Emotional or logical: reason for consumers to buy organic food products

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heerah Jose ◽  
Vijay Kuriakose

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand, among the emotional, practical and logical factors, which factor is more critical while consumers buy organic food products, mostly fruits and vegetables.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered questionnaire survey approach was used to provide a deeper insight into the reasons for consumers to buy organic fruits and vegetables (OF&V). A total of 632 valid questionnaires were obtained, yielding a response rate of 79%.FindingsHealth is a functional/practical factor which consumer expect as a result of consuming organic food products; however, fear towards conventional food products (emotional) is the triggering factor which motivates consumers to buy OF&V. The logical factor such as environmental motive was found insignificant in the current study, Thereby supporting the value theory which posited emotion greater than practical and which in turn greater than logical. However, barriers for consumers to buy OF&V are perceived price and willingness to take effort. Thus by focusing upon fear reducing strategy such as, implementing certification and labelling on OF&V would be a promising strategy.Originality/valueTo the authors' knowledge, no previous studies exist in the organic consumer behaviour research which used the value theory proposed by Mattson (1991) and the study was able to propose that beyond the practical and logical factors, emotional factor has important role while consumer think of buying OF&V.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heerah Jose ◽  
Vijay Kuriakose ◽  
Moli P. Koshy

Purpose Indian consumers are showing an increased demand for organic food products; however, little is known about their intention to buy organic foods. The purpose of this paper is to understand how fear towards conventional food products motivates an individual to buy organic food products and whether trust and perceived price as contextual factors are able to enhance the buying intention. Design/methodology/approach A total of 275 valid responses were collected using a self-administrated structured questionnaire, representative of Indian consumers. An ordinary least square regression analysis was used to analyse the effect of trust and perceived price in influencing the relationship between consumers’ fear and intention to buy organic food products. Findings The moderating role of trust and perceived price in enhancing the direct relation between fear and intention was established. In addition, cluster analysis results revealed that married women with children are showing a greater interest in buying organic food products. Practical implications The findings of the study are of high importance to all stakeholders in organic food products, as selecting marketing practices which target consumers’ concern is an indispensable part of finding a niche for organic food products. Originality/value The findings suggest that even though consumers are fearful towards conventional food products, they displayed negative intention to buy organic food products when their trust towards the third party is low, thus confirming the importance of trust as a buffering agent.


2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efthimia Tsakiridou ◽  
Christina Boutsouki ◽  
Yorgos Zotos ◽  
Kostantinos Mattas

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to identify consumers' attitudes and behaviour towards organic products in Greece.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on a non‐probability quota sample of 660 respondents to explore the attitudes and behaviour of Greek consumers towards organic food products.FindingsGreek consumers seem to be informed about environmental and health issues. They seek information about the nutritional value of food and demand more products free from chemical residues. The results show that most consumers associate organic consumption mainly with fruit and vegetables. Although demographics seem to affect attitudes towards organics, their value in explaining actual behaviour is minimal.Research limitations/implicationsIt is recognized that the data gathered in this study focus on the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki, Greece. The specific area though, is considered to be representative of the total Greek population. The results confirm that health, concern for the environment, animal welfare and support of the local economy are drivers of organic consumption. However, there is an indication that the importance of motives and barriers may vary for different product categories and perhaps future research should focus on product segmentation.Practical implicationsAlthough certain similarities in consumers' attitudes towards organic food products have been identified, this paper records the variation in behaviour towards organics among the various consumer groups examined in Greece, and highlights the gap between attitudes and actual behaviour. Given the complexity of consumer decision making, future research should explore the other value trade‐offs that consumers make.Originality/valueThis paper attempts to provide evidence on the relatively under researched area of organics attitudes and behaviour in Greece.


2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 396-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Seegebarth ◽  
Stefan Henrik Behrens ◽  
Christiane Klarmann ◽  
Nadine Hennigs ◽  
Lisa Luebbehusen Scribner

Purpose – Due to consumer concerns about food-related diseases and an increase in the use of genetically modified food, more and more “green consumers” integrate environmental considerations into daily purchases, asking for healthier, safer and higher quality food. Marketing managers still face the challenge of broadening the understanding of how and why consumers purchase organic food. Specifically, a deeper understanding of the value dimensions consumers perceive in the context of organic food products is required to develop and implement successful management strategies which might transfer positive consumer perceptions to actual buying behavior and satisfaction. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on theoretical and empirical insights on organic food consumption in different markets, this research investigates antecedents of organic food products and differences regarding the relative importance of the value-based drivers across two Western nations. Findings – The results from survey data indicate significant differences in the value perceptions, especially the functional and individual value perceptions, and recommendation behavior related to organic food for consumers from the USA and Germany. In addition, the segmentation approach provides evidence for consumer segments that cross-national borders: the “convinced opponents,” the “silent/private consumers,” the “prestige-seekers” and the “passionate evangelists.” Originality/value – Consequently, instead of a country-based segmentation approach, marketers should emphasize the different types of consumers across national borders in order to address the differences in customer value perception in the organic food market.


