditional pr... more This study focuses on retail brand extension from the consumer perspective when nontraditional product/service categories are offered with the private label brand. The extension product category investigated is car fuel, offered through a retail branded fuel station. Most previous research into brand extension focused on manufacturer brands, while retail brand extension has been rarely examined in the literature and very little is known about customer perceptions and buying behavior when grocery retailers extend their brands in nontraditional businesses. 500 questionnaires were collected from a convenience sample of retail customers.Through Structural Equation Modeling, we propose a model in which the main antecedents identified by the relevant literature on brand extension – namely: conceptual fit (FIT), private label quality (PLQ), resources and capabilities (RC), trust towards the retailer (T) –impact on attitude towards the extension (ATE) and this in turn influences the intenti...
The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic is heavily altering how people shop. For instance, a push in ... more The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic is heavily altering how people shop. For instance, a push in on-line purchases is evident. The current work applies the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to understand consumers’ intention to switch from off-line to on-line channels in the aftermath of the lockdown. Specifically, within this framework, we explore how different sources of consumers’ fears generated by the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic – symptomatic and emotional - impact on consumers’ channel switching behaviour, leading shoppers to switch from buying grocery in physical stores to purchase them on-line. The empirical analysis is settled on 310 questionnaires collected on-line survey and processed using a linear regression analysis. Our findings show that consumers’ switching intentions to on-line channels are significantly and positively impacted by attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control, showing a better predictive power when the dimensions of Covid-19 fear...
Italian Journal of Marketing
The purpose of this paper is to explore how the use of virtual tours may represent a lever to imp... more The purpose of this paper is to explore how the use of virtual tours may represent a lever to improve customers' intention to buy food products and/or visit places where products are manufactured. Emerging virtual reality and augmented reality can allow people to interact with products and places where products are produced even from very distant places, with a positive impact on their purchase intentions. Applying the theory of planned behaviour, this study focuses on the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, one of the most exported Italian foods. A sample of consumers was surveyed online to explore the role of virtually visiting the food production place on consumers' intention to physically visit the production place and on their intention to buy the food. The empirical results deriving from a structural equation model developed on 399 completed and valid questionnaires indicate that the opportunity to experience products through virtual tours positively influences consumer behaviours. Young males show the highest intention to physically visit the food production place and to buy the cheese. Findings provide new insights for the emerging literature on the use of virtual reality to experience products through virtual interaction and the impact that interactive technologies have on consumer purchase intentions. Local areas can use virtual tours to improve food tourism and stimulate food product sales. To our knowledge, this paper represents one of the first empirical endeavours aimed at exploring the impact of virtual tours on consumers' buying and visiting intentions when a food product and a dairy are concerned.
Advancing Insights on Brand Management, Nov 8, 2017
This chapter reviews the literature on brand extension, with particular reference to retail brand... more This chapter reviews the literature on brand extension, with particular reference to retail brand extension strategies performed by grocery retailers. Aims, advantages and disadvantages, as well as types of this strategy are described. Then, the results of a survey aimed at comparing the customers' perceptions and buying behaviour when retailers extend their brands, in particular when this strategy is pursued in non-traditional businesses, are presented. The survey consisted in administering a structured questionnaire aimed at investigating the main antecedents of brand extension success to samples of retail customers interviewed in two different retail national contexts, namely, Italy and France. The extension product investigated is car fuel offered through a fuel station branded with the retailer's brand name. Applying Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), the mediating role of attitude towards the extension (ATEX) in generating brand extension success (INTEX) and the key role of fit and of the perceived capability of the retailer to offer the extension product (R&C) as antecedents were verified in both national contexts. On the contrary, the impact of customers' preference towards national brands (NBP) reported mixed results.
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2017
Tuttavia, in fase di stesura finale, il lavoro è da attribuirsi a Marco Ieva per il paragrafo "Me... more Tuttavia, in fase di stesura finale, il lavoro è da attribuirsi a Marco Ieva per il paragrafo "Methodology, results and discussion" e "Limitations e future studies", a Francesca De Canio per il paragrafo "Literature review and hypothesis", a Cristina Ziliani per il paragrafo "Conclusions and implications" e congiuntamente a Francesca De Canio e Cristina Ziliani per il paragrafo "Introduction".
Nowadays, the increasing number of people travelling for business and holiday has brought markete... more Nowadays, the increasing number of people travelling for business and holiday has brought marketers to identify an emerging and interesting target of consumers, defined as “On the Move”, willing to make their purchases in the travel context. This new shopping trend is driving managers of concessions of services areas on the motorwaysto extend their business from Food and Beverage (F&B)to grocery retailing. The main contributionthis paper aims to provide is the conceptualization and validation of a structural model in which Store Loyalty is explained through its main antecedents:Trustand Satisfaction, as well as less studied constructs: Enjoymentand Convenience, in the dual meaning of Search Convenience and Transaction Convenience. 606 questionnaire were collected from a sample of “On the Move” consumers.The Structural Equation Modelexhibits a good fit, and explains almost the 66% of store loyalty. Findings show that a pleasant and enjoyable shopping experience positively affects sto...
