Search
Search Results
-
Successful Small Business – Effective Marketing? Prospects on the Food Market for a Small Company
91-104Views:84Successful small companies concentrate their marketing strategy on satisfying the specific requirements of market niches which are unprofitable for big concerns. It is a complicated task on the market of common consumer goods – like the food market – because it is difficult to find the right buyer segment among the large number of costumers. It is more difficult to choose the adequate distribution and communication channels. The Darnó-Hús (Darnó Meat) – situated in the north-west of Hungary near the Austrian and the Slovakian borders – also faces this problem. Firstly, they do not choose between traditional local food and functional foods, so they obviously aim at two niches. Secondly, small well-branded bakery shops and big supermarkets can be found among the company’s sales points. Furthermore, these sales points are geographically not concentrated. This small company cannot afford to spend much on widespread media communication, so its brand name is not well-known enough to get good product placement locations in the stores. As the SWOT-analysis, which was carried out with the collaboration of the management, points out, there is no unity in the choice between the offensive and defensive strategies. The internal factors of the company, such as high-quality products and excellent professional team, which is flexible enough to fulfil the specific requirements, would assign the company a stronger market position, however, the company’s management does not have adequate marketing tools to achieve a higher penetration into the consumer market. After twenty years in operation, they have to make a decision about the next stage of development. Actually before they start to improve their production capacity, the management has to define their market more precisely. To reach the targeted market niche effectively, more effective branding, clear – emotional and rational – positioning in communication, and adequate selling placement are needed.
JEL code: M31
-
Analysis of the Health – Environment – Nutrition Nexus: A Review
3-24Views:790The fastest improvement of the wealth and quality of life was witnessed in last decades by the humanity globally. Economic and social development, however, influenced the state and processes of the natural environment at the same time significantly. Food supply is one of the major interfaces between the society and the natural resources, as we highlight in our literature review; approximately one-third of the resource use and pollution is originated in nutritional needs. Also, health effects of western diet are remarkable. Consequently, debate on ‘healthy diet’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ food supply chain became complementary and reinforcing topics recently, at least in the scientific communication.
JEL Codes: F64, I12, O13, Q4, Q5
-
A HÍR védjegy ismertsége és beágyazódottsága a magyar fogyasztók körében
81-97Views:178The Traditions-Tastes-Regions (TTR) programme has more than 20 years of history, promoting and economically stimulating the traditional and local food products of Hungary. Since 2002 the TTR is a registered trademark and used for product differentiation. At the end of 2018 altogether 92 producers with 176 products had the right to use the trademark. The Geographical Indications Programme – initiated by the Hungarian government in order to increase the number of the Hungarian GI products in the EU register – is also based on the TTR initiative. The demand of the Hungarian traditional food products in general, as well the supply side of the TTR programme is well described by the literature, however the field of the consumers’ relation with the TTR trademark seems to be undiscovered. In spite of this background, this study tries to describe the recognition and the embeddedness of the TTR trademark among the Hungarian consumers. Part of an international survey conducted by the Strength2Food H2020 research project, the TTR trademark was analysed on a sample of 444 Hungarian consumers, retrieved from an online survey. Results suggest that the almost 40% recognition of the TTR trademark significantly exceeds recognition of the EU geographical indications labels. However, only roughly 10% of the consumers seeks purposefully food products with TTR label. Regular buyers of such foods usually seek for meat products. Based on the binomial regression models the recognition of the TTR trademark’s logo is significantly higher among female, older and non-vegetarian consumers with lower income levels. The place of regular purchase is also statistically significant: consumers with regular purchase in organic shops and in short food supply chains (directly from the producer) tend to be more aware of the TTR logo. Regarding the regular consumption of such products we can say that males and consumers shopping in supermarkets and discounters are becoming a frequent buyer of TTR products with a higher probability.
