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S.Naspetti, R. Zanoli (2004) Do consumers care about where they buy organic products? A means-end study with evidence from Italian data
Paper, Marketing Trends for Organic Food in the 21stCentury, World Scientific, 2004.
Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Greece
Document:
Naspetti_et_al.pdf
Abstract
The paper presents partial results from a European study on consumer motivations and perception of organic food, using the means-end theory and laddering.
The model used gives the possibility to explicitly link product attributes to consumers needs and wants. This theory stands on associations: between concrete product attributes, abstract product attributes, functional consequences, psychological consequences, instrumental and terminal values. As a result, products attributes are means for consumer to obtain desired ends: consumers achieve values through benefits yielding self relevant product attributes.
Consumers where interviewed in various part of Italy, and vary according to their gender, age, frequency of purchase of organic products, level of knowledge of organic products, and residence (rural vs. urban).
Keywords: means-end chain theory; laddering; organic food; point of sale; shop preferences, Italy
Relevance to our study:
In this study the consumers’ store perception with regard to organic food products, in Italy, is analysed, evaluating and getting information about: perceived barriers and motivations, possible differences in consumers’ cognitive structures relating to different socio-demographics groups, some regional/national differences in beliefs and attitudes towards different retail typologies.
The results of this study clearly demonstrate that different shopping situations activate very different aspects in consumers self-cognition system. The study suggest that supermarkets are perceived as less involving because they activate a smaller amount of important linkages than the organic specialised shops do, and those consumers familiar with organic shops seem to have a more idealistic cognitive structure than occasional consumers, and this may be considered a symptom of a higher emotional participation in food choice.
The organic consumer, wishing to buy quality products – healthy, natural and genuine, also ask for a convenient shopping activity and for products easy to use and find. Occasional consumers appear driven by practical motivations, rational thought and common sense. Supermarkets is their favourite place for organic food purchases, but they are doubtful about the organic quality of the goods sold, they feel they have no real guarantee. Improvements on this aspects could help development of the organic supply in modern retail stores. Supermarkets, on the whole, exhibit a positive image in the eyes of regular consumers too, but the need of getting advice and obtain information, coupled with the idea of having more human relation when shopping, limits the appeal of this shopping places.
Relevancy on a scale from 1 to 5 = 3
Review status: Finished
Review started on 2009–01–21
Reviewed by Samanta Rosi Bellière?
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