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引言
随着消费市场之间的竞争不断加剧，营销人员不得不寻求一些策略来捉住消费者的兴趣和忠诚。(摩尔和Fairhurst 2003 p.386)。这样看来促销活动似乎是一个有效的策略。尽管促销营销需要花很长一段时间，过程也相对比较艰辛，不过，它的作用和重要性对于公司来说是日益渐增，在过去的十年里，促销营销大大的提高了公司的知名度。
在对英国先前只用过的促销活动中，我们可以看出这显示促销花费中平均有三分之一是用于营销传播预算(国际海底管理局,2002)。虽然促销正运用于各种新兴行业中包括医疗、计算机硬件和软件和电子产品,和管制公用事业等等。作为圣诞节要销售的产品，商家还是继续把商品的外包装作为促销计划的核心，这也是在商家销售计划上最重要的事件之一。
在1980年代之前,广告营销是传播工具的主导者,但在接下来的90年代，用于广告促销的预算从60%降至40%。基于先前对于美国和英国市场,的研究和分析，英国消费者在促销活动中估计约消费￡8 -￡150亿,平均￡115亿。
1.0引言/背景—— Introduction/Background
As competition among the consumer markets around continues to intensify, marketers seek strategies that will capture the interest and loyalty of consumers (Moore and Fairhurst, 2003p.386). Sales promotion seems an effective tactic for them. While sales promotion has been part of the marketing process for a long time, its role and importance in a company’s integrated marketing communications programme has increased dramatically over the past decade (Xu and Ergin, 2004).
From previous study on the use of sales promotions in UK, it is revealed that Sales Promotion accounts, on average, for one-third of marketing communications budgets (ISBA, 2002). Although sales promotion is being increasingly used in new sectors including health care, computer hardware and software and electronics, and deregulated utilities, consumer packaged goods’ firms continue to be the core users of sales promotion programmes and tools (Xu and Ergin, 2004) as the sales that follow Christmas have always been one of the most important events in the retail calendar (Tiltman, 2007).
Before the 1980s, advertising has been the dominant player among the marketing communications tools, but between then and the1990s, budget shares reversed from 60% advertising and 40% sales promotion to 40% advertising and 60% sales promotion (Te’eni-Harari, 2008 p.18). Based on previous research and analysis on the US and UK markets, the estimate for the UK consumer sales promotion is around ￡8 -￡15 billion, with the average ￡11.5 billion. Throughout the late 1990s until 2001, the UK marketing environment enjoyed buoyant sales promotion activities as a result of favourable economic condition, but was interrupted by 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US in 2001(Xu and Ergin, 2004).
However, with the global recession, brand managers, marketers, retailers still engage sales promotion in their marketing communications strategy. This research aims to investigate the current situation of sales promotion in the UK consumer market, specifically the fashion sector and observe the consumer purchase response to the sales promotion techniques that are used.
2.0 文献综述——Literature Review
2.1Sales Promotion - Defined
Sales promotion is defined as a short-term sales mover (Liao, 2006 p.197) and seeks to offer additional value as an inducement to generate immediate sale (Fill, 2009 p.537). Sales promotion could be executed through value promotions and price promotions. Value promotions essentially give an extra benefit, while price promotions are promotions geared toward offering reduced price with a favourable finance deal (Cummins and Mullin, 2007 p.25).
Consumer: for the sake of this research, consumer is referred to the target market of the UK fashion sector.
Buying: This is referred to making decision to involve in the exchange of money for goods. In the research buying would be used interchangeably with purchasing.
Behaviour: consumer’s actions with regard to an attitude object (Solomon et al, 2006 p.648).
2.2How Consumer Sales Promotion Works
Sales promotion deals with the motivation theory of consumer behaviour as it offers a tangible added value designed to induce and accelerate response (Ouwersloot and Duncan, 2008 p.340) from consumer and such responses are used to achieve the core promotional objective (Cummins and Mullin, 2007 p.33) of increasing frequency and quantity repurchase, countering competitive offers, getting rid of stock, building customer databases (Ouwersloot and Duncan, 2008 p.341-342).
