Ranking and measuring the dynamics in the reasons-for-buying selected produce
Abstract
Aim of study: Individual purchasing behaviour depends on economics, psychology, marketing and sensory science. Given that the list of reasons-for-buying is almost unlimited, we have defined 14 pre-set descriptors thought to entail the more important attributes when make buying decisions within a food group of selected fruits and vegetables.
Area of study: We have used a United States buyer data base of over 175,000 observations.
Material and methods: Each household was asked to rank their first, second, and third most important reasons for buying, within the set of descriptors. The overriding goal was to gain insight into the attributes and change over time. Using empirical models, the relative importance of the attributes is shown and forecasted for a decade beyond 2021.
Main results: Price and quality were expected to be the main drivers; however, the organic attribute is one requiring significant changes in the production, inspection, distribution and marketing policies, hence considering future expectations for organics is particularly important.
Research highlights: Preferences for organics have grown, but what are the expectations a decade from now? Will that interest remain so for many years to come?
Downloads
References
Alavoine R, Crochon M, Bouillon C, 1990. Practical methods to estimate taste quality of fruit: how to tell it to the consumer. Acta Hortic 259: 61-68. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1990.259.4
Anderson SP, De Palma A, Thisee JF, 1992. Discrete choice theory of product differentiations. The MIT Press. Cambridge, MA, USA. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/2450.001.0001
Baker GA, 1999. Consumer preferences for food safety attributes in fresh apples: market segments, consumer characteristics and marketing opportunities. J Agr Resour Econ 24(1): 80-97.
Baker GA, Crosbie PJ, 1994. Consumer preferences for food safety attributes: a market segment approach. Agribusiness 10: 319-324. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6297(199407/08)10:4<319::AID-AGR2720100405>3.0.CO;2-J
Bennett J, Blamey R (eds.), 2001. The choice modelling approach to environmental valuation. Cheltenham UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781781956601
Briz T, Ward RW, 2009. Consumer awareness of organic products in Spain: an application of multinomial logit models. Food Policy 34: 295-304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2008.11.004
Caswell JA, Noelke CM, Mojduszka EM, 2002. Unifying two frameworks for analyzing quality and quality assurance for food products. In: Global food trade and consumer demand for quality; Kristoff B, Bohman M and Caswell JA (Eds.), pp: 43-61. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5329-5_3
Combris P, Bazoche P, Giráud-Héraud E, Issanchou S, 2009. Food choices: what do we learn from combining sensory and economic experiments? Food Qual Prefer 20(8): 550-557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2009.05.003
Darby K, Batte MT, Ernst S, Roe B, 2008. Decomposing local: a conjoint analysis of locally produced foods. Am J Agr Econ 90(2): 476-486. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8276.2007.01111.x
Darby MR, Karni E, 1973. Free competition and the optimal amount of fraud. J Law Econ 16: 67-88. https://doi.org/10.1086/466756
Ernst S, Batte MT, Darby K, Worley T, 2006. What matters in consumer berry preferences: price? source? quality? J Food Distrib Res 37(1): 74-77.
Forker OD, Ward RW, 1993. Commodity advertising. The economics and measurement of generic programs. Lexington Books.
Freeman AM, 1993. The measurement of environmental and resource values: theory and methods. Washington DC: Resources for the Future.
Harker FR, Gunson FA, Jaeger SR, 2003. The case for fruit quality: an interpretative review of consumer attitudes and preferences for apples. Postharvest Biol Technol 28: 333-347. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-5214(02)00215-6
Jaeger SR, 2000. Uncovering cultural differences in choice behaviour between Samoan and New Zealand consumers: a case study with apples. Food Qual Prefer 11: 405-417. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0950-3293(00)00014-8
Lohr L, 2000. Factors affecting international demand and trade in organic food products. In: Changing structure of global food consumption and trade, pp: 67-69. USDA Economic Research Service No. WRS01-1.
Lusk J, Shogren JF, 2007. Experimental auctions: methods and applications in economic and marketing research. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511611261
Lusk JL, Briggeman BC, 2009. Food values. Am J Agr Econ 91(1): 184-196. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8276.2008.01175.x
Mabiso A, Sterns J, House L, Wysocki A, 2005. Estimating consumers' willingness-to-pay for country-of-origin labels in fresh apples and tomatoes: a double-hurdle probit analysis of American data using factor scores. Paper presented at the American Agricultural Economics Association, Annual Meeting Providence Rhode Island.
MacFadden D, 2001. Economic choices. Am Econ Rev 91: 351-78. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.91.3.351
Marks L, Kalaitzandonakes N, Vickner S, 2003. Evaluating consumer response to GM foods: some methodological considerations. Curr Agr Food Resour Issues 4: 80-94.
Moser R, Raffaelli R, Thilmany-MacFadden D, 2011. Consumer preferences for fruit and vegetables with credence-based attributes: a review. Int Food Agribus Manag Rev 14(2): 121-142.
Nelson P, 1970. Information and consumer behaviour. J Polit Econ 78: 311-329. https://doi.org/10.1086/259630
Prato T, 1998. Natural resource and environmental economics. Ames IA: Iowa State University Press.
Richetin J, Caputo V, Demartini E, Conner M, Perugini M, 2022. Organic food labels bias food healthiness perceptions: Estimating healthiness equivalence using a Discrete Choice Experiment. Appetite 172: 105970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2022.105970
Szibillo GJ, Jacoby J, 1974. Intrinsic versus extrinsic cues as determinants of perceived product quality. J Appl Psychol 59: 74-78. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0035796
Van der Pol M, Ryan M, 1996. Using conjoint analysis to establish consumer preferences for fruit and vegetables. Brit Food J 98: 5-12. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070709610150879
Verbeke W, Ward RW, 2006. Consumer interest in information cues denoting quality traceability and origin: An application of ordered probit models to beef labels. Food Qual Prefer 17(6): 453-467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2005.05.010
Villanueva AJ, Salazar-Ordoñez M, Granado-Díaz R, Rodríguez-Entrena M, 2021. Consumers' preferences for traditional meat products: production system and objective quality cues in Iberian ham. Ital J Anim Sci 20(1): 1987-2001. https://doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2021.1982419
Ward RW, 1997. Advertising and promotions. Chapter 15. Agri-Food Marketing. CAB International, pp. 319-349.
Ward RW, 2022. Generic promotions of mangos and its impact on the U.S. Demand for mangos. National Mango Board, Orlando, FL. AMS-USDA.
Zanoli R, Francois M, Midmore P, O'Doherty-Jensen K, Ritson C, 2007. Determining consumer expectations attitudes and buying behaviour towards "low input" and organic foods. Paper presented at the 3rd QLIF Congress 'Improving Sustainability in Organic and Low Input Food Production Systems', University of Hohenheim Germany.
Copyright (c) 2023 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
© CSIC. Manuscripts published in both the printed and online versions of this Journal are the property of Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, and quoting this source is a requirement for any partial or full reproduction.
All contents of this electronic edition, except where otherwise noted, are distributed under a “Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International” (CC BY 4.0) License. You may read here the basic information and the legal text of the license. The indication of the CC BY 4.0 License must be expressly stated in this way when necessary.
Self-archiving in repositories, personal webpages or similar, of any version other than the published by the Editor, is not allowed.