JEL Codes: M31, M37, O13, O34, Q13
-
Impact of the Financial and Economic Crisis of 2009 on the Hungarian Food Retail Sector in the Light of Consumer Confidence – Improving Trends, Increasing Consumer Confidence
47-59Views:59As a result of the international financial and economic crisis of 2009, Hungarian customers started to make informed purchasing decisions. Merchants recognizing this phenomenon formed their strategies accordingly, while trying to meet the requirements of the constantly changing government regulations. This strategy ensured primarily that they could maintain their position in trading, new consumer expansion was, however, limited. Limited because consumers have realized the situation, i.e. traders have been competing for their income and complex shop visiting has become widely common, implying the weekly tour of different shops in retail chains with an eye on the current promotions. Based on the data of the last eight years, the year most affected by the economic crisis was 2009 – which proved to be the deepest point. It has to be highlighted however that though signs of recovery are clearly visible, the volume of food retail returned to its growth path only in 2014, while sale increase in value has been continuous since 2008. This suggests that the impulses of the crisis starting in the fourth quarter of 2008 formed the domestic food trade for full six years. Also, this period was required to regenerate consumer trust. The more favourable prospects of the finances of both individuals and the economy encourage an increase of willingness to buy. The six-year period impacted by the crisis intensified concentration among trade stakeholders. The forecasts proved realistic, supermarkets have become more popular sites for shopping, although hypermarkets as strong competitors have been able to keep pace due to tailored promotions in the 6 trading days permitted by law until April 2016. Due to the massive social and political pressure the Government repealed the Act prohibiting work on Sundays in most retail shops with effect from 16 April 2016.
JEL code: M30 General
-
Functional Foods, Consumer Attitudes and Personalized Nutrition
3-17Views:496The dramatic spread of the so called diseases of civilization have occurred in the last decade worldwide. Deaths caused by them have long been of the highest rate among all causes of deaths. In parallel with the spread of the diseases of civilization, population of developed countries is increasingly ageing that increases the number of inactives and those who rely on health treatment. The outlined factors pose new challenges to the food industry: it requires the development new foods that slow down the spread of the diseases of civilization that hit the humankind through their health care effect, and at the same time provide longer life in health for the ageing societies. In the decade after decoding the human genome an extremely rapid development occurred in the techniques of genomics, and in the disciplines applying genomics methods. Researches in genomics focus on how the human genome interacts with the environmental factors for determining the gene expression. Nutrition as one of the most important environmental factors has an obvious impact on the health but we have not known yet exactly what this impact is and what its mechanism is. The so called nutrigenomics – that is a new discipline – aims to reveal the relationships that are not yet known. The personalized nutrition is a conception that adapts the diet, the foods, and the nutrients to the unique needs of the specific person.
The authors examined the relationships between the functional foods, consumer attitudes and personalized nutrition in the framework of a nation-wide representative consumer survey of 500 people. According to the results majority of the consumers (73.8%) believes that her/him nutrition (diet) follows a normal structure and all that she/he needs enters her/his body automatically. Knowing the critical health state of the population it can be stated that the high agreement portion is based on misbelieves. This is also indicated by the fact that 57.4% of consumers only eats foods that tastes good, even when it is supposedly less healthy. In the next half year almost 50% of the Hungarian population do not intend to switch to a nutrition considered healthier by themselves. Further 22% of the respondents already feel some urge to change their behavior, they compare the costs and the potential benefits of change. Only 5.0% of the interviewees switched to a nutrition considered healthier by themselves in the last six months, and the rate of those who maintain the positive change is 17.4%.
In the current situation there is no other option than raising awareness of the population for foods that provide excess nutrition benefits. These are the functional foods that hold important position in the education to healthy nutrition of the population. However, it is does matter in which strategy they are used by the enterprises. This applies for the development of both new technologies and new functional foods where involvement of consumers is inevitable today.
