The comparative influence of manufacturer and retailer brands on customers' purchase behavior

The purpose of this paper is to build the marketing discipline's body of knowledge by conducting a study that builds upon an exploratory study that examines whether manufacturer brand(s) or retail brand(s) have greater influence on customers' brand purchase behaviors.

The study was administered to 112 samples (of which 87 were returned and usable), with data analyzed using structural equation modeling to test hypotheses.

This study revealed that customers' loyalty to retail brand(s) has a greater influence on their brand purchase behavior than manufacturers' brand(s).

Only one retailer and a limited range of two grocery products was employed. The respondents had purchased the items from the retailer.

The study found that retailers may need to use dissimilar marketing strategies for customers loyal to manufacturer brands and those that are loyal to retail brands.

This study supports the generalizability of the exploratory study.