Search
Search Results
-
Health or Taste? Consumer Dilemmas with Functional Foods – Literature Review
17-29Views:305The current study of our two-part paper series is dealing with one of the most important attitude influences on functional food consumer behaviour. Namely, it focuses on “health effects vs. taste” attitude factor of functional food products, which describes the possible conflict between a pleasant taste and the health benefit of the product. This factor is analysed on the basis of two aspects of factors influencing food choice: internal (food) effects (e.g. sensory aspects) and external (non-food) effects (e.g. psychological, social, cultural factors). The most important internal (or intrinsic) characteristic is the taste of the food product. A remarkable finding of this study is that good taste is a crucial, self-relevant characteristic of any food product and bad taste would not be accepted in functional food products either. Consumers are hardly willing to compromise on the taste of functional food products for potential health benefits. Another aspect in the case of functional food products is that intrinsic product characteristics are given by the combination of the health-enhancing ingredient with the type of carrier product used. Studies have shown that functional ingredients that weaken the taste of such food products reduce their acceptance. There is a consensus in the literature that a natural match between added ingredient and carrier product increases the overall acceptance of functional food products. External (or extrinsic) characteristics, e.g. psychological and lifestyle factors, and socio-cultural differences provide further aspects of the potential conflict of “health effects vs. taste”. From a psychological point of view, one may assume that an individual who chooses a functional food is committed to the products’ benefits and may be willing to accept some unpleasant taste in order to achieve the desired health benefit. It has to be noted, however, that although the importance of a given health benefit may lead to the acceptance of an unpleasant taste, this acceptance is not necessarily supported by each of the health benefits. Lifestyle variables also influence the acceptance of functional foods, e.g. wellness-oriented consumers appear to be more willing to trade the taste for health benefits. However, the segment of consumers who are ready to sacrifice the taste for potential health benefits cannot be identified by using classical demographic characteristics as segmentation variables. The “health effects vs. taste” conflict is influenced by cultural differences, too. E.g. the priority of taste can be observed in whole Europe; in contrast, the preference for nutritional benefits is rather typical in the Asian countries. The final conclusion of our study is similar to that of the literature. Good taste and healthiness are not necessarily to be traded-off against each other. Hoping for consumer willingness to compromise on the taste for health is highly speculative and risky, so the functional food industry must develop good taste solutions. In addition to sensory perception of the food, the expectations have also been found to have an impact on the acceptance of functional food products. Consumers’ expectations are highly influenced by marketing communications. In case of functional food products marketing communication is strongly based on health-related information and this information influences not only the perception of healthiness but the liking of foods, too. Hence, additional values of functional food products (health+convenience+pleasure) have to be communicated as hedonic values, emphasizing especially the role of pleasure.
JEL codes: D11, M31
-
Research of Risk Reductive Behaviours Related to Food Products
63-77Views:76This topic will always be actual, since most of the companies crave to understand the
behaviour of their consumers in Hungary – what kind of patterns of behaviour they have, and how companies can influence consumer behaviour without high expenses, considering the most effective methods. As we know, consumer behaviour should be researched on the level of a specific product or service in the short term, or as a brand versus personal preference.
