Motivation and cognitive structures of store versus manufacturer brand consumers

The present paper offers empirical evidence about the impact of the type and characteristics of the brand category (i.e. perceived purchasing risk and involvement) as drivers of store brand choice. The means‐end chains analysis methodology was applied on a sociodemographically homogeneous consumer sample, assigned through a 2 × 2 in‐between subjects design into four subgroups of regular (orange juice or toothpaste) store or manufacturer brand buyers, respectively. The introduction of a store brand fueled motivations and cognitive structures that were predominantly shaped by the specific brand type and its expected perceived benefits (i.e. good quality/price ratios); on the contrary, manufacturer brands allowed room for typical, category‐related motives and cognitive hierarchies to dominate. Moreover, in the case of store brand buyers across categories (orange juice versus toothpaste), different perceived risk and consumer involvement had a clear impact on the structure of overall cognitive map and on the sophistication of its most dominant cognitive area. In situations of high perceived risk and involvement, the cognitive structures of store brand buyers tend to resemble that of manufacturer brand buyers. Results add to the ongoing stream of research on store brand buyer behaviour by offering proof of the impact of consumer perceived risk and category involvement on the choice between manufacturer and store brands. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.