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The food industry plays a vital role in environmental issues and the depletion of natural resources, with consumer behaviour being a central aspect of these challenges. A notable gap, known as the "attitude-behaviour gap," is evident in sustainable food consumer behaviour, illustrating a disconnect between attitudes towards sustainable food practices and actual behaviours. The thesis explores how customer experience can be designed to foster sustainable food consumer behaviour. Employing a systematic literature review, the research analyses 37 selected articles from a comprehensive pool of 2710 documents spanning the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The research identifies seven key issues in customer experience influencing sustainable food consumer behaviour, including sensory perceptions, product attributes, sustainability practices, packaging, green awareness, customer touchpoints, and technology. It also outlines managing and incorporating them into a cohesive design framework. This thesis contributes by generating a conceptual framework for designing the customer experience to accelerate sustainable food consumer behaviour, providing several propositions for further research, and developing actionable implications for governments, non-profit organizations, and businesses.
The paper reports the evolution of scientific research on usage of large datasets in online consumer behaviour between 2000 and 2018. Thus, it affords information regarding the evolution of the field in terms of identifying key publications and authors as well as how certain topics have evolved over time. In addition, by utilising topic modelling and text analytic techniques, it is identified certain research themes from the papers within the published articles included in the dataset. This offers a guide to those who want to contribute to the field. In addition, paper contributes to the methodology related to literature surveys and bibliometric analyses by conducted topic modelling to extract the latent topics from the collected literature by utilising Structural Topic Modelling in order to gain more elaborated results.
The paper reports the evolution of scientific research on usage of large datasets in online consumer behaviour between 2000 and 2018. Thus, it affords information regarding the evolution of the field in terms of identifying key publications and authors as well as how certain topics have evolved over time. In addition, by utilising topic modelling and text analytic techniques, it is identified certain research themes from the papers within the published articles included in the dataset. This offers a guide to those who want to contribute to the field. In addition, paper contributes to the methodology related to literature surveys and bibliometric analyses by conducted topic modelling to extract the latent topics from the collected literature by utilising Structural Topic Modelling in order to gain more elaborated results.
Attracting European tourists is a way to overcome the effects of seasonality in a coast & archipelago destination in Finland. This thesis introduced Yyteri as a destination in regard to the surrounding nature and available activities. Further, a review of previously conducted consumer research was done by looking at visitor profiles designed by Visit Finland and assessing the results of a previous visitor survey. The research objective was to find out how Yyteri could become a more attractive destination for European tourists. This was achieved by identifying both the pull factors of coast & archipelago destinations in Finland, and the type of experience that European tourists would like to take part in when travelling to Yyteri by answering the research questions proposed in the research task. The theoretical framework consisted of consumer behaviour in tourism, which included buyer behaviour influencing factors, tourist motivation as well as influence of destination characteristics. Moreover, tourism experiences in the form of experience realms and the experience pyramid model were introduced. Empirical data was gathered by using a qualitative research method in the form of theme interviews. Two employees of European tour operators were interviewed to gain insight about the motivations and values of European tourists that affected destination choice. Furthermore, interviews with a Finnish tourism expert knowledgeable about the Yyteri region and a guest that had been staying at the Yyteri Hotel & Spa were carried out. A theory-guided content analysis method was used to analyse the data. As a result of the analysis process the three themes of nature, experiences and travel arrangements arose. The research indicated that the main attraction and most important pull factor for travelling to a coast & archipelago destination in Finland was nature. Further, European tourists wanted to experience soft-adventure type activities while being surrounded by nature in Yyteri. Thus, the study concluded that highlighting the possibility to take part in experiences in nature in Yyteri was the key to attracting more European tourists to the destination.
Although recent literature has shown that switching to an insect-based diet could provide several relevant advantages—from a nutritional, environmental, economic and ecological point of view—the potential growth of insects as everyday food is still unclear. Despite a growing literature on consumer acceptance and product preference for insect-based food, a segmentation of this future and possible market has never been proposed. Therefore, in the present paper, a market segmentation based on the Food Related Lifestyle Scale (FRLS), was performed in order to predict consumers’ willingness to eat (WTE) edible insects. Moreover, the role of perceived behavioural control is taken into account. Results shows that the novelty and benefits of insect consumption have generated much interest in edible insects amongst consumers belonging to the Rational cluster, who showed the highest intention to introduce insects in their diet, thus confirming the presence of a niche of “early adopters”. In addition, perceived behavioural control was the major driver of intention. Implications for attempts to encourage people to incorporate insect-based foods into their diet are discussed, with special reference to the role of marketing campaigns.
Viimeaikaiset tutkimukset osoittavat, että kuluttajat arvostavat vastuullisia tuotteita, mutta siitä huolimatta niiden markkinaosuus on edelleen pieni. Väitöskirjan kolmen artikkelin kautta tutkitaan, miten kuluttajat arvioivat tuotteiden koettua laatua ja kestävyysnäkökulmia, jotta ymmärtäisimme paremmin kuluttajien vastuullisiin tuotteisiin liittyviä valintoja. Väitöskirjassa tarkastelun kohteena ovat puutuotteet, joita käytetään asumisen kontekstissa. Ensimmäisessä artikkelissa tehtiin systemaattinen kirjallisuuskatsaus puisten rakennusmateriaalien koetusta laadusta ja tulokset osoittivat, että erilaiset laatuindikaattorit, kuten laatuvihjeet ja -attribuutit, kuluttajien ominaisuudet ja kulutustilanteeseen liittyvät tekijät vaikuttivat kuluttajien näkemyksiin puusta. Toisessa ja kolmannessa artikkelissa tutkittiin empiirisesti puutuotteiden koetun laadun ulottuvuuksia ja sitä, miten kuluttajien ominaisuudet olivat yhteydessä niiden arviointiin. Tulosten mukaan puisten rakennus- ja sisustustuotteiden koetun laadun ulottuvuudet koostuivat erilaisista teknisistä, ekologisista, sosiaalisista ja taloudellisista näkökulmista. Kuluttajien kestävään kuluttamiseen liittyvä ostokäyttäytyminen ja sosiodemografiset tekijät olivat myös yhteydessä siihen, miten he arvioivat puutuotteiden laatu-ulottuvuuksia. Väitöskirjan artikkelien kautta saatiin myös tietoa tuotteen koetun laadun ja kestävyysattribuuttien välisistä yhteyksistä. Tulosten pohjalta väitöskirjassa ehdotetaan uutta käsitettä "koettu kestävä laatu", jolle rakennetaan käsitemallit puisten rakennustuotteiden ja sisustustuotteiden kontekstissa. Koetun kestävän laadun käsite tuo yhteen tuotteen ekologiset, sosiaaliset ja taloudelliset kestävyysattribuutit, jotka muodostavat osan koettua laatua. Väitöskirjan tulokset edistävät markkinoinnin ja kuluttajakäyttäytymisen tutkimusta käsitteellistämällä tuotteen koetun laadun ja kestävyysattribuuttien väliset yhteydet. Lisäksi väitöskirja tuo uutuusarvoa metsätieteiden ja kestävyystieteen aloille. Tulokset tarjoavat myös merkittävää tietoa puuteollisuusyrityksille ja muille sidosryhmille liittyen siihen, kuinka ne voivat hyödyntää koettua kestävää laatua liiketoimintamalleissaan ja markkinointistrategioissaan.