The so called perception screening theory answers the solution of the anomalies between the scientific objectivity and the consumer perception. We tried to apply the perception screening theory in a new discipline, entirely unknown to the consumers. The nutrition genomics and its major application area, the personalized nutrition are novel concepts to the population to such an extent that preferences and attitudes related to them have not occurred yet. This is why it could be interesting which most important psychological processes are the ones that can lead to the adoption of the new technology, and the development of the positive consumer attitudes. According to the results Hungarian consumers are mistrustful against the new technology and they are uncertain – despite its obvious advantages. The not so positive attitude is likely caused by more factors together. Traditional thinking, reluctance to the new play a role in it as well as the lack of information and misbelieves related to the genetic tests. The technology is novel to the consumers to such an extent that we found significant differences between the consumer segments only in some cases, i.e. consumer preferences cannot be classified, they are highly scattered. Finally, the authors developed an optimized practical model by which the successful launch of a new functional food and its hindering factors can be securely forecasted. -
The Role of Food Labels in Consumer’s Food Choices
39-53Views:113One of the most important pillars of a healthy lifestyle is healthy nutritional value, in which FOP nutrition labels can support consumers in making the right decision. Nutrition-related diseases of civilization are a worldwide problem. A healthy diet is essential for overall well-being and the prevention of many chronic diseases. Special attention must be paid to the use of FOP nutrition values in order to prevention and healthy decision-making. It is important that people can interpret the nutritional quality of foods as simply as possible. The packaging has to provide realistic and accurate infromation about the product. This study describes four types of FOP nutrition labels used in the European Union: Nordic Keyhole, Nutri-Score, Traffic-Lights, NutrInform Battery.
JEL-Code: M31 -
Levels of Behaviour Change in the Course of Body Mass Management – Food Consumption and Physical Activity
19-28Views:131Based on the secondary data, it can be stated that more than half of the Hungarian population are obese, therefore, the actuality of this topic is approved. As a result of this research, the distribution of the examined sample has been executed by the phases of the Transtheoretical model. Thus, the situation in the precontemplation phase is better concerning the transfer to more regular physical activity (one-third of the sample) than the change for food consumption considered as healthier. Similar results were received in the phase of maintenance as well: one-fourth of the sample answered that they did more regular physical activity with the minimal risk of fallback, and one-fifth of them thought that their healthier food consumption could be maintained. The fewest people are in the preparation phase of the transfer to healthier food nutrition, while in the case of more regular physical activity the rate is also lower in the phase of preparation compared to the contemplation, action and maintenance stages. A reason for that can be that the questioned see the change within one month, or they do not have the necessary determination to execute the change within such a short deadline, or to prepare themselves to the change. Considering the gender, in the first and last phases (precontemplation and maintenance) men are in greater proportion on both examined fields. In our opinion, the reason for it is that men are more determined considering their values and attitudes of their own body mass management. We think that the low number of people in the precontemplation phase is quite promising, especially in the case of more regular physical activity, since the people on the higher levels have the potential to develop healthier nutrition and physical activity, to enhance the motivation of contemplators, preparators and doers, and the support of maintainers can be a realistic step to reach the health political aims.
JEL code: Q13
-
Preliminary Research in Connection with the Significance of the Traditional and Regional Foods in the North Great Plain Region
79-91Views:60The traditional and regional foods represent distinctive and unique values for customers in the world food market by their inimitable tastes and appearances. In today’s fast-moving world in which globalization’s different – both positive and negative – effects determine the daily activities of consumers and influence their needs, their choices and their decisions during the regular food and raw material purchases; it is relevant to strive for the presence and regular consumption of traditional products also to become known to a wide circle of society. The key objectives of our research are the main effects of traditional and regional foods in the Northern Great Plain, particularly with regard to the marketing and economic aspects approach. Our study is an experimental study of a later larger number of elements and representative survey, and it is based primarily on online questionnaires. During the research we received 151 available questionnaires. The interviewed inhabitants of the region have declared a positive opinion in the context of traditional and regional foods, most of them purchased and consumed these products regurarly.
