Search

Although there were many consumer behavior studies, their focus was on traditional brands. Despite that, their conclusions and recommendations can serve as a model for private label research. This paper aims to find out the influence of packaging on consumer purchasing decisions in the yoghurt segment. Attention was drawn to Slovak consumers under the age of 25 years. To achieve the aim, survey, structured questionnaire (549 randomly chosen respondents) and blind test (20 respondents) methods were used. For a deeper analysis, four hypotheses were set out and tested using statistical methods of Pearsons’ Chi-Square Test, Friedman test, Mantel-Haenszel Chi-Square Test, Phi Coefficient, Cramer’s V Coefficient and correspondence analysis. The results proved that almost 58% of respondents bought private labels sporadically, over 20% of respondents bought them multiple times a week, and over 18% of respondents bought them once a week. In terms of perceived quality, it can be said that quality of private label products is perceived as good and adequate, they evoke impression of adequate quality at a reasonable price, the decisive factor for their purchase is a combination of reasonable price and quality, and the reasons not to buy are high price, low quality and lack of information about the producer. Regarding the impact of packaging on respondents’ purchasing decisions, it is found that less than 34% of respondents believe that packaging of private label products is unattractive, and up to 33% of respondents think that packaging does not affect them. AcknowledgementThe paper was supported by the research project GA SUA No. 8/2019 “Private labels as the alternative to purchase”, which is solved at the Department of Marketing and Trade, Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra.

Currently the cow milk market is characterised by a decrease in consumption and sales, for both fresh and long-life products. In addition to the negative consumer perception towards milk, linked to, for example, its potential perceived negative effects on human health, at Italian level, this product is overlooked on the market in terms of communication strategies and innovation, increasingly rendering this product an undifferentiated commodity. As product packaging represents a key factor to improve and develop products on the market, the aim of this research is to analyse consumer preferences and attitudes towards different innovative strategies of milk packaging. A consumer sample from North-West Italy was involved in the experiment, to investigate their purchasing habits and preference towards cow’s milk. An ordered logit model was implemented, in order to determine consumer willingness to pay for milk packaging innovation (11 packaging indicators), in addition to establishing the best strategies for product improvement, in recognition of the emerging needs of consumers. We found that consumers express a high level of interest towards the packaging attributes associated with environmental sustainability, especially regarding the choice of packaging materials and their recyclable features (from 3.369 to 3.645 of mean preference score of the 5-points Likert scale). Furthermore, consumers declared a willingness to pay a premium price, up to 20% more, for innovative milk packaging, demonstrating the potential for general applicability in the relevant market.

Seaweeds are a traditional food throughout the Pacific. In Samoa, the edible seaweeds limu fuafua (sea grapes, Caulerpa racemosa and C. chemnitzia) and limu a’au (red seaweed, Halymenia durvillei and Halymenia sp.) are hand-harvested and consumed fresh or cooked, respectively. However, there is limited scientific or traditional documentation of these commodities. Here, we assess the traditional use and cultural value of edible seaweeds and explore modern consumer preferences and perceived nutritional benefits. Structured enumerator-administered questionnaires were used to examine the relationship between consumption and demographics and subsequently to assess the key motivators for consumption, including perceived nutritional benefits. A total of 320 participants were surveyed across 20 village communities, with 95% reporting consumption of Caulerpa and 40% of Halymenia. Consumption was primarily on a weekly to monthly basis, and even once a day. Motivators and barriers for consumption were then assessed in 320 village participants with an additional 203 intercept interviews at fish markets. A content analysis of the open-ended questions revealed the key motivators for eating limu were health and taste (positive), whereas the key barriers were taste (negative) and availability. We identify opportunities to develop a nutrient evidence base for Samoan seaweeds to aid in marketing, especially for youth.

This research will determine the factors that influence customer preference for local brands over foreign brands in the era of a developing country. This is a quantitative research design. Questionnaires have been used to collect the data on product standards, social media engagement, local positive testimonials, brand application and brand trust. The sample size was 80 – randomly selected. Organizations should improve quality, design, compatibility, consistency, attitude and online appearance on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Celebrity testimonials have more influence on consumers than a non-celebrity testimonial. The research is original in that it was conducted from scratch. Moreover, the researchers sought help from previous research in the field to define technical terms, of which have been cited accordingly.

