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What sort of Carrier Food Should Be Enhanced by Functional Food Producers? – A Continuation of a Scientific Debate in Hungary
35-48Views:167The basis of our study was provided by the question previously discussed in literature: whether functional food producers should enrich unhealthy or healthy carriers. Most of the previous studies reached the conclusion that such foods can be the carriers of successful functional foods that are perceived as healthy by themselves, such as yoghurt, cereals, orange juice and whole grain products. According to some authors, however, carriers that are perceived as healthy are not worth improving functionally, because they are perceived as healthy by themselves, so consumers did not find artificial enrichment necessary. The main objective of the study was to find out that the enrichment of which foods would be the most justified for food companies in Hungary. In our online questionnaire reaching 2034 respondents we built on the methodology of previous studies. As part of the questionnaire, based on conjoint cards, we created different mini-concepts to study the respondents’ willingness to buy them. For Hungarian customers, based on the respondents’ answers, the enrichment of “healthy foods”– aligning with the findings of several other researchers – generally makes the judgment of the product even more favourable, however, we also agree with the findings of researchers arguing differently, namely that in the case of an unhealthy product enrichment can cause a bigger change in how healthy it is perceived. But in the case when a functional food developer wants to sell their product with its healthy image, it is a better choice to enrich a carrier that is perceived as healthy, because the purchase intention for the product created by enriching something “unhealthy” is not going to be as high as the purchase intention for the non-enriched product seen as healthy.
JEL code: I15
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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. -
Analysis of the Food Consumer Behavior in the Online Environment: Does Digital Food Consumer Exist in Hungary?
29-38Views:348In recent years one of the major players in the market have changed radically, the consumer. They have been titled as „digitally enlightened” citizens by various researches. The main characteristics of „traditional” consumer’s behavior have been discussed previously by numerous researchers. However research on digital consumers, especially in domestic circles, is still in initial stage.
The main objective of this article is to determine the online consumer behavior trends in our country, in relation to information and shopping in particular of food. At the end of this publication we intent to answer the question asked in the title, i.e. does digital food consumer exist in this country.
In our study we used the online consumer buying behavior process as base. Each step was mapped out by using relevant and current literature analysis. Using national representative survey (N=1000) we examined in detail the food-related online information searches and the shopping opportunities in online shops.
The convenience factor – similar to the description of the literature- is the most advantageous aspect of online shopping. At online shops the other factors examined convergence occurring in the median values show the uncertainty of customers’ purchasing behavior, which results in a lack of trust in food purchases.
Overall, we can conclude that the majority of literature and research on food consumption behavior doesn’t separate properly the online consumer’ roles and most of the emphasis is on the final purchase. Based on literature research, we have attempted to differentiate the digital food consumers based on online behavior in which the basis for the subsequent researches hypothetical fives categories were distinguished. -
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
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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
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Farmers' Markets on the University Campus
41-56Views:360Short food supply chains are increasingly studied areas of international studies. Many see their spread as the solution to sustainability in agriculture. One of its defining sales channels is farmers' markets, their number has grown dramatically in Hungary in recent years. Many studies analyse the consumers of farmers' markets worldwide, but only a few studies examine the relationship of university students with farmers' markets. However, there are examples of this in the USA; it is even typical that farmer's market is organized on university campuses. University students are not typical buyers of farmers' markets, but they will be the consumers of the future, so it is worth examining their habits and needs. With the help of a questionnaire filled out by 382 university students, we investigate whether there is a difference between the food shopping habits of the university students examined in previous studies and the ones analysed in the current study. Do they have clearly identifiable habits of purchasing on the farmer's market? Is there a demand to organize farmers' markets on university campuses in Hungary? The food shopping habits of university students studying in Hungary are largely the same as the habits of university students examined by previous research. For university students, the price, comfort, the selection, and quality aspects of the products dominate. 31% of the university students, who filled out the questionnaire, have never shopped at a farmer's market; while among those, who purchase there food, only 21% do this regularly. The main obstacle for non-regular shoppers is the distance from farmers' markets, which can be solved by organizing farmers' markets on university campuses. 95% of the sample is open to this, so it would be worthwhile to conduct separate research for each university and put the positive results into practice.
JEL-Codes: O13, P46, Q13 -
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
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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
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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.
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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
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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