Exploring customer preferences to drive successful food supplement placement in Croatia*

Maja Martinoviæ (), Ivana Èolak () and Zoran Barac ()
Additional contact information
Maja Martinoviæ: Zagreb School of Economics and Management, Zagreb, Croatia
Ivana Èolak: Zagreb School of Economics and Management, Zagreb, Croatia
Zoran Barac: Zagreb School of Economics and Management, Zagreb, Croatia

Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci/Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics, 2024, vol. 42, issue 1, 197–217

Abstract: This study examines the preferences and influences on the decisions of Croatian customers when purchasing food supplements. A survey of 312 customers of food supplements in Croatia found that distribution channels and pharmacies significantly influence the purchasing process, attributed to the value added by pharmacists. The most important aspects that customers consider are the type and amount of active and auxiliary ingredients (excipients) of the product. Brand-conscious customers consider the manufacturer and the product’s country of origin important. The greatest influence is the recommendation of family members or friends. People prefer to choose a food supplement that offers value for money, but those without previous experience with the product are more price sensitive and buy on sales promotions such as discounts and packaging at a promotional price. Based on the results of this study, manufacturers and distributors of food supplements can create strategies in which, through co-creation with consumers, they achieve a competitive edge, encourage loyalty, and improve business results.

Keywords: co-creation; consumer behavior; food supplements; marketing activities; OTC products (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D12 I11 M31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.efri.uniri.hr/upload/zbornik%201-2024/ ... %87_et_al-2024-1.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rfe:zbefri:v:42:y:2024:i:1:p:197-217

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci/Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics from University of Rijeka, Faculty of Economics and Business Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Danijela Ujcic ().