Refurbishment presents opportunities for designers to improve the sustainability of new and old products via an experiment and post hoc interviews, this research investigates and explores how information about prior use – offered in a visual (signs of wear and tear) or verbal (textual description) form – influences consumers’ evaluations of refurbished products. The findings show that visual information about prior use has a negative effect on consumers’ evaluations of refurbished electronics. Furthermore, presenting consumers with verbal information on prior use can negatively affect consumers’ evaluations of a refurbished product if no signs of wear and tear are present because it confuses consumers. If signs of wear and tear are present, verbal information about prior use will not influence consumers’ evaluations.
Consumer behavior and the business environment are changing rapidly. The Covid-19 pandemic has further accelerated change. The new ways of doing e-commerce are challenging both brick-and-mortar shops and restaurants. Our study focused on robot’s role in customer experience creation in ecommerce click & collect domain as a part of delivery services. There are numerous studies which has advanced benefits of robot related services, but studies of robot’s role as part of click & collect delivery systems are scant. The aim of this study was to test a smart Click & Collect solution in a new shopping center in the heart of Helsinki. In practice, the experiment focused on the delivery of restaurant food with the help of a robot from the restaurants of the shopping center to the residents of the hotel, which is located in the shopping center. The study was conducted in the mall in the summer of 2021, between 6.7-6.8. The study was qualitative in nature and data were collected by many methods (diary, analytics, observation, meeting memos). Robot made altogether 54 deliveries to customers. The data were analyzed by combining the data collected by different methods and raising key observations related to the success of the concept. Results indicated that robot’s delivery raised many positive customer reactions. Hence, robot deliver created positive brand image for the mall. Technologically robot performed generally well (70 %) although it confronted couple of times problems while delivering goods. Study showed that ecommerce related robotics delivery added clearly value to customer experience and created positive brand image. More research is definitely needed especially with robot performance (i.e. communication abilities), customer-robot relationship and general operational area like ordering system.
In recent years, the global public and academicdiscussionsonthe concerns ofclimate crisis, global pandemic and human rights issues to name a fewhave saturated also the topic of leisurely travelandbecomesymptomaticin controlling tourism consumption.In addition to the concreteand provenly deterioratingimpact of travel towardstheenvironment, thenegative social implications oftravellinghave not gone unnoticed.Whereas travellingused to be considereda leisurely pastime, it would now seem that,at least for some consumers, it has become a moral burden.Correspondingly, the emotional responses and thus the experiencesrelated to travel are bound to change.In travel contextand tied to the sense of morale,thepredominately negativelyperceivedself-conscious emotions of guilt and shamemay be alien but an importanttopic of discussion. By applying the methodology of hermeneutic phenomenologyandthe interpretative phenomenological approach, this study aims to examinehowtravel-relatedguilt and shame shape the tourism consumption experiences of female travellers.In using the hermeneutic phenomenology as the theoretical perspective to guide the interpretation and analysis of the research data, the shared experiences can be seen togain the implied contextual features of an experience. As a result,a more thorough understanding of the phenomenoncan be achieved.The study utilises the method of semi-structured interviewsin gaining insightabout thetravel-related experiencesof guilt and shameshared by Finnish female travellers. The study findings indicatethat in tourism context, theexperiences of the self-conscious emotions of guilt and shameare extremely multi-levelled and experientially rich.The findings also illustrate an evidentcontradiction between the values,the triggers of guilt and shame as well asthe consequent behaviourshared by the interviewees. Additionally, the confessionalshighlightthat a range of different resistance techniques is used to justify the lack of change in behaviour. Inthe context of this study,guilt and shame can be found to beweak forces of changein the consumption behaviourof Finnishfemale travellersin tourism.However, while lacking the rigourto alterthe order of consumption altogether,these self-consciousemotions prove tohave the constructive capability to facilitate a change in thinkingand raisingawareness.