Sales promotions occupy a gray area between advertising and personal sales, embodying certain characteristics of both promotional tools. Whereas advertising focuses on a reason to buy, sales promotion focuses on an incentive to buy by providing consumers with utilitarian (economic) and hedonic (psychographic) rewards such as exploration and self-expression (Chadon et al, 2000 cited by Ailawadi et al 2001 p.71), which attracts and triggers certain forms of purchasing behaviour desired by brand managers, marketers, and retailers (Te’eni-Harari, 2008 p.18).
2.3Research problem Definition
Previous researchers have studied the influence of sales promotion on consumer behaviour through various approaches. Hence, the goal of this research is to critically study and analyse the efficacy of sales promotion in the UK fashion retail industry on consumer purchasing behaviour. More so, with the current global recession, workers are being retrenched, businesses are being shut down, and as a result consumers plan their shopping trips carefully in order to avoid spending their hard-earned income on irrelevances but their actual needs. On the other hand, retailers are using sales promotion techniques to attract the increasingly calculative customers in order to enlarge their market share and sales revenue (Shi et al, 2005).
As a result, it is proposed that this research examine and analyse consumers’ purchasing behaviour in relation to sales promotion in the present world economic downturn, which in turn affect the bottom line of the business engaging the sales promotion techniques.
2.4Research objectives
To carry out a comprehensive literature review on sales promotion and consumer buying behaviour.
To investigate the current condition of sales promotion activities in the UK fashion retail stores.
To investigate the suitability of sales promotion benefits with consumers’ needs.
To examine how the nature of global economic depression affects consumer buying behaviour in relation to sales promotion in UK fashion retail stores.
To explore other factors influencing consumer purchasing response to sales promotion activities thereby identifying the most sales promotion bargains/deals that consumers pay attention to in the fashion retail industry.
To investigate the impact of in-store promotions on customer/brand loyalty.
2.5Approach to the problem
Previous researches revealed that companies invest enormously on sales promotion with the intention of making their product/brand more appealing to consumers. Alvarez and Casielles, (2005), conclude that establishments wish to influence consumers’ buying behaviour, and thus they launch strong promotional campaigns.
Some of such influencing variables proposed in this research includes; price, Global recession, geo-demographics, socio-economic class, and in-store stimuli. These variables are proposed to test assumptions made on their influences on consumer buying behaviour in relation to sales promotion.
Conceptual Framework
Price: Prices are used by retail establishments as an incentive to attract consumers (Alvarez and Casielles, 2005). Price is the most important factor in selecting a store (Meyers, 2005 p.30) while planning a shopping trip. Marketers have come to realise that traditional retail support in the form of price promotions encourage consumers to switch brands as soon as a competing brand offers “better price” (Ouwersloot and Duncan, 2008 p.349) without paying attention to the valuable benefits they would get from that brand. Therefore it is hypothesised that,
H1a: Price has a positive impact on increasing short-term objectives of sales promotion.
H1b: Price has a negative impact on consumer/brand loyalty
Global Recession: This is a period of global economic depression. Customers’ interest in buying is being affected by the favourable economy interruption from the 9/11 incident (Cummins and Mullin, 2007 p. 22), and employment has fallen during this recession (Faccini and Hackworth, 2010 p43). As a result of the economic changes, consumers find themselves with more or less money to spend which makes them look out for promotional offers on utilitarian benefits than hedonic benefits. Since manufacturers have to calculate with low budgets due to the recessive economic situation, the question about the effectiveness of promotions is prevailing (Brne, 1995). Therefore, it is hypothesised that,#p#分页标题#e#
H2a: Global recession has a positive effect on consumer purchasing response to utilitarian benefits of sales promotion
H2a: Global recession has a negative effect on consumer purchasing response to utilitarian benefits of sales promotion
Demographics: as consumers grow older, their needs and preference change often in unison with others who fall within their age bracket thereby exerting a significant influence on the consumer’s identity (Solomon et al, 2006 p.456). Hence, as the consumers’ age differs, it affects their purchasing response to sales promotion techniques. For instance, it has been observed in past researches that attention to premiums among young people is low and selective in nature (Te’eni-Harari, 2008 p.23). Pressure on personal levels of disposable income tends to make consumers significantly more price-sensitive (Yeshin, 1999 p.192) thereby making them consider promotional deals. Thus, it hypothesised that,