The aim of this study is to know Italian consumers’ preferences for Pasta and consumption habits. Food culture and concerns about food security and product innovation were investigated. A sample of Italian consumers was interviewed. Consumer’ profile, motivations and purchasing behavior were described. Relationships between observed variables and the latent constructs that explain the preferences were highlighted. There is asymmetric information between consumers and producers. Consumers believe Pasta is made with Italian grains, and therefore it is healthy and safe, although that’s not always the case. Intrinsic and extrinsic high quality, which derives from growing and production technologies, is required.

Agrifood chains that are based on the values defined by end consumers are able to secure a competitive edge over other chains, but securing that competitive edge requires a thorough understanding of the consumers and their value preferences. This study was conducted with a view to understanding domestic apple consumers in Malang, Indonesia, and using that information to guide the opportunities for domestic apple supply chain development in Indonesia. Data were collected through an intercept survey of 200 apple consumers. The survey was designed to identify the respondents’ consumption and buying patterns, as well as their attribute preferences for domestic apple compared to imported apple. Respondents were segmented based on their demographic profile and their value preferences for the domestic apple. Three significantly different clusters of domestic apple consumers were identified: the ‘indifferent consumers’ disregarded the importance of most attributes of domestic apples; the ‘pro-sensory consumers’ valued sensory attributes more than search attributes; and the ‘value seeking consumers’ rated most of the value attributes as important in making a purchase. This study identifies the need for value chain members to adopt practices along the chain that enhance particular attributes of domestic apples in order to increase value for each consumer segment.

The emergence of e-commerce and express delivery services has significantly transformed business operations and consumer shopping experience. However, the resulting problem of packaging waste, particularly from overpackaging, poses serious challenges to environmental sustainability and human health. Existing research has proposed many solutions from various perspectives, but very few have considered the acceptability and consumer preference for these proposals. Using the value co-creation (VCC) theory, we established a research model to explore consumer preferences for e-commerce overpackaging solutions. A survey of 632 online consumers in Guangzhou and Shenzhen was conducted, and data were analyzed using the SmartPLS software. The results show that establishing a recycling system, government policy, and consumers’ environmental awareness have a significant positive impact on consumer preference, while combined packaging has a significant negative impact. We also found that government policy plays an intermediary role in establishing a recycling system and consumer preference. Based on these findings, we recommend that enterprises establish and improve their packaging recycling systems and that e-commerce platforms provide alternative options to combined packaging. Also, the government should play a guiding and coordinating role for enterprises and consumers, and environmental awareness among consumers should actively be promoted.

Over the last years, consumer demand for natural and healthy convenient food has increased, and with it the demand for organic convenience food. With convenience food, the processing level increases, which consumers are sceptical of. This holds especially for organic consumers who prefer natural, healthy, and sustainable food products. In the literature, consumer preferences are investigated for processed conventional food, but rarely for organic products. Therefore, this study investigates consumers’ knowledge, expectations, and attitudes towards selected processing technologies for organic food. Nine focus groups with 84 organic consumers were conducted, discussing preservation technologies of organic milk and orange juice. Results showed that participants had little knowledge about processing technologies but were interested in their benefits. Organic processing technologies should include fewer processing steps, low environmental impact, while keeping the product as natural as possible. Since consumers want to know benefits but not details of processing, asking consumers for their specific preferences when developing new processing technologies remains challenging. This paper shows how consumers’ benefit and risk perception including their want for naturalness, and scepticism for new technologies shape their evaluation of (organic) food processing technologies. Two consumer groups with different attitudes towards processing could be identified: ’organic traditionalists’ and ‘organic pragmatics’.