JEL code: M31
-
Attitudes of Alternative Diet Followers Towards Purchasing Local Products
3-15Views:402Earth’s population has been growing steadily over the last centuries, with increasing demand for food production. For this reason, despite the current technological progress, even more and more cultivated lands are needed. The purpose of our research is to examine the proportion of local products that are being used by those who follow different alternative diets, which can also be used to test the behaviour towards sustainability. In order to reach our goals, we have developed a national survey including 504 Hungarian consumers. The survey consists of several questions about alternative diets, food-oriented lifestyle, and local products. The answers were weighted in order to properly represent the gender distribution of the population and were analysed using descriptive statistics and factor analysis. According to the results, environmental conscious behaviour appears among the alternative diet followers, but for sustainability this is not a sufficient condition. Local products are bought by 82.9% of the respondents. The biggest incentives of buying local products are the origin, the support of local producers / merchants, the reduction of food kilometres, the healthy and natural characteristics of the products, and the positive experiences with local products. In contrast, the reasons why local products are mostly refused by consumers are the facts that they are time consuming and difficult to obtain.
JEL codes: C38, D70, I12, M31, Q56
-
The Role of Sweet Corn Quality in a Healthy Diet
39-48Views:85The importance of sweet corn as a healthy food is constantly increasing worldwide. The research and comparative analysis of super sweet sweet corn hybrids suitable for fresh consumption and canning is of particular importance in the food industry. In our studies, we compared the carotenoid content of three supersweet sweet corn hybrids to collect data for its healthy conditions. A novel result in our tests that sweet corn contains the highest amount of lutein and contains zeaxanthin. We found that the amount of zeaxanthin and lutein is determined by its genotype. We found that carotenoids are influenced by the environmental conditions. The concentration of lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, β-carotene did not decrease with the growth of the crop, which confirms the importance of sweet corn hybrid selection for healthy nutrition. In our studies, the amount of lutein and zeaxanthin was higher than the amount of beta cryptoxanthin and beta carotene. Carotene consumption has many positive effects on the human body, it can reduce the incidence of cancer, vascular diseases, or wolf blindness resulting from a lack of vitamin A.
JEL Codes: I1, L15 -
Testing for Consumer Preferences of Smoked Asian Sea Bass (Barramundi) Filet Products in Hungary
21-36Views:68The present paper discusses the findings of primary research studies related to the development of smoked fish fillet made of the barramundi fish species into a functional food, connected to product tasting. The study sought to provide information for the target audience, in our case, for consumers in hypermarkets on (1) their certain fish consumption habits, (2) their attitudes towards conscious fish consumption, (3) the reputation of the barramundi brought to the domestic market recently and the related considerations of consumers, and (4) consumers’ perceptions of the latest product development, smoked barramundi enriched with substances of positive nutritional effects (e.g. vitamin complex, pumpkin-seed oil, Gingko biloba extract, Sylibum marianum oil, etc.) Our findings suggest that consumers’ perceptions of the barramundi were positive as they positioned this fish species as an attractive, premium category product. The product development, i.e. the smoked barramundi fillet, as a functional food, was well received by consumers. The target audience had already tasted smoked fish earlier, and they were satisfied with the taste of the new premium product. It is important to stress that the respondents lacked a good understanding of the meaning of “functional foods”; however, they agreed with such kind of product developments. They mostly appreciated the components of functional foods with positive and preventive effects on heart and eye health. On the basis of the research it can be concluded that product development is on the right track, it fulfils all the habits, expectations and demands of the target audience related to fish consumption.
JEL codes: Q13, P46
-
Examination of the Eating Motivations of the Hungarian Population Based on the TEMS-Model
81-93Views:169Our study fills a gap because we were the first to examine the eating motivations of the Hungarian population using the TEMS questionnaire. Our aim was to analyze the eating motivations of Hungarian consumers in details. To this end, we launched a national questionnaire survey of 1,000 people, which is representative by gender, age, type of settlement, and region. In our survey, we obtained 8 well separated factors, which are the following: Social Anxiety, Comfortable Enjoyment, Health Awareness and Weight Control, Price Sensitivity, Social Eating, Self-Rewarding, Habit and Tradition-Driven Eating, The Tempting Nature of Food. Based on cluster analysis, we classified consumers into 5 clusters: Traditional Simplifiers, Thrifty Social and Emotional Eaters, Balanced Self-Rewards, Health Conscious, Indifferent.