Mobiililaitteiden kehittyminen on tarjonnut yrityksille uusia mahdollisuuksia tavoittaa asiakkaita, ja asiakaskokemuksen tärkeys on korostunut. Tässä tutkimuksessa keskipisteenä on ollut suomalaisten Y ja Z-sukupolvien kokemukset mobiilishoppailusta ja se, millaisia havaintoja he ovat tehneet älypuhelimen käytöstä ostoksien tekemiseen netissä. Tähän asti aiemmat tutkimukset ovat pääosin keskittyneet nettishoppailun käyttäjäkokemukseen kokonaisuutena tai osana kaikki kanavaista kokemusta. Asiakaskokemuksen tutkimuksen keskeisimmässä osassa ovat olleet affektiivinen ja kognitiivinen ulottuvuus, ja samalla sosiaalinen, aistimuksellinen ja älyllinen ulottuvuus on jätetty vähemmälle huomiolle. Tämä tutkimus pyrkii ymmärtämään paremmin mistä tekijöistä mobiilishoppailun asiakaskokemus koostuu ja kuinka asiakaskokemusta mobiililaitteella voitaisiin kehittää. Tutkimuksessa käytetty puolirakenteinen haastattelurunko rakennettiin asiakaskokemuksen ulottuvuuksien sekä mobiili- ja nettishoppailu teorian ympärille. Kymmenen haastateltavaa värvättiin käyttäen harkinta- ja snowball-otantamenetelmää käyttäen. Tutkimuksen mukaan nettishoppailun asiakaskokemus soveltuu osittain myös mobiliishoppailuun, mutta on myös selvää että myös muut asiakaskokemuksen ulottuvuudet tulisi huomioida. Esimerkiksi erityishuomiota vaatii kommunikaatio asiakkaan kanssa, toimitusnopeus ja -tapa sekä pakkaus, sillä sensoriaalinen asiakaskokemus on jokseenkin jäljessä asiakkaan odottaessa tilauksen saapumista. Lisäksi helppo käyttöisyys säilyy keskeisenä osana kuluttajien odotuksia, ja mobiilinettisivujen ja mobiiliaplikaatioiden käyttäjäkokemusta tulisi parantaa, jotta voitaisiin houkutella ja luoda uusia mobiilishoppailijoita. Kaiken kaikkiaan mobiilishoppailu koetaan helppona ja tehokkaana tapana tehdä pieniä, säännöllisiä tai jopa impulsiivisia ostoksia. Tutkimuksien tulosten avulla mobiiliverkkokauppoja voidaan kehittää asiakasystävällisempään suuntaan.
The aim of this study is to identify the environmental awareness based on consumer behavior, the meat consumption level in Finland, and the attitude toward meat consumption based on current consumption and willingness to change dietary habits. The problem statement relies on understanding environmental awareness, meat consumption, and factors that influence consumer choice presented as three hypotheses. In order to comply with the objective, an empirical study was built, which collected attitudes from 237 participants (n=237) through the quantitative methodology. Environmental awareness in general is measured based on psychological factors and consumption behavior. The concern towards the environment is developed by categorized green group consumers, and the pathway escalated from awareness to intentional behavior. The results from the survey show that consumers in Finland have a relatively high concern about the environment and take action to fight climate change. Meat consumption, on the other hand, appears to have little connection to high environmental awareness. Finland has managed well in meat production, but the consumption level still exceeds the country’s expectation. Efforts have been made to minimize the impacts as well as catching up with consumption challenges. From the empirical point of view, it is still too soon for consumers to give up on meat. Yet, consumers show a willingness to reduce/ avoid a high level of consumption for the benefit of the environment. Based on the factors that influence consumption, especially food choice in this study, the empirical study succeeds in concluding that consumers in Finland have high regard for societal values besides psychological needs.
The aim of this study was to investigate videos as potential triggers of behavior. Therefore, we applied the theories of triggers and media richness to learn about the triggering efficiency of mobile marketing videos on participants’ behavioral intentions. The experiment involved three distinct test groups, each comprising 41 student participants. From the perspective of media richness theory, we observed that the different kinds of videos had quite similar effects in terms of triggering behavioral changes. However, the mechanisms explaining why triggers were present differed for each video. Further, the results reveal that the consumer's position in the information search process was the most significant reason for the triggering of any kind of effect. In addition, the instructionally designed videos were able to exert an affective triggering effect: the more participants liked the video, the more it affected their participation intention and recall scores. This study extends the media richness research by demonstrating that the effects of media richness can vary within technically similar videos, as they form different logical connections among non-verbal visual cues related to a video's storyline.
Tutkielman tavoitteena on tunnistaa ja analysoida digitaalisen talouden haasteita ja sääntelytoimenpiteitä. Digitalisaatio vaikuttaa kilpailuun ja kuluttajien hyvinvointiin, ja se voi vaikuttaa myös siihen, miten kuluttajat elävät elämäänsä. Tutkielman tavoitteen saavuttamiseksi tarvitaan kokonaisymmärrys digitaalisesta taloudesta. On myös tärkeää oppia, miten alustat ja hakukoneet toimivat digitaalisilla markkinoilla ja miten ne voivat vaikuttaa kilpailukykyisiin markkinoihin, oikeudenmukaisuuteen ja kuluttajavalintaan hakutulosten kautta. Tutkielma tarkastelee 20 päivänä kesäkuuta 2019 voimaan astunutta Euroopan parlamentin ja neuvoston asetusta (EU) 2019/1150 oikeudenmukaisuuden ja avoimuuden edistämisestä verkossa toimivien välityspalvelujen yrityskäyttäjiä varten (P2B-asetus). Asetus säädettiin digitalisoitumisen, digitaalisten alustojen määräävän markkina-aseman lisääntymisen sekä digitaalisten markkinoiden oikeudenmukaisuuden ja avoimuuden tarpeen vuoksi. Yksi niistä asioista, joka johti P2B-asetuksen tarpeen tunnustamiseen, oli Google Search (Shopping) -tapaus. Tutkielmassa siten analysoidaan kyseistä tapausta, varsinkin koska johtavien alustojen rankinglistaukset voivat vääristää kuluttajien käsitystä alustamarkkinoista. Tutkielma systematisoi ja tulkitsee P2B-asetuksen vaikutuksia kilpailulainsäädännön soveltamiseen ja kuluttajien hyvinvointiin. Tutkielman tarkoituksena on selkeyttää oikeudellista kehystä oikeusdogmaattisella lähestymistavalla. Tutkielma tarkastelee myös yhteiskunnallisia näkökulmia ja tutkielmassa käytetään apuna menetelmää nimeltä Law and Technology. Tutkielman lähdemateriaalina on käytetty enimmäkseen EU:n tasoista kilpailuoikeudellista tutkimusta alustataloudesta. Tutkielman johtopäätöksen mukaan P2B-asetus on auttanut parantamaan avoimuutta ja oikeudenmukaisuutta digitaalisilla markkinoilla, mikä parantaa välillisesti kuluttajien hyvinvointia. Kuluttajat ovat myös tietoisempia rankinglistauksista, ja siksi he ovat saaneet paremman käsityksen alustojen toiminnasta. P2B-asetus on kuitenkin luonteeltaan täydentävä, ja kilpailulainsäädäntö on edelleen ensisijainen lainsäädäntöväline digitaalitaloudessa.
Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli selvittää, minkälaisia ruokatuoteominaisuuksia asiakkaat pitävät tärkeinä ja minkälaisia ruokatuotevalintoja asiakkaat tekevät asioidessaan erään ravintolaketjun toimipaikoissa. Kuluttajien ruokatuotetoivomukset ja valinnat ovat jatkuvasti muutosten kourissa, sillä esimerkiksi elämäntilanteet, media ja ympäristö vaikuttavat ruokatuotetoiveiden muotoutumiseen. Kuluttajan oma ruokakulttuuri ja käyttäytyminen sekä lapsuuden ruokakokemukset vaikuttavat ruoanvalintoihin koko elämän ajan, mutta esimerkiksi eksoottisuudenhakuisuus innostaa kuluttajaa kokeilemaan myös eri kulttuurien ruokia. Uusien ruokien kokeileminen vaikuttaa kuluttajien ruokatuotetoiveisiin ravintola-alalla siten, että kuluttajat toivovat ruokalistoille uusia ruoka-annoksia sekä sellaisia ruokatuotteita, joita käytetään mm. ulkomaisten ruokien valmistuksessa. Opinnäytetyössä asiakkailta tiedusteltiin kyselylomakkeen avulla, minkälaisia asioita asiakkaat pitävät tärkeinä valitessaan ruoka-annoksia sekä ruokatuotteita ja kuinka tärkeää heille olisi, että ravintolaketjussa tarjottaisiin tiettyjä asiakkaiden toiveiden mukaisia ruokatuotteita. Kyselylomakkeita jaettiin ravintolaketjun viiteen toimipaikkaan ja vastauksia saatiin 222 kappaletta. Vastauksista saatiin selville, että kolme tärkeintä ruokatuoteominaisuutta naisilla ovat hinta, ruokatuotteiden vähärasvaisuus sekä annoksen sopiva koko. Miehillä kolme tärkeintä ruokatuoteominaisuutta olivat hinta, annoksen sopiva koko sekä ruokatuotteen tuttuus. Erilaisista ruokatuoteominaisuuksista asiakkaat pitivät tärkeänä tai melko tärkeänä mm. sitä, että ravintolaketju tarjoaisi asiakkaille kotimaisia ja lähellä tuotettuja ruokatuotteita sekä sitä, että ravintolaketju ilmoittaisi ruokalistalla ruokien alkuperämaat. Lisäksi asiakkaat pitivät tärkeänä, että erityisruokavalioisille asiakkaille on tarjolla sopivia ruoka-annoksia ja ruokatuotteet olisivat lisäaineettomia. Hinnoitteluosion avulla saatiin selville, että asiakkaat maksavat mielellään aina ruoka-annoksista saman hinnan, oli annos esimerkiksi gluteeniton tai normaali. Sen sijaan omien ruokatuotetoiveiden mukaan valmistetusta ruoka-annoksesta asiakkaat ovat valmiita maksamaa jopa 50% enemmän kuin normaalista ruoka-annoksesta. Opinnäytetyötä tullaan hyödyntämään jatkossa niin, että vastauksista katsotaan asiakkaiden arvostamia tärkeitä ruokatuoteominaisuuksia ja pyrkimällä toteuttamaan niitä tulevissa ruokalistoissa. Opinnäytetyö tulee olemaan yksi tuotekehitysryhmän työkalu, jonka avulla ravintolaketjun ruokalistasta saadaan mahdollisimman paljon asiakkaiden toiveiden mukainen.
The subject of the thesis is how SaiPa, local ice hockey team from Lappeenranta, could attract international students to its home games. Target group consist of all international students studying in Saimaa University of Applied Sciences and Lappeenranta University of Technology. This thesis was done in co-operation and for the ice hockey team SaiPa as they wish to attract potential customers from this new segment. SaiPa had the need for this kind of research and work to be done as they wish to develop their product and gain more revenue. Main aim was to develop communication channels and design marketing materials for SaiPa’s use. As a part of my thesis I created an international site for SaiPa on Facebook. I also sketched model posters and flyers which SaiPa can continue to develop and I created an international character, Sputnik, for SaiPa. This character can be used as a marketing material and as a part of SaiPa’s brand. The information used in this thesis is gathered from literature, internet sources and discussions with international students. In student discussions it was brought up that students are interested in attending a home game. Some of the students lack knowledge about ice hockey and how to get to a home game which has been an obstacle for their participation. Ice hockey game is not seen as preferable place to spend leisure time but with proper communication and marketing SaiPa can promote the games as exotic and exciting experience. The result of the study shows that with proper tools and sharing of information SaiPa has the potential to attract international students to its home games. Based on these findings SaiPa should pay attention to gender, cultural and linguistic differences and fluent use of social media channels. The results of this thesis can be used by SaiPa for future marketing campaigns and actions.
Germany is the second largest tourism market for Finland, which makes it an attractive market for Ilomantsi. Further, Switzerland has been a steady growth market and Austrian interest in Finland increased as well. These German-speaking countries share many similarities, which allows marketing a bigger and broader group of people. This thesis looked at Ilomantsi as a tourism destination and studied in this context the motivations, values, and main factors for the destination choice of German-speaking tourists. The aim was to give ideas for improving Ilomantsi’s existing products and services and a starting point for a marketing strategy towards the German-speaking market. The theoretical framework introduced target marketing, consumer behavior in tourism and an overview about the German-speaking tourism market. The empirical part used a qualitative research method and was carried out in the form of semi-structured theme interviews. Therefore, five German-speaking repeat visitors and cottage owners of Ilomantsi were interviewed and the collected data was analyzed through data-driven content analysis. As a result nature, location, infrastructure, communication and offering emerged as five common themes from the analyzing process. The researched group of tourists desired activities, services and products that involve nature, learning about the culture and contact with locals. Further, the main reasons for the destination choice were getting away from everyday life and relaxing in nature, the available activities and learning something new. Nature, wilderness and little civilization showed to be the motivations and pull factors for German-speaking tourists who travel to Ilomantsi. The results suggested that niche marketing is vital to make marketing efforts more effective and efficient and further, to make the destination more attractive.
