ASSESSMENT OF RESEARCHES IN LITHUANIA OF RETAIL INTERNATIONALIZATION IMPACT ON CUSTOMER ATTITUDE

To date customer attitude about companies entering the market and their possible impact upon consumers has not frequently been the object of investigation within the internationalisation of retail trade. The objective of the present article is to assess the expectations of Lithuanian consumers and the extent to which their expectations where met following the entry into the national market of the world's largest furniture retail company, IKEA. The methodological basis for the present paper is an analysis of reference material on the internationalisation of retail trade examining cases of successes and failures of retail companies, exploring and understanding consumer expectations and the ways to meet such expectations, as well as peculiarities of entering different markets. The practical significance of the present survey is that it is a survey of consumer attitude prior to the company entering the market in another country, which would enable a potential retail entrant to know the expectations of consumers and thus take appropriate decisions. The second consumer survey would enable surveyors to determine to what extent the expectations of consumers have been met and what improvements the potential entrant should seek to make.