H3: There is a positive significant relationship between demographics and consumer buying response to sales promotion
Socio-economic Class: is a set of people having certain feature in common, such as family background, education and occupation. Purchase are frequently made and displayed as markers of consumers’ social class. The place consumers occupy in the social structure is not only a determinant of how much money they earn or spend, but also influences how it is spent
(Solomon et al, 2006 p428-433). Among the tools of sale promotion mostly used in fashion department store is price discount geared towards students, which could be assumed to have positive influence students’ buying behaviour. Thus, it is hypothesised that,
H4: Socio-economic class has a positive impact consumer purchasing response to sales promotion
In-store Stimuli: are promotional techniques such as, in-store sighting, on-shelf displays, in-store demonstrations, etc., engaged in increasing unplanned or subconsciously planned purchase of products (Abratt and Goodey, 1990 p.112). These range from multi-buy promotions including buy-one-get-one-free (BOGOFs) and 3 for 2 offers, to extra free offers, price reductions and free gifts (IGD, 2010). From psychological perspective, motivation occurs when a need is aroused that consumers wish to satisfy (Solomon et al, 2006 p.90). This need could be triggered in consumers by internal or external factors around them, and one of such external factors is the promotional techniques that consumers come across during their shopping trip. Hence, it is hypothesised that,
H5: There is a significant relationship between In-store stimuli and motivation theory thereby having a positive impact on consumer purchase response to sales promotion
3.0 Research Design and Methodology
3.1Research Purpose
This research is an explanatory research that aims to establish the significance of the relationship between the independent variable of Sales Promotion techniques and dependent variable of consumer buying behaviour by examining the factors that are moderating the relationship. The quantitative data collected and analysed on the impact of these factors would be used to establish the level of relationship between the variables.
3.2研究方法——Research Strategy
It is proposed that experimental approach should be applied to this research in order to maximise its internal validity (Saunders et al, 2007 p.137). A survey strategy of self-administered questionnaire to sample controlled by nationality will be employed to collect primary data. At this juncture, external validity might be compromised but the factors that would be used to moderate the relationship between the independent and dependant variables would be generalised factors. For instance, Sales promotion would be manipulated through moderating factor of global recession to determine consumer purchase response.
3.3Method Choice
The mono method, which involves the use of single data collection technique of self-administered questionnaires and corresponding analysis procedures (Saunders et al, 2007 p.149) would be used for this research. Quantitative data collection technique is proposed because of its ability to get un-biased and measurable results.
3.4Credibility of Research Finding
Potential threats to the reliability of the research findings will be considered. To avoid subject/participant bias, for instance, the anonymity of respondent would be ensured. Similar questionnaires will be administered to respondents to control observer error, while observer bias will be guarded by pre-testing the questionnaire in order to clarify ambiguous questions.
4.0 调研与数据收集——Fieldwork/Data collection
4.1Sample
The sample of this research consists of male and female Nigerians in Leeds between ages of 16 – 60years as a representative of the population of Nigerians in UK. UK is home to the world's second largest Nigerian-born population (Wikipedia, 2010); there is western fashion influence on Nigerian fashion; and the population are exposed to sales promotions in the UK fashion stores. Also due to time and resources constraint, the sample is the most accessible.
4.2Sampling Technique
A cluster sampling technique will be used in the study as the cluster of Nigerians in Leeds will be used to represent the whole population of Nigerians in UK. Also, snowball technique will be employed whereby questionnaire will be emailed to respondents who will forward it to other similar respondents due to time and resources constraint.
4.3Sample Size
Due to time and cost constraint 300 respondents will be involved in the study.
4.4Data Analysis
Bivariate regression analysis will be used analyse the relationship between the factors under the independent variable of sales promotion and dependent variable of consumer buying behaviour. ANOVA will used to test variables with more than two categories in the study; for instance, to test whether there is a significant difference between income level and attitudinal variable to sales promotion (Palihawadana, 2010 p.25). SSPS software programme will be utilised in this study.
5.0 报告与时间安排——Reporting and Time Scale
5.1Reporting
Before the final submission of the dissertation, intermediate reports in report format will be submitted to the dissertation supervisor to reveal the progress of the research.
5.2Time Scale
Adapted from Saunders et al 2007, p.42
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