Good gravy! Quebec’s rotisserie chicken chain St. Hubert has frozen prices for all main courses on its menu and reduced prices on appetizers–all while maintaining portion sizes. This is part of a broader trend toward value in quick-service restaurants. “Food price inflation has hit both grocery stores and restaurants, but it’s more noticeable in restaurants,” Professor Yu Ma tells CTV News. “There is the cost of food, but also labour, taxes, and tips.
Across programs and subject areas, the 91˿Ƶ Desautels Faculty of Management recognizes the vital role that research, teaching, service and media engagement play in enriching the student experience and inspiring the next generation of leaders through the annual Faculty Awards. This year we recognize the following outstanding members of our faculty:
Research
ܳٳǰ:Yu Ma, Kusum L. Ailawadi, Mercedes Martos-Partal and Óscar González-Benito
Publication:Journal of Marketing
Articles in advance — published online: August 8, 2023
Abstract:
Yu Ma, Associate Professor at the 91˿Ƶ Desautels Faculty of Management, discusses the consumer implications of aspartame being listed as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), potentially increasing scrutiny and concerns about the safety of food additives. Professor Ma suggests that consumers may become more cautious about processed foods and seek out "clean label" options with recognizable ingredients.
Discount department store Zellers hopes to make a comeback next year, a decade after the Canadian chain shuttered most of its locations. Hudson's Bay Co. says Zellers will debut a new e-commerce website and expand its brick-and-mortar footprint within select Hudson's Bay department stores across the country in early 2023. The company says the relaunched Zellers will offer "a digital-first shopping journey that taps into the nostalgia of the brand." ()
COVID-19 caused massive shifts in the way we do even the most mundane of things. Take grocery shopping, for example. This past October, Dr. Yu Ma, Associate Professor of Marketing and Academic Director of the Master of Management in Retailing (MMR), spoke at Grocery Innovations Canada. Here, he shared his insights on how COVID-19 has transformed the grocery shopping environment and what retailers can do to mitigate shopping anxiety and provide a positive shopping experience for consumers.
A smart city—supported by digital solutions to enhance food access and mobility—is a healthy city. That’s the thinking behind the Implementing Smart Cities Interventions to Build Healthy Cities (SMART) Training Platform co-led by 91˿Ƶ, the University of Guelph and the University of Manitoba. Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, and the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced an investment of $4.95 million over six years for SMART.
Authors: Yu Ma, P.B. Seetharaman and V. Singh
Publication: Journal of Business Research, Volume 124, January 2021, Pages 152-162
Abstract:
In episode 3 ofThe‘New Normal’ hosted byDave Kaufman,ProfessorYu Ma discusses how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected our relation to grocery stores, how shopping has changed in the last year, and what can be done from a technological perspective to improve the shopping experience and perhaps even help the consumer make more informed and healthier choices at the store.
Professor Yu Ma, Academic Director of the Master of Management in Retailing (MMR) program, weighs in on the ongoing impact of the pandemic on Canadian retail trends, particularly the steep rise in e-commerce. From his perspective, the convenience of online shopping comes at the expense of the social aspect that encourages customers to spend their money in-store.
Only 30 percent of Canada’s small business are hitting normal sales numbers as the second wave of the pandemic crashes into their bottom line. According to Professor Yu Ma, Academic Director of the Master of Management in Retailing, nothing short of digital transformation will equip these businesses to survive.
The retail industry is rapidly evolving under emerging technologies and shifting consumer demands. Discover how the new 91˿Ƶ-Bensadoun Master of Management in Retailing will prepare the next generation of retail leaders to shape the future of this exciting, in-demand industry.
The new Master of Management in Retailing (MMR) program is the latest offering by the Bensadoun School of Retail Management (BSRM) at 91˿Ƶ.
Yu Ma, Academic Director, and Anwar White, Program Director, discuss the MMR program ahead of its launch in fall 2021.
New research from Prof Yu Ma suggests there are opportunities for marketers to encourage healthier shopping among warehouse store customers.
This article is brought to you by Delve, the official thought leadership publication of 91˿Ƶ's Desautels Faculty of Management.
Congratulations to Yu Ma,Associate Professor of Marketing and Bensadoun Scholar, whose article “The Club Store Effect: Impact of Shopping in Warehouse Club Stores on Consumers' Packaged Food Purchases” has beenselected as one of four finalists for the Journal of Marketing Research’s 2019 Paul E. Green Award
The Paul E. Green Award recognizes the best article in the Journal of Marketing Research within the last calendar year that demonstrates the most potential to contribute significantly to the practice of marketing research.
Publication: Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 55, No. 2, April 2018
Authors: Kusum L. Ailawadi, Yu Ma and Dhruv Grewal
This article studies the impact of shopping at the warehouse club format on households' packaged food-for-home purchases. In addition to low prices, this format has several unique characteristics that can influence packaged food purchases. The empirical analysis uses a combination of households' longitudinal grocery purchase information, rich survey data, and detailed item-level nutrition information. After accounting for selection on observables and unobservables, the authors find a substantial increase in the total quantity (servings per capita) of purchases attributable to shopping at this format. Because there is no effect on quality of purchases, this translates into a substantial increase in calories, sugar, and saturated fat per capita. The increase comes primarily from storable and impulse foods and it is drawn equally from foods that have positive and negative health halos. The results have important implications for how marketers can create win–win opportunities for themselves and for consumers.