WHAT MOTIVATES PEOPLE TO PURCHASE CHOCOLATE BRANDS: ITALY VERSUS RUSSIA

Today highly competitive business environment and more exigent customers call for using all available company's resources especially a company's brand for providing better consumer satisfaction. We argue that customers are more loyal to a product brand that corresponds to their needs better (H1). While buying a chocolate, consumers want to satisfy firstly their physical and then their psychological needs (H2). The findings indicate that the respondents prefer to buy chocolate brands that present the characteristics they like most. However, a positive evaluation does not translate into strong brand loyalty. In general consumers purchase multiple chocolate brands. The second hypothesis was disproved. It appears that the needs that are primarily satisfied by buying chocolate are psychological rather than physical.