Advances in Transdisciplinary Engineering
Today, virtual reality and augmented reality can allow people to interact with products and place... more Today, virtual reality and augmented reality can allow people to interact with products and places in a very realistic way. In this direction, the use of immersive virtual tours (VTs) can improve the users’ experience, their perceptions, attitudes and even intended behaviours as potential or actual consumers. The paper focuses on a traditional Italian cheese product and defines a transdisciplinary, multimodal approach where VT helps the remote customer experience based on a VT application to virtually visit a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese dairy, using cutting-edge virtual reality set-up. The paper describes how to create a virtual tour of industrial plants by mapping the main actions, from the storytelling definition, to the plant digitization, until the creation of the virtual, immersive and multimodal application using Unity3D. The VT combines visual experience with gesture recognition and audio stimulation, adding also olfactory cues, in order to create an interactive and realistic ...
International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of several intrinsic motivations dri... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of several intrinsic motivations driving consumers' intention to buy using a mobile app, namely: shopping gamification, focussed attention, shopping enjoyment and socialness, through the mediating role of shopping engagement. The online shopping experience is investigated in its dual role as direct driver of the intention to buy using a mobile app and as moderator of the shopping engagement – intention to buy using a mobile app path.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical analysis was performed in China due to the extensive usage of mobile shopping apps amongst the Chinese population. A structural equation model was estimated on 893 valid and complete structured questionnaires collected amongst a sample of Chinese consumers.FindingsFindings confirm that intrinsic motivations (i.e. shopping gamification, focussed attention, shopping enjoyment and socialness) indirectly influence the intention to buy using a mobile app ...
MERCATI & COMPETITIVITÀ
Availability of a growing number of devices for information searching and purchasing online is af... more Availability of a growing number of devices for information searching and purchasing online is affecting consumer habits and company strategies. This paper investigates device usage patterns in the online Deal of the Day (DoD) shopping process. The study employs a cluster analysis of respondents based on their device usage. Four clusters emerge and are profiled by means of a benefits and costs approach based on demographic and psychographic characteristics. Multi-device behaviours for information search and DoD purchasing and multi-device behaviours are found to be dominant. Smartphone exclusive users display higher purchase frequency than multi-device segments. Tablet and smartphone users are found to be Market Mavens. Several implications for marketers are discussed.
Journal of Business Research
Advances in National Brand and Private Label Marketing
Case Studies in Food Retailing and Distribution
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services
Food Research International
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Purpose Literature on the motives influencing consumers’ intention to use peer-to-peer (P2P) plat... more Purpose Literature on the motives influencing consumers’ intention to use peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms has become vast and fragmented. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on this research stream by applying a novel methodological approach that reveals the existence of alternative combinations of motives that equally boost consumers’ intention to use P2P accommodation. Design/methodology/approach The methodological approach builds on the complexity theory and includes both linear and nonlinear techniques. The empirical analysis combines multiple regression analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The sample comprises 458 users of a leading P2P accommodation platform. Findings The fsQCA reveals four distinct combinations of motives. Social interaction and social esteem, either combined themselves or in partial combination with economic benefits, emerge as two important drivers of behavioral intention to use P2P accommodation. Sustainability appears in th...
MERCATI & COMPETITIVITÀ
The paper investigates the effect that the country image of an ethnic restaurant plays on consume... more The paper investigates the effect that the country image of an ethnic restaurant plays on consumers attitudes and intention to patronize it. Using a multi-cue approach, the study verifies the effect that the image of Italy as a country, of its cuisine and of the perceived quality of Italian restaurants exerts on consumers intention to patronize them, mediated by attitude and controlling for some demographic variables. Although the richness of the country of origin literature, studies on services are limited in comparison with the ones focused on tangible products.The survey was administered to a sample of Spanish customers of Italian restaurants located in Spain and applying SEM. Results support all the postulated hypotheses. Scientific and managerial implications are derived.
Italian Journal of Marketing
International Journal of Business and Management
Studies on the country image topic in the services context are rare in comparison with the number... more Studies on the country image topic in the services context are rare in comparison with the number of papers investigating the effect that the information on the country of origin exerts on consumer buying behavior when tangible products are concerned. To this regard, the current paper would contribute to the literature on the country-of-origin effect and consumer behavior, exploring the role played by Product Country Image (PCI) in shaping customers attitude when a service offer is concerned – namely: dining services. Specifically, this study tests a conceptual model developed in a multi-cue perspective, that is: evaluating not only the effect of the information on the origin of the service offer investigated, but also assessing consumers’ perceptions related to other service offer cues, such as service quality and perceived value, in this case. A specific national cuisine in the full-service restaurant setting is explored: the Italian one. From the methodological viewpoint, a surve...
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Papers by Francesca De Canio