JEL-Codes: A13, D70, I12, Q56 -
The Examination of Markets of Organic Foods
45-50Views:52Nowadays the consumption of organic foods has an outstanding importance from the aspects of health and environmental consciousness. In this study the habits of organic food consumption in Debrecen are examined by the help of a questionnaire-based survey and a personal interview. On the basis of our results the supply of organic foods in the local markets satisfies the requirement of the consumers, and this tendency is expected to be maintained for the future. The most popular products are vegetables, fruits, dairy products, meat and honey. Generally the consumers are very satisfied with these products. Most of the buyers choose organic foods not only because these products are healthy, but for the fact that they are aware of the environmental- friendly technology by which the production happens. Consumers visiting the markets buy organic foods mainly at a weekly occasion, thus their consumption is conscious, and the healthy way of life is relevant for them. Many people do not know that there are such markets in Debrecen, in this way the promotion of these places is outstandingly important.
-
Comparative Pilot Study of Communication Paradoxes in Food Advertising Using Semantic Differential
17-28Views:115Effective advertising grabs attention, its message is understandable, acceptable, memorable, and stimulates purchasing. To achieve those complex goals, it is not enough to simply communicate information, some additional communication technique (e.g., paradox messages) may be justified. There are several communication paradoxes with different effects. Using Osgood's semantic differential, this paper compares the different types of communication paradoxes, double bind, ambiguous, and neutral advertising, at the visual-quantitative level. Neutral advertising only names a product. While ambiguous advertising contains a contradictory verbal or visual message. Double bind advertising contains mutually exclusive commands (e.g., "Eat and lose weight!"). The sampling was random and not representative. The study sample was predominantly young people in their 20s, mostly university students. Responses were assessed using the MindTitude™ application, and the results were presented according to the principles of this program. A more detailed description of the application can be obtained by typing the brand name MindTitude into web search engines. Ambiguous advertising was perceived more positively from all aspects by respondents. Ambiguous message requires cognitive reframing and therefore involves deeper emotional and cognitive processing, creates tension and interest, attention concentration, long-term memory retention, and consequently, effective purchase incentives. The double bind instruction has a primarily behavioural inhibitory effect, reducing the urge to buy. The secondary effect of the double bind is emotional, lethargic through inertia, dampening the amplitude of emotional processing. Based on our findings, use of ambiguity is recommended in advertising, while the use of double bind is contraindicated.
JEL Codes: L66, L82, L96, M31
-
Complex Analysis and Introduction of the Hungarian Mineral Water Industry
65-80Views:265The mineral water sector in Hungary has been developing dynamically for four decades. The present article explores the main characteristics of the sector and highlights its specificities within the food industry. The aim of the study is to identify the main characteristics of the market, analyze the macro and micro environment, determine the economic importance of the sector, analysis of the main players and strategic options. Based on the results of the research, it can be concluded that there are approximately 500 Hungarian companies whose activities include producing soft drinks and mineral waters under the TEÁOR 1107. However, there are only 10 of these companies whose main activity is exclusively producing mineral water, which is extracted and bottled in Hungary. The macro-environment analysis shows that the political environment is stable, the economic environment is not conducive to business, and high inflation, continuously rising labor costs, and raw material costs will continue to challenge businesses. However, SME support can provide significant help in the future. Among consumer habits, the growing health and environmental awareness significantly impact the sector. Rapid developments in technological factors offer many opportunities for businesses. Based on the microenvironment analysis, the market is saturated, and Szentkirályi Magyarország Kft. and Magyarvíz Ásványvíz Kft. hold almost 80% of the total industry turnover in 2021. The threat of new entrants is, therefore, not significant. The bargaining power of buyers and the threat of substitutes is high, and the bargaining power of suppliers is low. While compiling the competitive profile matrix, industry success factors were identified, with price level, brand, and environmental responsibility standing out. The biggest challenge in the sector is to reduce the environmental impact of packaging, using recycled plastic bottles as the easiest solution.