Nowadays, the role of health-awareness and cost-consciousness is getting misrated, alongside with environmental protection and the awareness of hazardous substances. Based on our idea, the background of our research assumes awareness of the contents of food, and the investigation of labels or titles. The organic labels on food have a high priority role in Hungary. In our opinion, the trust contains the following factors: (1) There are control authorities who are reliable, and guarantee the high quality of products for the consumers (for example: Hungarian Authority for Consumer Protection, or other food and chemical industrial laboratories). (2) Food processing facilities are accredited, recorded, and given a certificate (for example: certificate of organic production, etc.) (3) Purchasing is straight from the source. (4) Purchase is on the basis of information technology. These factors are the underlying cause of the change in behaviour resulting from risk reduction awareness. The article focuses on the food consumption behaviour analysis of Hungary’s population. The analyzed database was queried from IPSOS Ltd. (N=1 038 people) but we will select 883 people, based on inclusive criteria (aged between 18 and 70) and exclude people with extreme incomes (due to being outliers). In order to indroduce the topic, we will start our research with a short literary introspection. Before the analysis of the database, we presume consumers have a kind of set awareness that is shaped by buying their daily food and products. In this research, we will prove this assumption.JEL code: D12
-
The Price of Health – The Consumption and Purchasing Patterns of Foods with Special Attention to Price
3-16Views:172The economic events of recent years (war, the COVID epidemic) have had a significant impact on our daily life, including our consumer and shopping habits. The main aim of this research is to examine how food consumption and purchasing habits have changed in response to price changes, particularly for foods perceived to be healthy. Two focus group surveys were conducted to explore consumer habits on this topic. The period covered by the research was the consumer prices in April 2022 and April 2023. Our research explored general food purchasing habits and consumer motivations. We examined the extent to which products that participants perceived as healthy were purchased online, and the impact of price changes on the demand for health-conscious foods and on consumers' brand loyalty. We also looked at the online price monitoring system, where we mapped consumer adoption and the consumer benefits that the system provided. One of our key achievements is to identify a growing consumer awareness, with more and more people choosing quality, expertise and choice over convenience and price. The types of consumer responses identified in the EUROPA.EU research was in terms of products perceived as healthy in the wake of the price rise, although the proportions have shifted significantly; many are looking for alternatives, seeking substitutes for products; and fewer are the concern-averse, loyal consumers and the well-off but not engaged. Price sensitivity is increasing as a result of recent sustained price rises, with a small proportion of people who are not concerned. There is also a low proportion of emotional comfort seekers, a group largely confined to high-income consumers. For those who are not aware of the price of products, there is no change in brand loyalty and no brand abandonment, but for those who are price-aware, there is a tendency to switch between brands.
JEL-CODES: I12, M31, M38
-
Drivers of Local Food Product Consumption among Young Consumers
21-39Views:297Future trends in sustainable food consumption include, among others, the expansion of short food supply chains coupled with a shift in consumer behaviour, e.g., a growing interest in product information, increased appreciation of trust towards local producers and locally produced food. There is a growing body of literature on local or alternative food to address the problem of consumer behaviour called the buyer's "black box". This paper aims to identify the most prominent drivers for the segment of young consumers for purchasing healthy and quality products: curiosity, uniqueness, and experience. We conducted this study to direct the attention specifically to the buying behaviour of young consumers, as previous research found this segment the most open to sustainable food consumption. A quantitative study was conducted on a large-sample survey with respondents aged 18 – 45 in Hungary. The questionnaire focused on product features, intrinsic and extrinsic motivational elements, and demographic characteristics. The findings of this study can support managerial decision-making and serve as a basis for further academic research.
JEL-Codes: A13, F64, M21, O13, P46 -
Analyzing Consumer Attitudes Towards Health-protecting Food
39-55Views:416The main goal of our research was to analyze the role of health-protecting food in our daily nutrition. In our secondary research, we analyzed the generalities and characteristics of health and health behavior with the help of relevant domestic and foreign literature. We analyzed the domestic tendencies of health in details. We examined the most important characteristics of functional foods and investigated the factors of personalized nutrition. Based on a literature review, in our primary research we conducted an online questionnaire survey with 231 respondents. Our survey cannot be considered representative, however, the proportion of genders in our sample population is almost the same as the Hungarian population’s. In the questionnaire survey, we examined the frequency of consumption of health-protecting food. After that, we analyzed respondents’ perceptions of the actual health effects of health-protecting food. We have measured consumer attitudes towards health-protecting food. We analyzed the perception of potential health risks and problems from the consumer perspective. We measured the impact of various health factors on shopping. Besides, we have explored our intention to participate in personalized nutrition-related programs. Based on our research, most of the analyzed health-protecting food is consumed once or twice a week. It can be stated that the respondents considered the examined food categories less scientifically proven. We could identify the preventive behaviors of respondents for various health problems. However, there is also uncertainty in the decision of respondents in what is the right way to prevent the diseases. In this uncertain situation, only experts can provide real help to them.