The research aimed to examine the intention of Generation Z when using e-wallet for payments and the influence of discounts towards using e-wallet in the time of pandemics. The research used the qualitative method with total data of 22 students, collected using in-depth interviews through WhatsApp free call. The result shows that discount gives an impact on Generation Z in choosing the e-wallet, but a long-term loyalty is not guaranteed. The finding demonstrates that there are other influential factors for Generation Z to choose e-Wallet, namely ease of use, interrelated apps with the e-wallet, the security system, and cashless society. The limitations of the research lie in the relatively small numbers of respondents. Due to pandemics with physical distancing requirements, the research only carries out on data collected from 22 students from Economics Faculty in the State University of Malang, Indonesia. However, the research provides an insightful analysis for digital payments industry as a reference. It is expected that fellow researchers and academicians use the research as a fundamental to further investigate digital payments, especially amongst Generation Z in Indonesia or other parts of the world.

Plantain is an important food security crop for farming households in Nigeria. This study investigates the relative importance of plantain food products and their quality descriptors from the perspective of farmers in Southern-Nigeria, to inform end-user oriented and socially inclusive breeding strategies that drive hybrid adoption. Surveys were conducted in twelve rural communities in three states in the plantain belt of Nigeria, consisting of key informant interviews, sex-disaggregated focused group discussions and individual interviews. Dodo (fried plantains), boli (roasted plantains), boiled plantain, plantain with beans and porridge were the most common food products identified in the study areas. Fruit size, pulp texture (firmness/softness), colour, maturity stage and taste were identified as the most critical characteristics, with impact on quality of processed food products. There were significant differences between states regarding the importance of plantain food products, but little interstate and gender differences for fresh fruit and food product quality characteristics. ispartof: International Journal Of Food Science And Technology vol:56 issue:3 status: Published online

High levels of meat consumption are increasingly being criticised for ethical, environmental, and social reasons. Plant-based meat substitutes have been with reservations identified as healthy sources of protein in comparison to meat. This alternative offers several social, environmental, and probably health benefits, and it may play a role in reducing meat consumption. However, there has been a lack of research on how specific meat substitute attributes can influence consumers to replace or partially replace meat in their diets. Research has demonstrated that, in many countries, consumers are highly attached to meat. They consider it to be an essential and integral element of their daily diet. For the consumers that are not interested in vegan or vegetarian alternatives to meat, so-called meathybrids could be a low-threshold option for a more sustainable food consumption behaviour. In meathybrids, only a fraction of the meat product (e.g., 20% to 50%) is replaced with plant-based proteins. In this paper, the results of an online survey with 500 German consumers are presented with a focus on preferences and attitudes relating to meathyrids. The results show that more than fifty percent of consumers substitute meat at least occasionally. Thus, approximately half of the respondents reveal an eligible consumption behaviour with respect to sustainability and healthiness to a certain degree. Regarding the determinants of choosing either meathybrid or meat, it becomes evident that the highest effect is exerted by the health perception. The healthier meathybrids are perceived, the higher is the choice probability. Thus, this egoistic motive seems to outperform altruistic motives, like animal welfare or environmental concerns, when it comes to choice for this new product category.

Understanding consumer food preferences can provide agribusinesses with a competitive advantage through meeting consumers&rsquo, needs. Consumers&rsquo, preferences for food attributes have been extensively examined, focusing on specific aspects of attributes with specific food products. It is less clear how consumers evaluate the relative importance of the key food attributes in general. Applying the commonly adopted classification of food attributes into endogenous attributes (i.e., safety and freshness) and exogenous attributes (i.e., genetically modified (GM)-free and organic), the relative importance of these attributes for consumers was investigated. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of preferences was explored to identify distinct subgroups of consumers who may differ in valuing various food attributes. An online survey of 489 city dwellers in Australia revealed that the endogenous attributes were regarded as the most important in an order of safety and freshness. The exogenous attributes were rated as much less important. Three profiles with distinctive preferences for food attributes were identified: Not Fussy (12% of participants), Quality First (49%) and Choosy (39%). The findings suggest that consumers value the importance of various food attributes in a hierarchical order, and there is significant heterogeneity in consumers&rsquo, food preference. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of food policy and agribusiness decision-making.