JEL Code: M21 -
Changes in Food Purchasing Habits During the Covid Pandemic in Slovakia and Hungary, Focus on Southern Slovakia and Western Hungary
55-70Views:860The global pandemic of COVID-19 has led to many drastic changes worldwide, not only in the economy, but amongst others, in the structure of people’s daily routines as well. Some developments have been involuntary – as social distancing, wearing masks, restrictions on travel, etc., but for others, it has merely accelerated the adoption of behaviors already gaining traction, such as the digitalization of shopping and more. Consequences of subsequent lockdowns and their effect on the consumers’ grocery purchasing habits and their implications for food retail had been investigated in our research with a particular focus on regions of South Slovakia and West Hungary in a period ranging from November 2020 till April 2021. The constructed online questionnaire chosen for data collection aimed to identify specific ways in which consumers changed their grocery shopping behavior during the lockdown (e.g., frequency of shopping trips, time spent in stores, the aim of shopping, purchase of ingredients, online shopping). The results of the online questionnaire underlined the main regional differences between the two countries. The overall outcome of our research showed the moderate reduction in grocery shopping frequency, minor changes in shopping location and partially increase in online shopping. Our results showed that although the proportion of online purchases has increased, such a crisis does not seem to be sufficient to overcome barriers to shopping, such as the purchase of a new, unknown product. But changes that provide positive experiences are likely to last longer, particularly those driven by convenience and well-being, such as digital adoption, value-based purchasing, and increased health awareness. This provides an opportunity for companies to offer innovative, value-based, and integrated products or services to meet customer needs. Companies and retailers will need to adapt fast, understand consumers’ preferences, and stay relevant.
JEL Codes: D12, D91
-
Opportunities and Obstacles in the Healthy Food Consumption Area
65-76Views:251The issue of healthy food consumption is an extremely hot topic in today’s fast-paced world. One of today’s ruler trends are the health awareness and health market expansion. The role of the health of consumers is appreciated. People spend more and more to preserve their health. The consequence of conscious consumption is that individuals can keep their physical and mental activity for a longer time remaining their life and accordingly they can be involved in the economic growth. Our central hypotheses were that the financial situation, the level of consciousness and „identity” have a decisive influence on women who assume a healthy eating habit in Hungary. We also presumed a link between health consciousness and financial attitudes, as well as a positive relationship between health consciousness and behavioral intent and normative beliefs. Our results confirm: the income status and the degree of awareness mostly influence the existence of a healthy diet.
JEL codes: E21, H31, H51
-
The Competitiveness of Hungarian Micro-Enterprises in the Pasta Market
51-60Views:109By analysing the long-term competitiveness of Hungarian dry pasta making micro and small businesses, I intend to explore its strategic potential. The changes in the competitiveness of the dry pasta sector in Hungary between 1969 and 2019 were analysed with the help of contemporary periodicals from the database of the Hungarian Agricultural Museum and Library. The changes in the competitiveness of the Hungarian dry pasta market over the period 1969-2019 were analyzed according to the six aspects of diamond model: factor conditions, demand conditions, corporate strategy, structure and rivalry, relating and supporting industries, government regulations, change. Looking at future trends in the dry pasta market, the bidirectional impact on the competitiveness of the pasta market will be affected. One effect is to move towards horizontal networking as a result of globalization, making the pasta company that is able to negotiate better in the food supply chain more competitive. The other effect is the trend of local patriotism, which stimulates the development of micro-regions and originates in the initiative of the locals: innovation of flavours, innovation in raw materials, possibilities of Hungarian ethnocentrism. In addition, retail brands are expected to grow further. As retail chains do not pass on any gains from the increase of their export volume to the processors, the manufacturers’ own brand is weakened. The study provides a long-term overview of the changes in the competitiveness of companies operating in the dry pasta market. There has been a tremendous change over the last eighty years with the innovative transformation of the pasta industry. At that time, almost all pasta products were made at home, and today the pasta group is competing for housewives by employing industrial designers.
