As part of the Retail Marketing Consulting course, students of the SBWL Retail and Marketing were commissioned by AKM in the winter semester 2024/25 to investigate the acceptance of background music in service environments (especially in retail and gastronomy) and how music influences consumer behaviour. To investigate these questions, observations were made on the use of music in 27 retail stores (from seven retail sectors) and 158 people were interviewed about their experience when leaving the stores. In a CAWI survey of 522 people, attitudes towards the use of popular music, functional music and AI-generated music were also investigated.

“The students didn't look at music from a musicological perspective, but instead focused on the customer's perspective and thus generated exciting insights for us.”
Dieter Krupitza MA, Head of the Licenses Division, AKM

Project management: Dr. Cordula Cerha (Institute for Retailing & Data Science)

SONNENTOR is one of the early-movers in sustainability marketing. The company has been producing organic teas and organic spices since 1988 and sells them through its own stores and franchise partners. The strategy of focusing on sustainability and the common good was initially ridiculed, but is now being imitated by many competitors in the market. Against this backdrop, students specializing in retail and marketing worked on the project "The SONNNENTOR store today and tomorrow!". During the summer semester of 2024 they tried to find out how SONNENTOR can continue to be perceived as an innovative store in the future. Following desk research, the students took a close look at 7 store locations in Vienna and conducted a total of 252 interviews with existing and potential SONNENTOR customers gaining exciting insights for store design and sustainability communication.

"Thank you for allowing SONNENTOR to be a project partner. It was great to experience the enthusiasm of the students. I have rarely heard sustainability so often and I am happy that the circular economy has also found a prominent place in modern economics and thus at WU Vienna!"
Johannes Gutmann, founder and owner of SONNENTOR

Project lead: Dr. Cordula Cerha (Institute for Retailing & Data Science)

„The interaction with students from the Institute of Retailing and Data Science in the course of the project work is a valuable opportunity for Maresi Austria GmbH to gain new brand insights and also to establish contacts with potential future employees. For the participants, working on a specific question offers the opportunity to try out theoretical knowledge in real life and thus gain initial insights into their potential future jobs. The comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the competition offers our Shan'shi brand exciting starting points for the design of the future marketing mix. The quality of the work carried out is very impressive. The guidance provided by Dr Cordula Cerha is valuable for both sides, as this format is an excellent way of fruitfully combining the two worlds of university and practice.“
                                                                     Andreas Nentwich, CEO Maresi

As Austrians are becoming bolder in their culinary tastes, Asian food is increasingly popular for at-home consumption. Against this backdrop, students on the Retail Marketing Consulting course were given the opportunity to work on the Shan'shi brand and its competitive positioning this semester. After store visits, blind tastings and interviews with potential customers, we presented our insights to the management team and were delighted with the positive feedback.

Project lead: Dr. Cordula Cerha (Institute for Retailing & Data Science)

"I am equally excited and inspired by the huge commitment and expertise of the student consultants! I would like to thank the entire project team at WU Vienna for the exciting presentation and all their efforts."
Johannes Holzleitner, CEO INTERSPAR Österreich

What services should INTERSPAR - as a leading one-stop shopping destination - offer in the future to make everyday life easier for customers in the long term? This is the question that students of SBWL Retail and Marketing addressed as part of a project in the course Retail Marketing Consulting.

In a diary study, they recorded and evaluated 3.513 activities that consumers completed over the course of a week. They also determined what chores consumers did not have enough time to do and where they would have needed help. Based on the findings suggestions were made what services INTERSPAR could offer to facilitate consumers’ daily challenges.

Project lead: Dr. Cordula Cerha (Institute for Retailing & Data Science)

"The students have thoroughly analysed our brand and developed a sophisticated survey instrument. Based on a profound study, they have made specific suggestions for our marketing communication."
Mag. Lukas Steiner, Head of Operations, Polestar

In the summer semester of 2022, a team of students from the Department of Marketing worked on the topic of e-mobility on behalf of Polestar.

Investigating the changes due to digitalization, electrification and other trends, the students first conducted desk research and then empirically examined the purchase decisions for automobiles in the digital age. In particular, they explored the question of which channels and information inspire confidence in the purchase of an electric car.

The results were used to derive starting points for Polestar's brand communication in the growth market of e-mobility.

Project lead:

Dr. Cordula Cerha (Institute for Retailing & Data Science)