Store Stories – Analysis of a retailer’s store personality in consumer stories
(2009)Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- This study aims at identifying and analysing the construct of a retailer’s store personality in consumer stories and how these stories relate to the retailer’s brand story on a global level. To fulfil the purpose and analyse a retailer’s store personality, a qualitative approach was chosen to analyse the empirical data provided by a case study of H&M through narrative analysis. The main theories that the study is based upon include retail branding and brand personality. Moreover, theories of narrative analysis have been used. In particular, special attention has been paid to Yannis Gabriel’s classification of stories into four generic poetic modes. The empirical data, on which this study is based on, consist of various global consumer blog... (More)
- This study aims at identifying and analysing the construct of a retailer’s store personality in consumer stories and how these stories relate to the retailer’s brand story on a global level. To fulfil the purpose and analyse a retailer’s store personality, a qualitative approach was chosen to analyse the empirical data provided by a case study of H&M through narrative analysis. The main theories that the study is based upon include retail branding and brand personality. Moreover, theories of narrative analysis have been used. In particular, special attention has been paid to Yannis Gabriel’s classification of stories into four generic poetic modes. The empirical data, on which this study is based on, consist of various global consumer blog stories that deal with experiences made in stores of the Swedish clothing retailer H&M. The analysis of consumer blog stories revealed that consumers tell stories about their experiences made in a store for sense-making. Moreover, the assumption that consumers personate stores/retail brands in their stories was supported. People assign roles to the store in accordance with either the epic, romantic, comic or tragic genre on which conclusions on the store personality can be drawn. Overlapping personality traits between brand and consumer stories were identified and presented the common ground which might indicate a certain control of managers over consumer stories. The study contributes by showing how retailer, personality and stories are connected, how consumers construct store personality in stories and points to the importance of understanding consumer stories for brand management. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/1437884
- author
- Koverman, Theresa and Arndt, Judith
- supervisor
- organization
- year
- 2009
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Retail Branding, Brand Personality, Store Personality, Consumer Stories, Narrative Analysis, Management of enterprises, Företagsledning, management
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 1437884
- date added to LUP
- 2009-06-02 00:00:00
- date last changed
- 2012-04-02 17:27:06
@misc{1437884,
abstract = {{This study aims at identifying and analysing the construct of a retailer’s store personality in consumer stories and how these stories relate to the retailer’s brand story on a global level. To fulfil the purpose and analyse a retailer’s store personality, a qualitative approach was chosen to analyse the empirical data provided by a case study of H&M through narrative analysis. The main theories that the study is based upon include retail branding and brand personality. Moreover, theories of narrative analysis have been used. In particular, special attention has been paid to Yannis Gabriel’s classification of stories into four generic poetic modes. The empirical data, on which this study is based on, consist of various global consumer blog stories that deal with experiences made in stores of the Swedish clothing retailer H&M. The analysis of consumer blog stories revealed that consumers tell stories about their experiences made in a store for sense-making. Moreover, the assumption that consumers personate stores/retail brands in their stories was supported. People assign roles to the store in accordance with either the epic, romantic, comic or tragic genre on which conclusions on the store personality can be drawn. Overlapping personality traits between brand and consumer stories were identified and presented the common ground which might indicate a certain control of managers over consumer stories. The study contributes by showing how retailer, personality and stories are connected, how consumers construct store personality in stories and points to the importance of understanding consumer stories for brand management.}},
author = {{Koverman, Theresa and Arndt, Judith}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Store Stories – Analysis of a retailer’s store personality in consumer stories}},
year = {{2009}},
}