Abstract:

The retail trade in Finland is very much centralized; the four major chains dominate the market. Mass marketing by making use of mass media and mass bargains has been very powerful in the past few years. Segmentation of the consumers by shop chains or by type of shop has occurred in a very small extent. Buying loyalty has decreased and people do shopping in several chains and and in several types of shops. Our survey shows that the customers of supermarkets in different chains differ very little from each other concerning sociodemographic and psychographic factors. Today and especially in the future it is more essential to study segmentation by benefits or situational segmentation. The choice of the shop can be effected by fast tepo special bargains and going over to an other type of shops happens easily. New shop groups that sell dry food stuff and non food-products have clearly taken customers from the traditional trade chains.