Sweet News for Specialty Stores

By Cathy Wilde

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Specialty stores do not have to compete with supermarket prices to increase sales, according to a recent study from the University at Buffalo School of Management.

Researchers found that consumers are not concerned about higher prices when shopping at specialty stores, and that they are more likely to buy items related to their main purchase than at a supermarket.

In addition, specialty stores customers are more apt to respond to holiday promotions than to sale prices.

The study was conducted by Ram Bezawada, PhD, assistant professor, and Minakshi Trivedi, PhD, professor, in the School of Management’s Marketing Department, along with two School of Management graduates, Ashish Kumar, PhD, assistant professor of marketing, Aalto University, Finland, and Karthik Sridhar, PhD, assistant professor of marketing, Ashland University.

Specialty retailers can benefit from the study by adjusting their sales strategy to focus on premium selection, cross-category items and holiday promotions, rather than price cuts, to increase sales, the researchers say.

The researchers analyzed data from 225 households, comparing candy sales in supermarkets to sales in specialized confectionary stores. They found that consumers preferred buying premium items, like boxed chocolates, from the specialty stores and were not averse to paying higher prices for them in comparison to similar items at supermarkets.

The results showed also that consumers were more likely to buy additional premium candies when at confectionary stores than they were to buy such related items at supermarkets.

Finally, the researchers found that promotions featuring sale prices at the specialty stores did not have as great an effect on increasing sales as similar lower-price promotions at the larger markets. Instead, consumers responded more favorably to promotions featuring seasonal or holiday themes, such as Valentine’s Day or Easter items.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.