When the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, the war in Ukraine led to further disruptions in consumers’ daily behaviours, with rising prices for food and energy. We conducted a survey study on self-reported changes in food-related consumer behaviour in ten European countries and compared the results to a similar study conducted two years ago. A latent class cluster analysis distinguished five clusters and showed that different types of consumers can be distinguished based on how they react to the crisis as regards their eating habits. 19% of survey participants reported no major changes, and 32% reported changes mostly in terms of more price sensitivity. Among those that reported changes beyond reacting to higher prices, there are indications of more mindful eating and more deliberate choices. The changes already found earlier in response to the COVID-19 pandemic therefore seem to have been strengthened and supplemented by reactions to price increases. The results present a challenge to the food industry in terms of supplying healthy and sustainable food at affordable prices.
The aim of this thesis is to research the effect of the ongoing COVID-19 on the traveling and the use of tourism product among Vantaa resident. COVID-19 is virus disease that was first identified in Wuhan district China, in December 2019. The disease is reviewed to be transmissions disease, that is possible to be transferred through person-to-person contact and has killed thousands of people in the world. In order to prevent this disease from spreading, authorities all over the world adopted lockdown measure to reduce the spread of the virus. Tourism industry is recognised to be affected the most . Many people people lost their jobs while many were put on unpaid leave. Ideas and data were realized for this thesis through combination of a theoretical research and quantitative research method which was conducted in Summer 2020. The research was done using a survey questionnaire method, which was prepared using webropol (research app) and was sent to respondents through Facebook groups known as Vantaan Puskaradio. According to the result realized, COVID-19 have affected respondent’s traveling lifestyle negatively. The result presented decrease in the respondents desire to travel, and a change in respondent’s choice of destination. Result also reviewed a change in respondent’s motives of travel, in which respondents revealed government control of COVID-19 to be a strong motive that can make them to travel again. This thesis was supervised by Homberg Eva and the results of the research are to help tourism product managers, in restructuring their activities, so as to gain back their stands either or as it were behaviour COVID-19 outbreak.
The COVID-19 pandemic and especially the lockdowns coming with it have been a disruptive event also for food consumption. In order to study the impact of the pandemic on eating habits, self-reported changes in food-related behaviours were investigated in ten European countries by means of an online survey. A latent class cluster analysis distinguished five clusters and showed that different types of consumers can be distinguished based on how they react to the pandemic as regards their eating habits. While food-related behaviours were resilient for 60% of the sample, another 35% reported more enjoyment in cooking and eating, more time in the kitchen and more family meals. Among those, a slight majority also showed signs of more mindful eating, as indicated by more deliberate choices and increased consumption of healthy food, whereas a slight minority reported more consumption of indulgence food. Only 5% indicated less involvement with food. As the COVID-19 pandemic is a disruptive event, some of these changes may have habit-breaking properties and open up new opportunities and challenges for food policy and food industry.
Consumers' preferences and attitudes towards sustainability play a significant role in shaping their purchasing decisions. As sustainability becomes increasingly important to consumers, businesses need to adapt their strategies and offerings to meet these de-mands. Implementing sustainable packaging involves more than just using environ-mentally friendly materials. It requires a comprehensive understanding of consumer behaviour and their perceptions of sustainable packaging. This includes factors such as consumer preferences, values, beliefs, and motivations, which influence their choices and decision-making processes. The aim of this thesis to understand consumer behaviour with respect to sustainable packaging and is aligned with the need for businesses to grasp the factors that influ-ence consumers the most. By gaining insights into consumer behaviour, decision mak-ers can develop effective strategies and create a positive impact with their sustainable packaging offerings. Consumer behaviour theories provide a framework for under-standing the underlying psychological processes that influence consumer choices. By identifying the most important behavioural norms displayed by consumers during the purchase decision-making process, businesses can tailor their strategies and communi-cation efforts to effectively engage with consumers and promote sustainable packag-ing. In summary, this thesis aims to bridge the gap between consumer behaviour and sus-tainable packaging by providing insights into consumer perceptions, preferences, and decision-making processes, and creating a conceptual model that highlights the ele-ments of green packaging and how consumers respond to those elements. This knowledge can empower businesses to develop sustainable packaging strategies that align with consumer expectations and contribute to a more sustainable future.
Front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labels are gaining importance as healthy eating nudge. As a European Union-wide FOP system is under discussion, it is important to examine the understanding of FOPs in various European countries. This study investigates consumer understanding of four FOPs (Heart Symbol, Keyhole, Nutri-Score, Guideline Daily Amounts) and associated consumer characteristics (age, gender, household income, health interest, unhealthy = tasty belief, environmental concern in food choice) in Finland. In an online experiment, 2428 participants ranked products (yoghurt or granola) according to healthiness first without, then with a randomized FOP. Heart Symbol appeared as the most efficient FOP in nutritional assessment of yoghurts. In granolas, Heart Symbol and Nutri-Score performed equally. FOPs were less helpful for older consumers in both product categories and for men in yoghurts. There is a connection between FOP understanding and consumer attitudes. The results contribute to public policy and food industry in FOP implementation.
Nowadays, consumers pay more attention to not only the quality of the mobile phone when buying a mobile phone, but they are also more concerned about how they feel when using the product. The popularity of the iPhone and the popularity of AppStore have revealed new consumer demand for smartphone products-experience demand has emerged and is attracting more and more smartphone manufacturers to incorporate this disruptive experience factor in their marketing process. At the same time, more and more emerging smartphone brands are beginning to show their presence in the international market and gain a certain market share. The competition in the international smartphone market is showing a fierce trend. As a new strategy to subvert traditional marketing methods, experiential marketing has begun to be accepted by most smartphone brands and applied to actual sales. Experiential marketing has become one of the key means for a smartphone brand to improve its customer loyalty to win the market competition. This article uses smartphones as the research object. Starting from the actual purchase and use experience of consumers, it summarizes the existing research results of domestic and foreign scholars by consulting a large number of documents and combines the status quo of the experience marketing of various well-known smartphone brands to detail the experience marketing of smartphones. Based on the data collected in the questionnaire, the article uses qualitative research methods combined with the current status of experience marketing of well-known smartphone brands, which proves that experiential marketing has a positive effect on improving the customer loyalty of smartphone brands. In the research, the article also analyzes and summarizes the existing successful experience marketing cases, and puts forward meaningful suggestions for the future experience marketing strategy for the smartphone brand to improve customer loyalty.