Author(s):  
Samariddin Berdiev

There is a rapid increase in organic fruit and vegetables worldwide as well as a rapidly growing potential of organic markets in developing countries such as Eurasian countries. Fruits and vegetables of Uzbek are one of the popular with taste and vitamins in the world, but the Uzbek market of organic food products have not been formed yet, to my knowledge there is no any literature regarding the topic in Uzbekistan. That is why the aim of the article is to explore the development of organic fruits and vegetable market in world’s developed and Eurasian countries. Additionally, the Uzbek peoples’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) and their expectations with regards to organic fruits and vegetables were investigated.


This paper investigates the factors that influence purchasing behavior of organic food in Indonesia. Data were obtained by distributing questionnaires in April-June 2018 to 106 consumers who had bought organic food in the past. Data was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). This study examines the factors that influence the actual buying behavior of organic food products such as health awareness, knowledge of organic food, subjective norms, perceived price and availability. In addition, attitude towards organic food and purchase intention was also tested as a medium for these five factors to influence actual buying behavior. Socio-demographic factors were also tested to determine their influence. The results showed that health consciousness and availability affected people's behavior towards organic food. This behavior is then proven to affect purchase intention which also affects actual buying behavior. With this research, it is expected to be able to explore the interest of Indonesian people to improve health and help marketers of organic food.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norazah Mohd Suki ◽  
Abdul Majeed ◽  
Norbayah Mohd Suki

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of consumption values on consumers’ purchase of organic food and green environmental concerns. Additionally, the relationships between green environmental concerns and consumers’ purchase of organic food are investigated. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 500 consumers with experience in purchasing organic food in Pakistan. The covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) technique was used for the data analysis using the Analysis of Moments Structure software version 23. The CB-SEM technique allows for the simultaneous estimation of all relationships. Findings The CB-SEM technique reveals that of the 11 hypotheses tested, social value heavily influences consumers’ green environmental concerns. Moreover, consumers’ purchase of organic food is greatly impacted by conditional value. Consumers purchase organic food for their daily needs because they feel responsible for preserving and protecting the environment against global warming and its associated threats. This green purchasing behavior actually leads to better social approval, through its ability to impress others. Practical implications Organizations and business owners should address green environmental concerns by seriously applying organic methods in the process of production, processing, packaging and selling of organic food products. Such organic practices would enable organizations and business owners to produce organic food products that are free from chemicals. Originality/value The inclusion of consumption values strengthens the explanatory power of the proposed model in the context of Pakistani consumers’ purchase of organic food and green environmental concerns simultaneously. This study therefore adds new and substantial insights into the marketing theory.


2005 ◽  
Vol 107 (7) ◽  
pp. 500-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torben Hansen

PurposeThe paper proposes to investigate empirically consumers' quality perception of shrimps and cheese.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 320 respondents was included in an experimental design in which two food products, shrimps and cheese, two price‐levels, two levels of purchase involvement, and two types of physical surroundings, elegant and less elegant, were manipulated. The experiments included both simulated buying situations and simulated usage situations.FindingsThe research finds that in the buying situation both experiments perceived price had a positive effect on expected eating quality for high‐involved respondents but not for low‐involved respondents. In the usage situation the effect of expected naturalness on experienced naturalness was in both experiments stronger for high‐involved respondents than for low‐involved respondents. In addition, experienced eating quality positively affected respondents' pleasure‐feeling. The positive effect of experienced eating quality on pleasure‐feeling was stronger for respondents exposed to elegant physical surroundings than for respondents exposed to less elegant surroundings.Research limitations/implicationsThis research concentrated on analyzing two food products, fresh‐shelled shrimps and solid cheese. This could mean that the results may suffer from a lack of generalizability. A large cross‐section of products ought to be studied to improve the generalizability of the results. Also, the manipulation of price and physical surroundings were confined to two different levels. Thus, this research offers no specific guidelines on how to set specific prices or how to establish specific physical surroundings for the purpose of manipulating, e.g. consumers' perceived quality.Practical implicationsThe results emphasize that food producers and retailers, among others, should seek an understanding of consumers' quality perception process in relation to both the buying and the usage situation.Originality/valueThis paper empirically investigates consumers' quality perception in both buying and usage situations. Also, the paper includes purchase involvement and physical surroundings as moderating variables of the quality perception process.