As a reflection of rational consumer behavior, the compromise effect can be found in decision-making behaviors regarding consumer choice of commodities. Aside from price, food quality and safety, which are directly related to consumer health, are important factors that influence consumer behavior. To study whether the compromise effect exists in food consumer behavior, we examined consumer choice in the context of different decoy information (e.g., low price, high price, and different presentation) using traceable pork, brand pork, and geographically indicated pork. Results demonstrated that, in regard to consuming pork products, consumer behavior exhibited significant compromise effects after receiving both low-price and high-price decoy information. However, when the presentation of low-price and high-price decoy information was changed, i.e., decoy information was presented when consumers were autonomously making choices in a neutral information context, the compromise effect was weakened, and consumer preferences changed systematically, thus suggesting the existence of an anchoring effect. This study highlights the implications of the compromise effect in food marketing and policies related to food safety.

A healthy banking industry plays a vital role in the economic stability, and banks success depends on its products. Therefore, this study aims at cognizing the consumer’s preference and awareness of Islamic Ijarah over the conventional lease in Pakistan. This research used regression as tools of analysis. The findings indicate that convenience is the prime determinant for preference of Ijarah over the lease. Moreover, all other factors except religion also support in the motivate selection of Islamic banking products. Therefore, it can be concluded that in Pakistan, religion is not the only fact motivates individuals to prefer Ijarah. Based on findings, it is recommended to relevant stakeholders to create more awareness among masses about Ijarah and to further ease out policies in order to harness optimum benefit.DOI: 10.15408/aiq.v10i2.7106

The intense competition affecting the wine industry in recent decades has forced wineries and retailers to reshape their marketing strategies on the basis of consumer preferences. The current study aims to identify such preferences and the effects they might have in influencing consumer decisions. Preferences for different wine attributes as well as the psychographic traits of respondents were revealed through a web-based questionnaire administered to 504 wine consumers living in the wider metropolitan area of New York. Best-worst scaling (BWS) was used to detect consumer preferences for eleven wine attributes. Based on individual best-worst scores, a latent class segmentation analysis was implemented to classify consumers into four segments on the basis of psychographic characteristics such as involvement, subjective knowledge, innovativeness and loyalty proneness. The four segments identified (i.e. experientials, connoisseurs, risk minimizers and price-sensitive) differ significantly in terms of their preferences towards wine and psychographic characteristics, suggesting that a mass marketing approach is no longer suitable. Accordingly, managers need to adapt their marketing strategies to meet the preferences of different target groups. The results provide broad implications for marketers, wineries and retailers interested in successfully targeting consumers in a highly competitive market. Keywords: Best-worst scaling, Consumer preferences, US wine consumers

The market diffusion of self-consumption technologies, such as photovoltaic and battery systems, is an important aspect in the transition towards a sustainable energy system. Most studies, which address this issue, focus solely on economic aspects and neglect the influence of individual electricity consumption behaviour and consumer preferences on the individual benefit of a self-consumption system. Yet, preferences and behaviour have a significant impact in the market uptake of new technologies, as can be seen in the current sales figures of batteries for the purpose of self-consumption enhancement. The technology is purchased, even though it is still far from economically viable. In this study, a market diffusion model is proposed that is based on 415 individual electricity load profiles, which define the homeowners’ consumption behaviour. Additionally, the results of a market survey are included to explicitly model different user groups and map their varying willingness to pay. The results show that homeowners who are likely to adopt a self-consumption technology are on average characterised by higher annual electricity consumption. The consumption behaviour, and therefore the load profiles are heterogeneous within each user group and therefore, also the individual utility of a battery for self-consumption enhancement differs significantly. The results show that the suggested modelling approach is able to explain the past development of battery installations in private households in Germany. Up until 2030, the model simulations suggest a moderate development of battery enhanced self-consumption, resulting in a battery of 2 GW h in private households in 2030.