Tämän laadullisen tutkimuksen tarkoitus on selvittää, kuinka tärkeässä asemassa ekomerkit ovat kestävässä ruuan kulutuksessa, ja mitkä tekijät määrittävät niiden käyttöä ja merkitystä kestävien ruuanostopäätösten tekemisessä. Tarkoitus on ymmärtää mitkä attribuutit kannustavat kuluttajia kestävää kulutusta kohti ja milloin kuluttajat käyttävät ekomerkkejä apuna tehdäkseen kestäviä ostopäätöksiä. Tutkimus toteutettiin Lappeenrannassa, Suomessa, syksyllä 2017 ja vuoden 2018 alkupuolella. Tutkimukseen käytettiin primaarista aineistoa, joka koostui 91 semistrukturoidusta haastattelusta. Tulokset osoittavat, että yleisellä tasolla kuluttajat ovat osallisia (involved) ruokatuotteiden ja niiden eettiseen näkökulman suhteen. Eettinen osallisuus on korkeampaa korkeasti koulutettujen keskuudessa, ja kasvaa iän myötä. Tieto ruuan ekologisista ja eettisistä vaikutuksista kasvattaa miellettyä kuluttajavaikuttavuutta, ja ekomerkin merkitystä ostopäätöksessä. Ekomerkin huomioimisaste on korkea, ja noin puolet kuluttajista perustavat ostopäätöksensä ekomerkin löytymiseen tuotteesta. Tutuimmat merkit näytteelle olivat suomalainen luomumerkki ja reilun kaupan merkki. Tietoisuus ekomerkeistä kasvaa eettisen osallisuuden myötä.
Ilmastonmuutos on vakava globaali uhka, joka vaikuttaa ympäristön lisäksi myös ihmisten terveyteen, niin fyysisesti kuin henkisestikin. Näin suuren mittaluokan uhka herättää väistämättä laajan joukon erilaisia tunteita, ja etenkin ilmastonmuutokseen liittyvästä ahdistuksesta on puhuttu viime vuosina yhä enenevissä määrin. Tästä nk. ilmastoahdistuksesta löytyy kuitenkin vielä toistaiseksi verrattain vähän akateemista kirjallisuutta - varsinkin Suomessa. Tämä pro gradu-tutkielma pyrkii lisäämään tietoisuutta ilmastoahdistukseen liittyen tarjoamalla yleiskatsauksen sen esiintyvyyteen Suomen väestössä sekä siihen, miten se vaikuttaa suomalaisten kulutustottumuksiin. Tutkielman laajuus on rajattu käsittelemään alle 30-vuotiaita suomalaisia. Teoreettinen viitekehys käy läpi ilmastonmuutoksen psykologisia vaikutuksia sekä ympäristöystävällisen kuluttajakäyttäytymisen teoriaa. Tämän tutkielman aineisto kerättiin kyselyllä, jossa oli kokonaisuudessaan 2070 vastaajaa, ja joista alle 30-vuotiaita oli 343. Aineiston analyysi tehtiin ristiintaulukoinnilla, jonka avulla selvitettiin kuinka iso osa alle 30-vuotiaista suomalaisista on kokenut ilmastoahdistusta, ja miten se on vaikuttanut heidän kulutustottumuksiinsa. Tulokset osoittavat, että merkittävä osa – yli kolmasosa – alle 30-vuotiaista suomalaisista on kokenut ilmastoahdistusta. Tämän lisäksi tulokset viittaavat siihen, että ilmastoahdistuksen kokeminen korreloi kestävien kulutustottumusmuutosten kanssa. Korrelaatio oli voimakkainta yleisten kulutustavaroiden kuluttamiseen liittyen, mutta ilmastoahdistusta kokeneet vastaajat olivat muuttaneet myös ravintoon ja asumiseen liittyvää kulutustaan enemmän kuin he, jotka eivät olleet kokeneet ilmastoahdistusta. Jatkotutkimusta voitaisiin keskittää etenkin siihen, miten ilmastoahdistus vaikuttaa muihin käyttäytymisen muotoihin, kuten esim. liikkumiseen tai äänestyskäyttäytymiseen.
With the increasing popularity of social media, the concept has gained increasing focus as a platform for branding strategies. To address the efficiency and influencing power of social media branding over more traditional methods we will investigate its efficiency on brand perception among generation Y. We created an online survey which is tailored after the literature review. In total we gathered 52 valid responses from participants that are mostly located in Scandinavia. The data was then analysed with the help of SPSS. We found that there is a positive correlation between the participants brand perception and social media activity. Among all the investigated brand perception elements this correlation was most strongly pronounced in terms of the partner quality and dependence, nostalgic attachment, and intimacy.
In 2012 Finland joined a global “Open Government Partnership” program to enhance work towards citizen participation. One key element of sustainable development is the participation of citizens on development, which is also in the core of democracy. However, collective action problem (free riding) known in democratically lead countries has had its negative affect on public interest to participate on development. This thesis aims to study could the participation of citizens on transportation planning act as behavioural change driver. Study draws a picture of transportation industry and government representatives’ perception. Democratic decision-making tool “participating” is discussed and various societal marketing studies affecting citizen-consumer’s behaviour are introduced. Sustainability marketing actions are to increase the awareness and allow all stakeholders engaging in discussions. Societal marketing studies psychology behind consumer’s behavioral change. These theories and studies form the theoretical framework for the study. The empirical part of the research was conducted using a cross-national online questionnaire. It collected mostly quantitative data from 42 respondents. Respondents represent European Union, North America and Oceania where the governance is based on democracy. The results indicate how participating citizens to decision making is a desirable method to create behavioural change. Statistically significant differences were found in some opinions between the genders. For males the financial and females, the social incentives create behavioural change. Results indicate the need for equal amount of men and women in decision-making roles. Thesis provides a practical starting point for futures participatory actions.
