Students' preference choice among private and national brands of snacks in KUAS cafeterias, Finland

Abstract

Since companies recognized the power of brand in the 1980s, producers’ brands (national brands) sales plumped shifting the marketplace to distributors’ brands (private). This can be associated with economic recession and with the constantly increasing consumer awareness concerning the quality of private brands.

Different studies have shown no significant difference in quality between private and national brands; however, private brands attract the consumer attention with their 30% lower prices. Although this fact was discovered, many people are still willing to pay extra money for national brands rather than for their cheaper counterparts.

This thesis studied whether KUAS students and staff rather buy national brands than private brands of snacks in KUAS school cafeterias. In order to answer this question, buyers’ characteristics and buyers’ decision processes which influence the students’ reaction to internal and external stimuli when choosing between national and private brands of snacks, particularly chocolate bars, biscuits, yogurts and soft drinks were also analysed. Furthermore, the authors tried to categorise the students in a logical way in order to provide the commissioner, Kajaanin Mamselli- liikelaitos, with enough information and capabilities to offer the right brand selection to students at the KUAS school cafeterias.

Desde que las empresas comenzaron a reconocer el poder the las marcas, alrededor de los 80, las ventas de marcas de produccion comenzaron a caer, y marcas blancas empezaron a llenar el vacio de las primeras.

Muchos estudios han probado ausencia en la diferencia de calidad entre marcas blancas y marcas de productores transcontinentales. A pesar de ello, las marcas blancas siguen tentiendo un precio inferior.

Este documento estudia la diferencia entre marcas blancas y marcas privadas en el ambito de las cafeterias de la universidad de Kajaani, y como afectan las percepciones de los estudiantes en cuanto a la eleccion de un producto, en el ambito de los productos aperitivos.