I.INTRODUCTIONThe Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) is one of the most underdeveloped countries in Asia, and the lack of nutrients has been continuously issued throughout the National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP). In 2012, for instance, 27% of children under five years old showed a low level of body weight while 44% has malnutrition due to undernourishment according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Laos. The 8th NSEDP (2016-2020) emphasizes on providing food supplements including milk to children at schools as well as promoting value-added livestock industry (MPI, 2015). Previously, Lao government had managed the national milk brand, Nabong, to boost its milk industry but it failed due to lack of business capacity in 2008. Understanding consumers' preference for dairy products can be useful for enhancing business capacity when Lao government considers its national milk brand again as a public business sector in the future.On the other hand, one early study indicates that national brand is reflected and changed over time through product image (Nagashima, 1977). The national brand image usually depends on the culture which incorporates economic development, education, economic size, population, and political situation (Forgas and O'Driscoll, 1984). As many projects from international donors, so called, official development assistance (ODA) has been actively undertaken, such activity can play a significant role in creating donors' brand image to consumers. That is, ODA can be linked with private sectors that want to promote their market capacity to other countries. An empirical study (Kim and Lee, 2010) has also proven to have positive effects of ODA on the formation of Korean national brand especially with the intention to visit Korea and purchase Korean products from recipient countries.The primary purpose of this research is to find out which factors can affect significantly on consumers' behavior of buying milk products using brand images with basic information including price, calories and fat content, which has never been done before in Laos. More specifically, it estimates the value of attributes of fluid milk and consumers' characteristics comparing four real products (Foremost, Nabong, Thai-Danish, and Meiji) to one hypothetical product (Laos-Korea) assuming that the willingness to pay for the one would reveal a latent brand power of Korea in Laos. Also, the study can touch on indirect effects of Korea's aid to Laos by adding the name of Lao-Korea in milk brands and comparing it with other milk brands existed in the current market.It can be essential and needed for developing dairy industry by focusing on demand side so that this study explores factors affecting consumers' decision on milk products through market research in Laos. There is similar market research of finding factors for dairy products. Turkey, for instance, where most households consume raw milk, researchers find that the income and education have a positive relationship with the consumption of pasteurized milk, that is promoted by the government while the number of households and age of household head have a negative one (Tiryaki and Akbay, 2010). In the region of Qingdao in China, consumers prefer pasteurized milk to low-fat milk and low-fat milk to fresh milk. There are four important attributes such as butterfat, processing methods, tastes and prices for purchasing dairy products, and female consumers like raw milk compared to males, and the old is more sensitive to the fat contents than the young (Bai et al., 2007). Therefore, Understanding Lao consumers' recognition of milk brands including its national brand, Nabong, that is not available in the current market can be substantial if Lao government retries to have its national milk brand again in the market.To respond to this research agenda, major factors that affect consumers' preference for dairy products are examined first by implementing the pretest based on previous literature. …

This study quantified the acceptability of smart food packaging technologies and determined their associations with sociodemographic, attitudinal, and behavioral characteristics of consumers in China. Two quantitative surveys were conducted using an intercept method in Beijing with one for intelligent food packaging and the other for active food packaging. Chi‐square tests of independence and contingency tables were used to determine the acceptability of smart food packaging and significant associations with multiple variables. Smart packaging was accepted by 56% of participants in both surveys. Marital status and employment status were associated with the acceptance of active packaging, while consumer interactions with current food packaging were associated with the acceptance of intelligent packaging. Acceptance of both active and intelligent packaging was associated with trust in multiple institutions. This study is the first to provide broad information about Chinese consumers' acceptance of smart packaging technologies for food products. Findings from this research can contribute to further detailed consumer studies in product‐specific packaging designs., Marital status and employment status are associated with the acceptance of active packaging. Consumer interactions with current food packaging are associated with the acceptance of intelligent packaging. Acceptance of active packaging was associated with trust in the pharmaceutical industry, government agencies, and consumer organizations. Acceptance of intelligent packaging was associated with trust in the agricultural industry, government agencies, and consumer organizations.

PurposeThe present study aims at analysing consumer preferences for the pomegranate fruit, focussing on the effect of ready-to-eat format (i.e. packaged arils) on the purchasing choice, together with several products’ attributes as the origin, the packaging typology and the price.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a choice experiment (CE) among 626 Italian consumers from Veneto region through an online survey. The study estimates both a conditional logit (CL) and a latent class logit model (LCM).FindingsBy segmenting the sample based on the heterogeneous preferences of consumers, it can distinguish “eco-friendly consumers”, “time-saving lovers”, “nationalists” and “price sensitive” subjects. Interestingly, the marginal willingness to pay for ready-to-eat arils is positive for the “time-saving lovers” that are mainly young consumers. The Italian origin has always a positive effect on the choice, whereas a negative effect is found for the price. Finally, the eco-friendly package has both a negative and a positive effect.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample of this study is not representative of the population and the CE has a hypothetical nature. It follows that further research will link the economic analysis to a consumer test on a more representative sample.Practical implicationsThis study can be useful for the pomegranate producers and the industry because it provides original evidence that could drive their business and marketing strategies, for instance, the preference for ready-to-eat arils.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first seeking to determine the factors that affect consumers' preferences for pomegranate arils.

