DISTRIBUTORS’ BRANDS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the consumers’ behaviours towards the distributors’ brands. The aim was to find out what were the most important criteria of the marketing mix for a consumer in his buying process that make him choose between a distributor’s brand and a leader’s brand. In order to achieve that, a theoretical framework has been established about the distributors’ brands, their different types, their management compared to the one of the leaders’ brands, then about the consumers, their relation towards the distributors’ brands, their personal implication in the brand, and their role, and also the theory of the marketing mix has been exposed. A quantitative research was applied. The questionnaire focused on every customer leaving, after purchases, from Carrefour and Casino in Montpellier. All economic and social status and lifestyles were interesting to study. 12 questions were asked to each customer, and 100 of them fully answered. The results of the study were that the price still is the most important criterion for the consumers in their buying decisions. The attractive price is the reason. But it was discovered that the quality became a real significant element for the consumers. The principal conclusion was that consumers still didn’t trust enough the products from the distributors’ brands, and that the price wasn’t anymore the only criterion to take into account. It was suggested that the distributors’ brands could reinforce their performances if they give more priority to the quality