Packaging holds a number of benefits, including its ability to protect products through transportation and its ability to convey the brand and usage of the product. Although most materials used in packaging can be recycled, a great amount cannot, and the production, use, disposal and recovery of packaging not only create substantial amounts of waste, but they also consume raw materials and energy. A way to lower one’s environmental impact is by preferring sustainable packaging, which is packaging that is effective, efficient, recyclable and safe. However, a number of external factors influence our likelihood to behave sustainably, including our psychological capabilities and cultural conventions. The objective of this thesis is to gather a better understanding of what the factors are that influence consumer behaviour in relation to sustainable packaging. A quantitative approach using survey questionnaire was chosen for this thesis as it was seen as the best method for gaining insight on attitudes and the relationships between constructs. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in combination with the norm activation model (NAM) were used to formulate the conceptual framework of the study and the survey questions. Statistical analysis was employed to examine the responses gathered with the survey questionnaire. The results of the study supported previous research as both the TPB and NAM constructs were found to predict intention and, perpetually, sustainable consumer behaviour, while neither the brand of the product nor the cultural background of the respondent could be found to influence either. Respondents generally had very positive attitudes towards sustainability, however, this was not visible in their behavioural preferences suggesting an attitude-behaviour gap. Respondents were also somewhat unsure of what constituted as sustainable and viewed informativity as the most important aspect of packaging. One of the key challenges for managers, markets and designers of sustainable packaging is to develop packaging designs that are not only sustainable but also accepted by consumers as different materials communicate different levels of sustainability to different people. Further, packaging should be able to evoke positive emotions in consumers while retaining its functional properties.
The topic of this study was chosen bearing in mind the effect of brand perception on consumers’ purchasing behaviour. It is imperative to know that product quality and product attribute affects consumer perception. Consumer’s perception forms an integral part of consumers’ buying behaviour and it determines the survival or failure of goods and services. However, the study aims to examine brand perception and the effect on consumers’ purchasing behaviour and highlight the satisfaction that consumer derives from product branding. Data was collected mainly through the use of questionnaires. The hypotheses were tested using chi-square test and data was analysed using simple percentage method. It was found that consumer’s perception of a product is related to the advertisement and that price largely influences the consumer’s attitude and behaviour in respect to the purchase of a product. Finally, recommendations were also made that advertising messages should be designed in such a way that it should be unambiguous and clearly understood by the consumers and it should be void of offensive language.
The influence of digitalisation on service experiences requires new capabilities from customers. In particular, the computer-mediated interaction affects customers' perceived accessibility into self-services. Thus, we posed the following research question: “How does an individual's ability to use a computer influence the need for direct person-to-person interaction in services?” The study is based on a postal survey conducted in south-eastern Finland. Data were collected using a random sample of N = 3000 people ranging from 60 to 90 years of age. A total of 1121 valid responses were received. The data were slightly biased towards respondents who are coping well. We employed structural equation modelling with a multi-group moderation approach in the analysis. The findings indicate that satisfaction is related to routines in the service process. Customers' ability to perform the requisite role in the service process influences their preference for human interaction. Interestingly, the value of human interaction is driven by customers' expected abilities, whereas physical restrictions have a minor influence. We contribute to the literature explaining co-creation in computer-mediated services by applying human behaviour models to assess the customers’ value expectations.
Evaluation of product attributes and the overall quality significantly affect consumer purchasing decisions. Previous studies on wooden products have mostly addressed wood product quality from technical viewpoints, while largely disregarding environmental, social, and economic aspects in the assessments. Therefore, knowledge on how sustainability aspects are evaluated as a feature of wood product quality is narrow. This study investigated consumer perceptions of different quality indicators (i.e., quality cues and attributes) of wooden interior products with a special focus on sustainability and value chain phases. In addition, the connections between consumers’ sociodemographic background and their perceptions of the quality features of wooden interior products were evaluated. The material of the study was based on data gathered in 2018 with a postal survey sent to 1000 people living in Finland with a response rate of 25.6%. As methods of analysis, exploratory factor analysis, the Mann-Whitney U test, and the Kruskall-Wallis test were utilized. The results show that the quality indicators of wooden interior products can be grouped into four factors relating to products’ environmental friendliness, fit with lifestyle and home design, visual and tactile attractiveness, and technical solidity, which are in multiple ways connected with sustainability. The sociodemographic background of the respondents was found to be linked with consumer scores for those factors. Engaging consumers in sustainable consumption choices requires providing them with information on wooden product value chains that meets their individual needs in relation to their existing knowledge of those issues and individual values.
The aim of the research is to measure how Russian tourists use Instagram and whether it has an influence on their decision-making process of leisure destination. Furthermore, to find out how tourism organisations use Instagram for business and to offer suggestions for their development. Theoretical research includes discussion of consumer behaviour, motives to travel, push and pull factors, and decision-making process. Concept of Instagram is deeply described, its key features, content creation and marketing strategies. Quantitative method was used for the research. Two surveys were created to gather re-quired data, one for Russian tourists in age group 18 - 40 and another for tourism organisa-tions. First survey was distributed on Instagram and received 104 responses of target group, second survey was sent by email and received 8 responses. Russian tourists are active Instagram users and 82% of respondents check Instagram at least every couple of hours. Instagram has an influence on target group as 30% of the re-spondents consider it as important. On the other hand, companies have a lot of challenges in Instagram usage and need to get more knowledge about it. In conclusion, Instagram is a great platform to target Russian tourists, therefore companies should consider improving their brand awareness by doing paid advertisements and collab-orating with influencers among tourism field.
Consumer behavior is crucial in the transition towards circular food systems. Studies so far investigate isolated circular food behaviors, but it is still unclear how the literature comprehensively addresses these behaviors. This paper provides an overview of the literature on circular food behaviors. Following a semi-systematic literature review, we analyze 46 papers related to circular food behaviors. We summarize their main features, categorize the behaviors, and propose a future research agenda. Results show the novelty and quick popularity of the topic, a dispersion across sustainability and agri-food journals, the manuscripts’ goals related to consumption, a predominance of empirical data collection in Europe, a focus on behaviors related to protein alternatives, food waste, and upcycled foods, and the importance of communication and consumers’ education. We categorize and characterize three types of circular food behaviors: linear, transitioning, and circular behaviors. Circular behaviors (i) are part of a systemic circular economy view, (ii) define consumers as “doers” or “prosumers”, (iii) pursue long-term sustainability goals, (iv) show a high engagement of skilled consumers, and (v) are supported by technologies. Future research should consider the social dimension of sustainability and pursue a systemic view of circular food behaviors. We suggest that a circular food-related lifestyle may incorporate the recommended directions.
