Athanasios Krystallis and George Chryssohoidis
Seeks to provide answers to two questions: is willingness to pay (WTP) for organic products influenced by the same set of factors that affect purchasing of conventional foods…
Abstract
Purpose
Seeks to provide answers to two questions: is willingness to pay (WTP) for organic products influenced by the same set of factors that affect purchasing of conventional foods? Does WTP for organic products vary according to different food categories?
Design/methodology/approach
Purchasers were approached during their food shopping in retail chains in Athens in July 2003. Sample inclusion is based on real awareness of the term “organic”. The questionnaire included in its first part a number of criteria that influence consumers when buying food. In the second part respondents were asked to indicate if any food products they buy were organic and to state how much more they were willing to pay. Information from the first part was analysed with factor analysis. With the help of t‐value analysis, it was examined whether there is a statistically significant difference per product category between consumers who are willing to pay and consumers who are unwilling to pay in terms of the factors identified.
Findings
Consumers' stated WTP and the type and magnitude of factors that affect it differ according to the organic food category. These factors include food quality and security, trust in the certification, and, for some products, brand name. Organoleptic characteristics, prices and consumers' socio‐demographic profiles do not constitute determinants of organic WTP.
Research limitations/implications
Organic types of some fresh as well as processed food products do not exist in the Greek market. Moreover, the large number of t‐tests conducted might result in Type I error.
Originality/value
Purchasing of organic food follows “basic‐highest frequency”, “basic‐average frequency”, and “non‐basic” discrimination. The most frequently consumed organic products are some basic components of the Greek diet. Only the factors “quality and security” and “trust” play an important role in defining WTP for most organic food categories. Consumers' attitudes towards both organic and PDO/PGI certifications converge towards a perception of high quality food. Approximately 26 percent of the sample exhibited a U‐shaped WTP trend for 14 out of 16 organic food categories in increments from 45 to 120 percent. All the above elements of originality are particularly valuable for organic food firms and policy/decision makers.
Details
Keywords
Sook Fern Yeo, Cheng Ling Tan, Irene Yoke Chu Leong, Dario Natale Palmucci and Yu Jian Then
This study aims to investigate the factors that influence young consumers' purchase intention towards dietary supplements (DS) in Malaysia.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the factors that influence young consumers' purchase intention towards dietary supplements (DS) in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
The supplement industry in Malaysia has been growing rapidly recently due to a paradigm shift in healthcare management, from curative to prevention. Thus, it has sparked interest to conduct a study on the factors that influence young consumers' purchase intentions towards DS. With a response rate of 74.5%, a survey questionnaire was used to elicit data from 149 Gen-Y respondents who consume supplements on a regular basis.
Findings
The results revealed that the influencing factors towards purchase decisions among these Gen-Y respondents aged between 17 and 25 are based on product knowledge and product quality. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are outlined at the end of this paper.
Originality/value
This study offers empirical insights from the perspective of an emerging digital economy on the factors that influence young consumers' purchase intentions towards DS in Malaysia.
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Fiorella Pia Salvatore, Nino Adamashvili and Francesco Contò
The main aims are underlining the role of functional foods (FFs) for population wellbeing, investigating the reasons in the self-consciousness of the different countries'…
Abstract
Purpose
The main aims are underlining the role of functional foods (FFs) for population wellbeing, investigating the reasons in the self-consciousness of the different countries' populations and exploring what influences in purchasing decisions to address the management of food-producing businesses. This information will make consumer management easier.
Design/methodology/approach
A two-step methodology was adopted: (1) literature review and (2) online interview. The principal component analysis (PCA) was used to facilitate and reduce the data complexity. Software Stata/SE was used for data analysis in both Italy and Georgia.
Findings
Customers' attitudes, awareness level and decision-making process are clarified through the comparative analysis between Italian and Georgian populations. They have a number of reasons that incentivize their behavior. These reasons may be used by food-producing businesses to evaluate their performance and develop ad hoc strategies for consumer management.
Originality/value
The key elements that determine the FF and motivate the consumer to buy can constitute a foundation for actions related to the development and management of food-producing businesses. Knowing the factors that consumers consider in the process of choosing FFs will help define the strategies that businesses should use for product improvement, better managing the consumer. This study can support the development of education, prevention and promotion of managerial improvements. The innovative mixed methodology applied to the topic is one of the original factors of the study.