Factors Influencing Finnish Consumers' Grocery Shopping Decisions
Martin Vadillo, Alvaro (2026)
2026
All rights reserved. This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202602102502
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202602102502
Tiivistelmä
This bachelor’s thesis examines the key factors influencing the shopping decisions of Finnish consumers in the grocery retail industry. Contextually, it is a duopolistic market, with two business groups controlling over 80% of the market share. To that end, the overall purpose of the study was to identify key factors through the analysis of the extent of influence of four selected factors related to consumer behaviour and marketing. These were as follows: brand trust, perceived quality, the country-of-origin effect and sustainability, as exported in the relevant literature.
The study is made up of a theory section and an empirical part that deals with the thesis research problem. The theory section discusses important concepts and theories in consumer behaviour, brand trust, perceived quality, the country-of-origin effect, and sustainability on the basis of relevant literature. The empirical part deals with the extent of relevance of the four factors on consumers’ shopping choices. The study was based on a quantitative method. A survey was conducted among adult Finnish consumers, using non-probability sampling methods, snowball and convenience sampling. The survey was structured into four sections, one for each factor, with five questions per factor. A large number of respondents from all around Finland participated in the study. The results were analysed with the help of the survey platform, Webroprol, and Excel.
The results showed a strong influence of the selected factors on Finnish consumers. Brand trust and the country of origin of the products were identified as the most influential factors, whereas perceived quality and sustainability, although highly relevant, showed less consensus among consumers.
The findings suggest that Finnish consumers' decisions are guided by their trust in retailers within the industry, which they perceive as maintaining high-quality standards. It was also evident that there is a strong preference for local products as a way of contributing to the domestic economy. In terms of sustainability, the findings showed a positive attitude towards more sustainable habits, but consumers perceive price barriers and the insignificance of their small sustainable actions.
The study is made up of a theory section and an empirical part that deals with the thesis research problem. The theory section discusses important concepts and theories in consumer behaviour, brand trust, perceived quality, the country-of-origin effect, and sustainability on the basis of relevant literature. The empirical part deals with the extent of relevance of the four factors on consumers’ shopping choices. The study was based on a quantitative method. A survey was conducted among adult Finnish consumers, using non-probability sampling methods, snowball and convenience sampling. The survey was structured into four sections, one for each factor, with five questions per factor. A large number of respondents from all around Finland participated in the study. The results were analysed with the help of the survey platform, Webroprol, and Excel.
The results showed a strong influence of the selected factors on Finnish consumers. Brand trust and the country of origin of the products were identified as the most influential factors, whereas perceived quality and sustainability, although highly relevant, showed less consensus among consumers.
The findings suggest that Finnish consumers' decisions are guided by their trust in retailers within the industry, which they perceive as maintaining high-quality standards. It was also evident that there is a strong preference for local products as a way of contributing to the domestic economy. In terms of sustainability, the findings showed a positive attitude towards more sustainable habits, but consumers perceive price barriers and the insignificance of their small sustainable actions.