Copyright © 2020 Wesana, Gellynck, Dora, Muyama, Mutenyo, Elizabeth, Kagambe and De Steur. While nutrition sensitive value chain approaches are strongly advocated, studies on consumer preferences for such interventions are lacking. This study aims to fill this gap by examining a nutrition sensitive chain labelling scheme, using the Ugandan dairy sector as a case. A survey was conducted among 250 consumers, primarily eliciting perceptions of the importance of a nutrition sensitive chain label compared to nutrition claims/facts. In addition, a choice-based conjoint experiment was designed with nutrition label, brand, fat content and price as attributes. Findings show that nutrition sensitive chain labelling was more positively perceived by consumers than nutrition claims/facts. Ordered logistic regression analysis indicated that BMI, nutrition knowledge and label use influenced consumers’ perceived importance of a nutrition sensitive chain label relative to sex, age, children and milk purchase frequency for nutrition claims/facts. This is confirmed by the higher utilities for the nutrition sensitive chain label in our conjoint experiment. Future research should focus on the integration of nutrition sensitive chain labelling with existing labels in a way that promotes candid interpretation by consumers. Industrial and policy actors in the agri-food sector can use these findings to innovate and regulate appropriate labelling schemes in the context of nutrition sensitive value chains. Ghent University Special Research Fund (Grant No. 01W01515).

Purpose: This study aims to investigate how extrinsic cues such as brand, certification, production method and price affect Muslim soujouk consumers’ purchasing decisions in Turkey. Design/methodology/approach: Conjoint analysis was used to identify consumers’ preferences and cluster analysis was used to reveal consumer segments for Turkish soujouk, which is a kind of fermented sausage. A total of 270 Muslim consumers from Turkey were selected by using a convenience sampling method. Four extrinsic cues were selected for analysis: brand (unbranded product, private label and national brand), certification (Turkish Standards Institution, geographical indication and halal certificate), production method (heat process and fermentation) and price (TRY11, TRY15 and TRY19). Findings/results: Brand, certification, production method and price were found to be significant for consumer preference. Price was the least important attribute in consumer purchase intention. National brand and halal certification were amongst the most important levels. The research also revealed two basic consumer segments according to cluster analysis. Practical implications: The study has practical significance for manufacturers in Muslim countries to identify the main extrinsic cue that influences consumers’ preferences in meat products. This result provides important insights to both local producers and foreign manufacturers that market their meat products to Muslim society. Originality/value: This is the first study on Turkish Muslim consumers’ preferences towards meat products analysing extrinsic product attributes. In addition, conjoint analysis and cluster analysis are used to specify Muslim consumers’ preferences.

This research explored the preferences and buying habits of a sample of 620 consumers of fresh-cut, ready-to-eat salads. A best&ndash, worst scaling approach was used to measure the level of preference stated by individuals regarding 12 attributes for quality (intrinsic, extrinsic and credence) of fresh-cut salads. The experiment was carried out through direct interviews at several large-scale retail outlets in the Turin metropolitan area (north-west of Italy). Out of the total number of questioned consumers, 35% said they did not consume fresh-cut salads. On the contrary, the rest of the involved sample expressed the highest degree of preference towards the freshness/appearance attribute, followed by the expiration date and the brand. On the contrary, attributes such as price, organic certification and food safety did not emerge as discriminating factors in consumer choices. Additionally, five clusters of consumers were identified, whose preferences are related both to purchasing styles and socio-demographic variables. In conclusion, this research has highlighted the positive attitude of consumers towards quality products backed by a brand, providing ideas for companies to improve within this sector and implement strategies to answer the needs of a new segment of consumers, by determining market opportunities that aim to strengthen local brands.