JEL Classification: Q16, Q12, Q13, O32
-
Affinity for Consumer Resistance Among Hungarian Consumers
29-45Views:135The causes of the loss of market results go beyond the realities of intense and noisy competition. The rejecting attitude and resistant behaviour of consumers can exert pressure on the companies’ business processes – several market examples draw attention to the weight of those consequences. To find out the appropriate way to handle this phenomenon became inevitable. The resistant behaviour of consumers exists in numerous markets and industries, among these foods are particularly concerned. There are examples for short and long term, but intense consumer indignation. Although consumer resistance is not a product- or market-specific phenomenon, it’s worth considering the issue of food, because of its embeddedness in everyday life, so market players may face easily criticism and conflict of interest. The study provides an overview of markets facing consumer resistance. The aim of the quantitative research is to find out the affinity of Hungarian consumers for consumer resistance and its various forms.
-
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
-
Impact of Personal Values on the Change of Health Behaviour and the Conscious Food Purchase
57-71Views:189Major aim of the examination is to reveal relationships between personal values, the switch to the health conscious nutrition method, and the food consumer behaviour based on the value list by Kahle (LOV). In order to attain this goal a nationwide representative survey was conducted in Hungary with the participation of 1000 persons. According to the results the most important value for the population is safety that is followed by the need for fun and enjoyment in life. During the analysis of the value list a factor structure – different from the standard – was revealed that formed the base of the segmentation. Four consumer segments were identified, the Value oriented, the Moderately value driven, the Safety seeker, and the Disappointed segments.
The Value oriented segment can be considered as the primary target group of health protecting foods as members of this group moved to the direction of more health conscious consumption and in parallel of more health conscious food purchase to the greatest extent (18.5%). The second group showing significant changes is the Safety seekers that suggests that the extent of the value orientation significantly affects the behavior, i.e. food purchase and food consumption independently of its content. The value content provides information to the development of the content elements of the marketing strategy and the marketing message for the producers of health protecting foods. -
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
-
Examinations of Attitudes towards Functional Foods – Literature Review
21-34Views:255The current study of our two-part paper series dealing with psychological influences on functional food consumer behaviour focuses on attitudes towards functional foods, while the subsequent study will discuss other psychological influential factors. Several research studies have already examined attitudes towards functional foods but the wide range of available products, the significant international heterogeneity of attitudes and the diversity of the applied research methods make their comparison and generalization remarkably hard. This paper aims to organize these research studies according to specific standpoints, and based on this, to draw generalizable conclusions. Based on the literature review, we can state that attitudes towards functional foods are positive worldwide, and those attitudes have a positive effect on the purchase and consumption of functional foods. There are, of course, international differences in attitude factors that play a significant role in this positive effect, and also in the composition of those factors. These differences can be attributed primarily to the different development stages of markets. However, we can state that the most important attitude factor everywhere is the reward from using functional foods (health protection and promotion, well-being, good performance and mood) that has to be forwarded stated simply and obviously towards the consumers in marketing communication messages. Besides this, social necessity (including medicine-like effects) of and confidence in functional foods also influence the intention for consumption, thus, the healing effect can also be a useful buzzword in messages. In the less developed markets – such as Hungary – confidence includes the belief in the safety of the products indicating the fact that where consumers are not familiar with these products, perceived risks of functional foods can be a strong barrier to their consumption. Therefore, a key role of marketing communication messages in those markets is the reduction of perceived risks. It is worth noting, however, that functional foods cannot be seen as a homogeneous food category, thus the importance of different attitude factors may vary between the different types of food. Additionally, consumers cannot be seen as one, homogeneous group, either, therefore different marketing communication messages developed according to the attitude-based segments will be effective.
JEL codes: D11, M31
-
The Megatrend Connections of Food Consumption
19-27Views:301The interest which is shown about food and meals nowadays is high. More and more new magazines, blogs, restaurant reviews and ratings, TV channels, contests and festivals appear in connection with this topic. In this study the new phenomena of food topic is analysed through several megatrend buzzwords. The study tries to draw up a system for the connections of food and meal topic and also tries to present research results about it. Some research results are presented in the study in order to illustrate the behaviour of Hungarian consumer.
