Private Label Products Buying Decisions: A Comparative Analysis on Consumer Perspective.

The purpose of this study is to understand which factors have influence on the private label products buying decisions. A survey was conducted on a sample of consumers of food products. The have been collected through the administration of a questionnaire to 587 consumers in the Italian market. Results have been analyzed with the Extra Tree Classifier methodology, which allows to measure the importance of each variable included in the model, also in case of correlation between variables. The results show that consumers’ choice seems to be influenced by groups of heterogeneous variables related to: the perception of consumers on the product, the satisfaction of post-consumption, the role of the store, and the trust built over time by retailers. The results of the study provide useful indications on the role of the private label products in retailers’ assortments.