ABSTRACT Germany as a country has enough people to travel also to Finland. The task is to find the right channels for it. The business culture of Germany is promising good relationships because the cultures are facing well each others. The statistics shows the changes during the years and the number of people who travel to Finland is growing. South Karelia would need new innovations to enhance visibility among other places in Finland. A distribution channel by Kalakota and Robinson is connecting all the business actions. Keeping contact with the consumers is important because the money that you are spending to get a new customer is higher than amount of money keeping existing ones. Distribution channels to the tourism industry are extremely vital, even more vital than in other trade industries due to the fast changes in the field. The Internet has impact and is impacting the tourism industry in a hard way, companies must be available online. The consumers are demanding, but the consumers are also them which behaviour is interesting companies the most. The needs and desires of the consumer must be known before the product or service is produced to the public. The main aim of this thesis is to get to launched the tourism profile of German market, to know how the customers are behaving, what they are looking for when travelling to South Karelia, and to know ways of distributing the information and which channels are the important ones. The results of the research show that nature and quietness of South Karelia attracts the Germans. The Internet is the way how consumers are finding the companies and the companies are finding the new resorts by touring in Finland and using the help of hotel chains and national tourist offices.
This study investigates the influence of objective authenticity, substantive staging of servicescapes, experience co-creation, involvement and shopping satisfaction on the memorability of souvenir shopping experiences. The study also examines the relationship between a memorable souvenir shopping experience, nostalgia, destination attachment and revisit intention. Data were collected from 304 tourists who had taken a vacation in the preceding year and bought souvenirs during their trip. The results showed that experience co-creation, involvement and shopping satisfaction had positive effects on the memorability of souvenir shopping experiences. Relationships between memorable souvenir shopping experiences and nostalgia, destination attachment and revisit intention were also supported.
The world is facing the great challenge of how to feed the increasing and wealthier population sustainably in the future, with already limited natural resources. The existing literature reveals the negative impacts of animal-based diets, and thus global diet changes are required to ensure future food availability. Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge that food consumption is more than caloric intake—it is based on personal preferences. We assessed how sustainable food choices vary among Finnish citizens. The respondents (n = 2052) answered nine statements about their consumption behavior. We applied quantitative and qualitative methods, and our results indicate that favoring plant-based diets was the highest among people under 30 and above 60 years old. Middle-aged men with high incomes was the most reluctant group to adopt sustainable diets. Health-related issues and origin of food were the most preferred reasons for food choices, while environmental awareness was ranked lower. The key to mainstream sustainable diets lies in the co-benefits —transition towards more sustainable diets among Finns could be possible, if people felt that they can combine the selfish, hedonistic factors (e.g., health, weight loss) and altruistic factors (e.g., ecological benefits) in their everyday diets.
Climate change poses a serious threat to societies as well as the natural environment. Currently there are suggestions to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius in order to avoid irreversible damage. Commercial aviation is an industry where differ-ent climate change mitigation tools are being suggested, and one of these tools is voluntary carbon offsetting (VCO). This thesis looks further into consumer behaviour and their perceptions regarding voluntary offsetting within the aviation industry. There are different VCO projects that consumers can choose to invest in these mainly focus-ing on reforestation, renewable energy projects and sustainable aviation fuel. By con-ducting a quantitative survey as well as looking into existing literature this research looks into whose responsibility do consumers see offsetting as, what the feasibility of voluntary offsetting is as a climate change mitigation tool as well as potential alternatives solutions to voluntary offsetting. The findings show that consumers are hesitant about offsetting their flight emissions either due to the lack of knowledge or due to their distrust towards voluntary offsetting. Participants did not see that they alone would be responsible for offsetting their emissions from flying and very few had off-set their flights before, which could increase the importance of other mitigation efforts. However, should voluntary offsetting succeed as an emission reduction tool, there are indications that there is a need for regulations, transparency and overall, an increase of information around voluntary offsetting. Consumers as well as researchers have concerns regarding whether voluntary offsetting projects deliver on their promises, thus also indicating a need for more research on the long-term environmental impacts of voluntary offsetting projects.
In order to develop strategies for sustainable practices and to enhance the replacement of non-renewable materials with sustainable alternatives such as wood, it is essential to recognize the variables affecting consumers’ quality perceptions. Despite this, there is still limited knowledge about the perceived quality of wooden building materials. Wood industry studies have to date approached quality mainly by investigating quality indicators related to the product or supplier, while overlooking the effects of the consumer characteristics on the quality perception process. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap by implementing a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed articles published in international scientific journals during the 2000s using the “Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews” (SPAR-4-SLR) protocol. Literature searches are implemented in two scientific databases (ISI Web of Knowledge and Scopus) to gather the material to be analyzed according to two organizing frameworks (i.e., the TCCM framework and the Model of the Quality Perception Process). The results suggest that the perceived quality of wooden building materials is affected by different quality cues and attributes of wood (i.e., sensory, social, economic, technical, and sustainability properties). Furthermore, different personal variables (consumers’ socio-demographic and psychographic characteristics) and situational variables influence consumer behavior regarding wooden building materials. The study contributes to wood products literature by providing new theoretical insights about the perceived quality of wooden building materials and developing a future research agenda that brings forward a number of propositions for future studies based on identified research gaps.
The objective of the following thesis was to get an understating of the motivations and expectations of the customers of the Jyväskylä Festival. The author conducted market research of the customers of Jyväskylä Festival to find out what motivates people to participate in a culture event with the intent to support Jyväskylä Festival in their decision making and practices as well as other culture events with similar program as Jyväskylä Festival. The theoretical framework includes a short introduction to what is a culture festival, customer behavior with customer motivation, and other motivation theories such as the push and pull motivational model and lastly, customer expectations are explained. Market research using the mixed method was done by using a questionnaire survey as a data gathering method and coding to analyze the data. The questionnaire contained open-ended questions on which the data analysis was based. The data was sorted into themes based on the theoretical framework. The data analysis was done in parts to answer all of the research questions. The key findings show that the main motivations of the customers were different kinds of experiences. The experiences could be divided into sensory, emotional, intellectual, and social experiences. There were different features that the customers thought important in an event and based on them the pull factors were determined. They were location, performers, atmosphere, price, and the program.