-
The Consumer Behavior of Volunteer Simplifiers Special Reference to Dietary Habits
81-85Views:44This paper introduces voluntary simplifier consumers who freely limit their consumption; freely purchase less than the average consumers. They refuse the logic of the consumer society, and choose an anticonsumer lifestyle that features environmental, social and economic sustainability. According to the international literature the concept of voluntary simplicity will be defined; the types/stages, main motives and influence factors of this frugal lifestyle will be presented. Since the inhabitants of the strictly regulated eco-villages can be regarded as voluntary simplifiers, we extended our research to eco-villages. With exploratory goal we examine two eco-villages’ webpages searching for information about their dietary habits.
-
Investigation into Online Customer Behaviour and Opportunities of the Food Shopping among Hungarian and American Online Consumers
31-43Views:449Nowadays, it is so much easier to interact with each other (two-way communication) from all over the world as never before. This possibility has only been available for a few people – for the military at first – but after some decades, it became accessible to everyone. Online customer demand increased a lot, for example by the big boom of Web 2.0. by Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook and by the introduction of Steve Jobs’ iPad. This topic is of interest, because companies from all over the world would like to find the most effective and cheapest methods to reach and keep their online consumers (worldwide). Therefore, they need to discover more about their consumers’ behaviour without generating high expenditure. This article focuses on the behavioural analysis of the online consumer (non-representative) population between Hungary and the USA. The background for my research consists of the awareness of the contents of e-markets. The analysed questionnaire was given out online (N=932) and people with high incomes (outliers) were excluded. Before the analysis of the database, I presumed that the consumers have a focus on online selling products and/or services. In this research we will examine the differences and identities of the behaviour of Hungarian and American customers based on online purchases. I have used Factorial ANOVA to analyse my database and found answers to my research questions about the most popular online goods and/or services. Furthermore, the differences and similarities of the behaviour between American and Hungarian consumers have been examined.
JEL code: E70
-
The Effect of Consumer Perceived Trust and Image Toward Food Brands on Consumers’ Willingness to Buy
41-56Views:188Purpose – consumers’ buying process is affected by many variables in which branding strategy is indeed an important variable to be considered. This paper aims to evaluate the influence of three branding elements – brand name, packaging, and country of origin – on Palestinian consumers’ willingness to buy food products to understand better their buying. Methodology – The study was conducted in the Palestinian market, the sample was selected according to simple random sampling technique, and a structured questionnaire was prepared, then it was electronically distributed by using emails and social media. The questionnaire contains 35 questions depending on a balanced Fifth Likert Scale and a single-item 7-point differential semantic scale, the questions intended to determine the influence of the selected branding elements on consumers’ willingness to buy food products. The data were analysed depending on the descriptive analysis and one sample t-test. Findings – according to the results of the data analysis it was found that product features and attributes were the factors of the highest importance that influenced the consumers’ willingness to buy, while the branding elements variables came at second rank of importance. Also, the results show that the effect of three chosen branding elements on consumer willingness to buy is significant. The outcomes of this study may be advantageous for firms working in food sectors, since the Palestinian market is lacking such a scientific study and help them in creating marketing strategies to increase the sales volume of their products.
JEL Codes: M31, M39
-
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
-
Consumer Perception of a Healthy Nutrition – The Results of an Exploratory Study
57-66Views:734Healthy nutrition is becoming increasingly important in the age of endemic non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and various cancers. Moreover, due to modern eating habits, more and more people are experiencing food allergies, sensitivity or intolerance to gluten, lactose, milk protein, soy, or egg, just to mention a few. Healthy eating as prevention has become a possible solution for these problems worldwide. Furthermore, an increasing number of people simply want to pay attention to what they consume. The primary objective of this research is to showcase the attitude of consumers in Debrecen (Hungary) towards a healthy nutrition, as well as to explore the factors that influence it. This paper also aims to reveal consumers’ views on the degree to which a healthy diet can be achieved in their daily lives. Focus group interview was chosen as the method of primary data collection, in which consumers living in Debrecen, with different behaviors towards health (health preventive and health risk) took part. The acquired results from the two groups clearly reflect how consumers with dissimilar attitudes towards healthy nutrition reach differing opinions on the same issues.
JEL Classification: I12, M31