Philippe Moati is a professor of economics at the University of Paris VII and a senior research fellow at Crédoc.


Supermarkets are undergoing a transformation, even if for many consumers the changes are still barely perceptible. However, the old controversy opposing supermarkets and corner shops is now a thing of the past.
How do we explain Nespresso’s success, and what is the brand really selling? What is the use of the various loyalty and club cards that supermarkets are constantly proposing? Did you know that soon certain food and beverage companies will begin offering to manage your home stocks, based on an analysis of your shopping habits? And where should you go to shop, amidst the confusing array of brands and manufacturers that open their own outlets?
A marketing revolution is gradually transforming our daily lives and our shopping habits, argues Philippe Moati who reveals the principles underlying this transformation. From a selling strategy that aimed to move goods as efficiently as possible according to the tenants of industrial mass production, we have shifted to a system aimed at responding to more personalised expectations. Customer-orientation has replaced product-orientation.

• An essential reference book that gives a thorough analysis of supermarket retailing, with a description of successful strategies for the future.
• The author helps us understand what we, as consumers, are actually purchasing, while exposing the strategies of some major groups.