Trade has existed since the early recordings of humans, and in the Ancient Egypt, the Greek civilization and the Roman Empire, traders travelled long distances to meet with local producers and merchants in marketplaces to purchase and trade goods (www.ufi.org). Today, trade and sales are fundamental pillars in our society, and consumers are not required to travel long distances to obtain the products of interest. With increasing competition among brands, companies must find alternative ways to reach their consumers and trade their products in order to differentiate themselves and become visible in the sea of offerings.
Marketing is all about creating valuable customer relationships (Armstrong et al., 2009), which brings challenges to brand managers on how to gain advantages over competitors and create awareness amongst potential customers. The marketing mix consists of many elements such as media advertising, sales promotions, place advertising, sponsorships, event marketing, and trade- and consumer-oriented promotions (Shimp, 2010). It is increasingly important to cater marketing efforts towards the target market in new and innovative ways in order to gain and hold the attention of consumers. One type of event is a trade fair, also called a trade show, and it is the one of the oldest forms for marketing (Miller, 1999). Today, fairs and exhibitions are one of the most powerful sales and marketing tools available (Miller, 1999). They are selling mediums that reach out to prospective consumers in a low-cost manner. According to Kirchgeorg (2005) public and consumer fairs have been underestimated, as companies are yet to realize how these fairs are highly successful tools in the marketing mix and can increase regional sales.
Trade fairs are “events that bring together in a single location a group of suppliers who set up a physical exhibit of their products and services from a given industry” (Black, 1986;
Rinallo, 2011, p.93). In industries with a large number of suppliers and with differentiated products, trade fairs helps reduce the search costs of consumers as suppliers are gathered at the same place at the same time (Florio, 1994; Rinallo, 2011). There is a distinction between business-to-business (B2B) trade fairs and business-to-consumer (B2C) fairs. B2B events make it possible to eliminate competitive distractions, and to engage in face-to-face contact with potential buyers. Trade fairs targeting consumers are becoming more successful after having experienced decades of slow decline (Rinallo, 2011). Kirchgeorg (2005) claims that in the years following the end of the 1990’s there was a decline in the number of visitors to
consumer fairs as a result of an increase in alternative forms of entertainment such as supersized shopping centres with multiple stores and restaurants. Consumer shows are now successful because of the sensorial, emotional and behavioural stimulations they offer, and are attended mostly for hedonic reasons. Business-to-consumer shows, from now referred to as consumer fairs, are events where consumers can gain first hand experience with different brands within an industry, and it is an important advertising tool that can lead to new relationships, increased awareness and loyal customers (Rinallo, 2011). In the past trade fairs were mainly informational events, however today a consumer fair will not survive as purely informational. The fair must come to life and make the experience unique and interactive for the visitor (Kirchgeorg, 2005).
In this thesis events are explored in the format of consumer fairs by focusing on the jewellery industry. In order to understand behavioural decisions regarding consumer fairs and jewellery it is fundamental to understand which factors that influence preference and behaviour. Today, fine jewellery is not just for the wealthy, but also the middle-class population is paying more attention to luxurious accessories. As more consumers take an interest in jewellery, companies can utilize specific marketing efforts such as consumer fairs to promote themselves. In order to promote the fair and reach the target consumers, it is fundamental to identify the factors that influence the attitude and intention of consumers to visit a consumer fair for jewellery. According to Kirchgeorg (2005) it is vital for consumer fairs to make the consumers their focal point in order to stand out in the sea of entertainment options that exist today. Visitors must be incorporated in the event and experience a level of entertainment value that they will not obtain from other activities, such as visiting a shopping centre (Kirchgeorg, 2005).
1.1 Purpose
I wish to investigate which factors that influence attendance at events exhibiting jewellery, so-called consumer fairs. Consumers will be solely visitors, and buyers and industry representatives are excluded. A scale will be developed based on the factors that are likely to influence attendance and the effects of this scale will be tested. This thesis seek to answer the following question:
RQ: Which factors influence the attitude and intention of consumers to visit a consumer fair for jewellery?
I wish to map the factors that are important for visitors to establish positive attitudes and intention to visit a consumer fair for jewellery by first conducting a theoretical review to reveal generic motivators to attend events. As research within the area of consumer fairs is scarce it is necessary to conduct in-depth interviews to unveil more context–specific motivators beyond those that already exist in the literature. Based on the factors that become salient in the qualitative study, a quantitative study of items is conducted to reveal underlying factors and reduce the data-material. A final quantitative analysis is carried out to test the effect of motivating factors to visit a consumer fair for jewellery. Results will show which of the factors that has a positive influence on attitude and intention to visiting a jewellery consumer fair, and furthermore reveal if there exist differences between men and women as to what motivates to visit.
1.2 Contribution
The field of event marketing with focus on consumer fairs is fairly unexplored as far as research is concerned. Books and articles describe events and fairs as part of the overall marketing mix, and also stress their importance. However, the research available is limited.
Ferreira and Armstrong (2004) examine attributes influencing decisions made by students to attend college sport events, and this thesis is a further exploration of variables that influence consumers to attend an event for jewellery. This study on consumer fairs is similar, though more extensive than the study by Ferreira and Armstrong (2004), and focuses on a different industry. The results from this study can to some extent be transferred to other types of events and contribute to further research within the area of consumer fairs.
The contribution in a theoretical sense is to modify well-known theories for the purpose of this study. I use elements from the Theory of Reasoned Action, Theory of Trying and Diffusion Theory by Rogers to develop a new instrument to measure the factors that influence attendance at jewellery consumer fairs. The research model and the results of the study will thus contribute with new knowledge within this area of marketing, and can be an inspiration for further research.
In a broader view, the research for this paper can be valuable for both brand managers and event managers as it maps which attributes that are important for the visitor. A study by Rinallo et al. (2010) found that the search for information is one of the main motivators to attend a trade fair. I assume that other factors will influence attendance at a consumer fair
than those of trade fairs. By knowing these factors prior to the event, advertising and promotion can be customized to better reach the target market. By using the right advertising consumer fairs can increase the number of visitors, number of exhibitors and ultimately profits. Just as important, by knowing which factors that matter to the consumers, consumer fairs can improve and attain some of the factors they currently lack in order to increase customer attraction and experience. In Norway there currently does not exist jewellery consumer fairs, however results from this research can be valuable when planning such a fair. As will be discussed in the following chapter, there exist a great deal of consumer fairs in the world, and yet the research is scarce. My thesis will thus investigate a new area within consumer behaviour and contribute with novel research within both a theoretical perspective and a practical perspective.
1.3 Outline
The thesis is structured accordingly: The first chapter is a general introduction followed by the second chapter where I give an introduction about trade fairs and consumer fairs, jewellery and consumer fairs for jewellery. The third chapter presents relevant theory, which at the end is structured into a research model with the purpose to investigate the factors that motivate consumers to visit a consumer fair for jewellery. Chapter four describe the process of exploratory research methodology, followed by chapter five where results from the qualitative study are presented. Chapter six describe the methodology for quantitative analysis for the second study, and chapter seven discuss results from the factorial analysis, which results in a modified research model. Based on this, chapter eight discuss and define hypotheses and research questions. In chapter nine, methodology for the third and final study is presented, before it is analysed in chapter ten. Chapter eleven discuss results and the theoretical and managerial implications, while chapter twelve and thirteen look at limitations and future research respectively. At the end of the paper I will provide a list of references and the appendix.