JEL Codes: M31, M39
-
The Effect of Product Information on the Consumer Behaviour in the Course of Food Purchase
73-83Views:153This study investigates the course of the consumer’s information progression in order to underlie further quantitative and qualitative researches. This survey reviews the whole process of the information progression through which the consumer can decide which product to choose. The optimal consumption structure is configured by different principles and effects, and on the other hand every consumer is influenced by a diversity of information during the decision making process and the usage as well. The process of how individuals elaborate this information depends on numerous factors. The demographic and personality factors, qualification and profession, extant knowledge, the motivation for looking for information are very important as well as the evaluation of data. The cognitive, conative and emotive attitudes play an important role in the different stages of the information processes. The diverse information sources have a different effect on the consumer, too. The effectiveness of the information transfer is influenced by the consciousness of the consumer and how voluntarily they want to optimize their decision. In this process the extent to which they are concerned (for example a disease or prevention) plays a remarkable role. An important function of the stakeholders is to support the consumer’s decision with incomplex, laconic and authentic information. Without this the intended communication may generate a contradictory effect, however too much information may lead to rejection.
JEL codes: M31, P36
-
Employers and Employees in the Domestic Vegetable-fruit Manufacturing Industry
115-118Views:49In the light of KSH databases processing, it can be said, that the food industry has the largest significance on the employment in the manufacture industry. The number of employees in fruit and vegetables manufacturing industry has decreased drastically while the number of part –time workers has increased since the turn of the millenium. Two classes of the examined subsector represent high indexes by the value of marketed product per emloyee. The number of businesses in fruit and vegetable manufature industry hasn’t changed radically, but the small and medium-sized enterprises became to the force.
-
Growing Demand for Functional Foods – The Customer Perception of the Domestic Cereal Market
23-37Views:107Current scientific research raises questions as to how and why food-market consumer demands have changed over time, in relation to increasing health awareness. As a hypothesis, we assume that today’s customers are more health-conscious and open-minded about healthy food and health-related marketing messages both in Hungary and world-wide. Consequently, customers tend to look for the potential benefits of functional foods. We describe present-day lifestyle trends and the changing habits of nutrition as well as introduce the science of nutrimarketing and functional foods, along with their relevant claims. In our field research, we examine customers’ attitudes and mind-sets regarding the domestic cereal market between 2013 and 2016 with the aid of the Neticle system, an innovative online media-monitoring and analysis programme. Examining and understanding these trending needs could open new opportunities for companies to satisfy their customers with applicable product developments.
JEL codes: I12, I15, M31
-
Examination and Consumers’ Evaluation of New Pilot Products from Pseudocereals
57-68Views:153Nowadays the importance of the use of pseudocereals is increasing, especially in the diet of health conscious consumers and those who follow reform diet. In our research we produced pilot products with health-beneficial properties. The main ingredients were pseudocereals, such as buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa flour, and our aim was to get more information about their possible uses in nutrition. These grains have typical (buckwheat) or bitter taste (amaranth), therefore our second aim was to survey the consumers’ opinions, which help us to determine further direction of development. In our research we produced bakery pilot products from the previously defined mixtures of different gluten free flours and natural additives, taking into account the consumer’s demands, because more and more people are looking for the opportunity to reduce the gluten intake improving their health condition. Physical and chemical parameters of pilot products were determined. Finally, we evaluated the consumers’ opinions by a sensory test and questionnaire, therefore, we got results not only about the quality of products but the consumers’ preference orders too.
