| Abstract | Brend kao način označavanja proizvoda postoji od kada postoji tržište. Danas su na tržištu prisutni brojni brendovi, stoga je izuzetno važno izgraditi prepoznatljiv identitet brenda kako bi on postao snažan brend i u svijesti potrošača. Uloga brenda je usmjeriti pozornost potrošača na proizvod koji može zadovoljiti njihove potrebe i želje. Brendovi pritom posjeduju opipljive i neopipljive značajke kojima privlače potrošače, komuniciraju s njima te olakšavaju donošenje odluke o kupnji. Iako su u početku dominirale funkcionalne (opipljive) značajke brenda u svrhu diferencijacije proizvoda od konkurencije, danas su puno važnije emocionalne (neopipljive) značajke. Naime, ljudi analiziraju racionalno, ali odluke donose emocionalno. Na neopipljive vrijednosti otpada čak 80% uspjeha, a samo 20% troškova. Stoga je nužno izgraditi snažan odnos s potrošačem temeljen na emocionalnosti, jer je prava vrijednost brenda upravo u percepciji potrošača. Dakle, brend više nije samo obilježje, već cijeli doživljaj ključan za donošenje odluka o kupnji.
Tema ovog rada je važnost i utjecaj brenda na proces donošenja odluke o kupnji, a za njegove potrebe provedeno je istraživanje metodom ankete na uzorku od 138 studenata različitih fakulteta. Njime se nastojalo utvrditi utječe li brend, u kojoj mjeri i putem kojih elemenata na proces donošenja odluke o kupnji, kao i pokazati u kojoj kategoriji proizvoda brend ima najviše utjecaja na donošenje odluke o kupnji, utječe li cijena proizvoda na predodžbu o kvaliteti brenda te jesu li ispitanici skloni eksperimentiranju s različitim brendovima proizvoda. Rezultati su pokazali da brend ima značajan utjecaj na kupovne odluke studenata, pri čemu prvenstveno percipirana kvaliteta, a potom i stupanj povjerenja u brend, pouzdanost brenda te emocionalne veze predstavljaju ključne elemente utjecaja. Pritom većina studenata cijenu proizvoda povezuju s njegovom kvalitetom te su spremni investirati više u brendirane proizvode u odnosu na nebrendirane, dok kao glavne kategorije u kojoj brend ima najveći utjecaj na njihove kupovne odluke navode (sportsku) obuću i tehnološke „pametne“ uređaje. U konačnici, značaj udio studenata vrlo ozbiljno pristupa ostvarivanju dugoročnih, lojalnih odnosa s brendovima te su, sukladno tome, manje skloniti mijenjati ih i eksperimentirati s njima. |
| Abstract (english) | A brand as a way of labeling a product has been around since the market existed. Today, there are numerous brands on the market, therefore it is extremely important to build a recognizable brand identity in order for it to become a strong brand in the minds of consumers. The role of the brand is to direct the consumer's attention to the product that can satisfy their needs and desires. At the same time, brands have tangible and intangible features that attract consumers, communicate with them, and ease the buying decision process. Although in the beginning the functional (tangible) features of the brand dominated in order to differentiate the product from the competition, today the emotional (intangible) features are much more important. Namely, people analyze rationally, but make decisions emotionally. Intangible values account for as much as 80% of success, and only 20% of costs. Therefore, it is necessary to build a strong relationship with consumer based on emotionality, because the true value of a brand is in the consumer's perception. So, the brand is no longer just a feature, but an entire experience that is crucial for making buying decisions.
The topic of this paper is the importance and impact of the brand on the buying decision process. For the purpose of the paper, a survey was conducted on a sample of 138 students from different faculties. The survey sought to determine whether, to what extent and through which elements the brand affects the buying decision process, as well as to show in which product category the brand has the biggest influence on buying decision process, whether the price of the product affects the perception of brand quality, and whether respondents tend to experiment with different brands. The results showed that the brand has a significant influence on the buying decisions of students, with primarily the perceived quality, and then the degree of trust in the brand, brand familiarity and emotional connections being the key elements of influence. At the same time, most students associate the price of a product with its quality and are ready to invest more in branded products compared to non-branded ones, while the main categories in which the brand has the greatest influence on their buying decisions are (sports) footwear and technological "smart" devices. Ultimately, a significant proportion of students are very serious about establishing long-term, loyal relationships with brands and, accordingly, are less inclined to change them and experiment with them. |
