Transformations  in
Business & Economics

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MUTATIONS AND THEIR IMPACT ON RETAIL DEVELOPMENT. EVIDENCE FROM SOUTH AFRICA
Norbert Haydam, Tudor Edu, Iliuta Costel Negricea, Alexandru Ionescu

ABSTRACT. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the relationship between the consumer behaviour mutations recorded in the last 18 years in South Africa and the food and non-alcoholic beverage retail development in this country. The authors pursued a comprehensive desk research about the South African retail development, consumption behaviour mutations and cool drink consumption. A direct research was executed among 100 young Black educated South Africans to determine the consumer behaviour dimensions for cool drinks and correlations with demographic and offer-related variables. The findings show that the variables under study are interconnected, influencing each other, rendering a better informed and educated individual. The practical implications of the study reside in the fact that consumption patterns, economic and social changes and influences are of interest to the scientific world, the South African Government, NGOs, domestic and foreign businesses; these findings bear valuable information for the assessment of local and international opportunities.

KEYWORDS: retail, consumer behaviour, marketing, cool drinks, South Africa.

JEL classification: L81, D12, M31, O55.