JEL Code: I19
-
Nutritional Significance of Eggs as a Basic and Functional Food
7-22Views:623The image of table eggs and egg consumption habits were negatively influenced by the American National Cholesterol Education Program based on the misperception that dietary cholesterol affects serum cholesterol levels in blood. Research in recent years, which is less well-known and widespread in the public awareness, has refuted this theory. Eggs are miracle foods containing 40 proteins and 18 amino acids, and rich in vitamins and minerals, with the same biological value as breast milk. Moreover, eggs have functional properties which can make it one of the possible tools for improving public health because it reduces the risk of a large number of diseases, and helps brain function and foetal development, and strengthens the immune system. Nevertheless, the Hungarian egg consumption and production were down in recent years. Stopping and reversing this trend are needed as quickly as possible. The aim of this study is to summarize the latest research results on eggs and its nutritional significance, which is able to provide a basis for adequate information to consumers and updating the knowledge of related disciplines.
JEL codes: I10, M30, Q13
-
Consumer Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction and Handling of Complaints in out of Home Eating Sector
3-18Views:107The contribution of the eating-out-of-home sector to the overall food spending of Hungarian households is very low, especially when compared to other, well developed countries. In order to increase this market – besides the improvement of the elements of macro- and micro-environment – a significant task is to strengthen and improve the consumer satisfaction and loyalty. Consumer satisfaction/dissatisfaction is a complex system whose key element is complaint handling. The research team conducted a questionnaire survey in the spring of 2014 in Hungary (Central Hungary and Northern Great Plain regions) with a sample of 1063 respondents of the age group 15+ years. In the survey, the research models and findings of former international research projects were taken into consideration. Our research results are in compliance with the international research results and trends, although differences may be found in the numbers and extent of the Hungarian results. In the Hungarian eating-out-of-home sector, the desired service quality of the consumers exceeds the detected quality of services particularly in the key areas. Despite the frequent consumer dissatisfaction, the documented forms of dissatisfaction, which could be recognized directly by the management (e.g. direct complaints towards the staff, registered opinion on the claims book), are very low. Guests prefer to use the indirect channels of complaint (for example choosing other restaurant, negative word of mouth, or reducing tips), which will result in that the specific reasons of complaints could not be recognized by management of the restaurant. The exploration and registration of the original problems are the main prerequisites of the successful improvement of consumer satisfaction, therefore establishing an active complaint management system should be a key task for the restaurants.
JEL code: D12
-
Analysis of University Students’ Behavior Towards Online Grocery Shopping Based on the TAM-Model
3-19Views:396These days new, alternative forms of sales such as parcel delivery, direct sales, telephone and the internet are playing an increasingly important role in commerce. Relevant literature and statistics prove the success of e-commerce at national and international levels. Our aim is to identify a segment of online sales where this performance is still modest. Online grocery shopping has not been integrated into consumer’s life so far compare to other market-leading product categories (clothing, footwear). During the secondary research, we conducted extensive literature analysis using national and international sources. In the course of primary research, a questionnaire survey was conducted as a quantitative procedure. 501 students were involved from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Debrecen in this non-representative survey, in which we sought to reach as many cultures and nations as possible. Our main goal was to answer the question of the factors behind the development of online consumer preferences in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) product category. For this the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was applied in the primary research. The Likert scale was applied to assess the students’ position on the topic. The 18 statements underlying the analysis were adapted from the researches of Radka and Martin (2018). After the reliability test, a factor analysis was made. The variables were compressed into three factors. Because of the better understanding, the exploratory factor analysis and the data reduction were separated. Principal component analysis was made on the statements belonging to each factor. Subsequently, a cluster analysis of four was conducted or four clusters for Hungarian and foreign students. The hypothesis about the attitude towards buying food online among the FMCG products is more reserved for Hungarian students than for foreign students has been proved.
JEL Classification: M31, Q13