DO CONSUMERS CARE ABOUT WHERE THEY BUY ORGANIC PRODUCTS? A MEANS-END STUDY WITH EVIDENCE FROM ITALIAN DATA

Simona Naspetti and Raffaele Zanoli ()
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Simona Naspetti: DIIGA, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy

Chapter 15 in Marketing Trends for Organic Food in the 21st Century, 2004, pp 239-255 from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Abstract: AbstractThe paper presents partial results from a European study on consumer motivations and perception of organic food, using the means-end theory and laddering.The means-end chain model (Reynolds and Gutman, 198813 ) 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.In order to explore the relevant cognitive structures of consumers regarding the place of purchase of organic food, 104 respondents were interviewed using the soft-laddering technique, an in-depth face-to face interviewing approach at measuring means-end chains. 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).The results (ladders) of this semi-qualitative interviews are coded and presented in a set of hierarchical structured value maps (HVMs). The results are discussed and analysed, using insights from previous research.

Keywords: Market Research; Marketing Strategies; Marketing Mix; Purchasing Behavior; Strategic Marketing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2004
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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