2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isadora do Carmo Stangherlin ◽  
Jose Luis Duarte Ribeiro ◽  
Marcia Barcellos

Purpose Food waste has received attention during the last decade, especially due to its environmental and social impacts. An important contributor to food waste is consumers’ low preference for purchase fruits and vegetables with unusual appearance, products with damaged package and products close to the expiration date, technically called suboptimal food products. Researches show that consumers tend to reject these products when buying food, increasing avoidable food waste. However, consumer considerations when deciding to buy or not to buy suboptimal food are still unknown. The purpose of this paper is to use two different approaches to investigate consumers’ perceptions towards suboptimal food and how they impact their acceptance. Design/methodology/approach The first part of the study involved a qualitative analysis of participants’ open-ended responses (282 answers), where participants were asked to write down the impressions they had about three suboptimal food images. The second phase explored consumers acceptance of suboptimal food through a focus group discussion. Findings Results reveal that considerations about suboptimal food are divergent, with some participants rejecting them because they are impelled to search for perfection when buying food products. However, some individuals are disposed to accept suboptimal products, mainly because they have concern with the environment and cook abilities. Originality/value As a whole, this study contributes for food waste reduction strategies and has implications for marketing actions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (9) ◽  
pp. 2308-2325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richa Misra ◽  
Deepak Singh

Purpose Food gives us essential nutrients to lead a healthy lifestyle but lately it has been found that many food products have become hazardous due to contamination and lead to many diseases. The rampant use of pesticides and chemical-based fertilizers in agriculture has, increased the productivity but at the same time they have created an alarming situation for the environment. The demand of the hour is to therefore to encourage organic farming and offer a better choice to consumers as well as save the environment. The purpose of this paper is to explore and understand the factors affecting perception of consumers on organic food products in Indian context. Design/methodology/approach The study used a structured survey of 150 respondents covering Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) of Ghaziabad, Noida and Faridabad (India). Exploratory research was used to know the variables from the literature that affect the perception of consumers regarding organic food. Descriptive research was used to understand the demographic profile of the organic food consumer’s. Conclusive research design was used to test the hypotheses based upon the motivating and inhibiting factor in the growth of organic food. Findings The data collected from the survey were analyzed using t-test, χ 2 test, factor analysis and multiple linear regression tests. Results indicated that the intention to purchase organic products was impacted by the consumer’s belief on the safety and health aspect of the product, trust and certification, information and availability and lifestyle and are hence drivers of growth. And certain impeding factors were identified like doubt in the professed quality of organic food, lack of awareness and price parity. Social implications There are enough evidences of fertile land being converted into wasteland because of use of agro- chemical-based fertilizers in farming. There are also enough incidents of polluted water (ground and surface) due to agrochemical-based farming. Heavy use of pesticides leads to adverse effect on the health of farmers also. There were many reports of farmers committing suicide because of debt due to heavy investment on pesticides and fertilizers. Organic farming is a win-win proposition for environment, farmers and consumer’s. Originality/value The study was an effort to understand awareness and perception of organic food consumers in urban India post-agriculture revolution. The result would help the organic food producing and marketing companies to understand the factors that influence the belief of consumers when they purchase organic food and henceforth they can formulate communication strategies and marketing policy based on consumer’s expectations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irma Tikkanen

Purpose – This paper aims to describe the transformation towards consuming local and organic food (LOF) in the catering of a rural town. Product development cooperation, procurement, consumption, and prices are illustrated. Achieved local, social and environmental benefits are depicted. Design/methodology/approach – Theoretical framework includes the EU's strategy for corporate social responsibility concerning public procurement. Recent research on LOF and its procurement are summarized. The sources for empirical data included web pages depicting the case town and an interviewee, namely the food service manager. Findings – The results indicated that in 2011 local food products amounted to 46 per cent, whereas organic food products accounted for 14 per cent of the food procurement in the case town school's catering. The percentage of local food products in the whole town's catering amounted to 13. Benefits for the local community included money supporting the local economy, which thus facilitated the producers developing their businesses. However, higher prices were paid. Social benefits entailed that LOF contains the least amount of additives possible and LOF also advocates local food culture. Environmental benefits included, e.g. the following aspects: protecting the natural environment; decreasing packaging and bio waste; and diminished consuming water and energy. Practical implications – Increasing consumption of LOF required the following actions: integrating LOF into the town's strategy; allocating extra resources; training catering personnel; developing products with producers; and organising local procurement procedures. Originality/value – The results offer ideas for small municipalities how to increase the consumption of LOF gradually, and thus achieve benefits for the local community. The results may interest also those selling-in to that market sector.


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