Benjamin Campbell

Consumer Perceptions of Eco-friendly and Sustainable Terms

Common marketing strategies include emphasizing products’ “green” or environmentally friendly attributes and characteristics to appeal to a growing market of environmentally conscious consumers. While previous studies have used product labels such as “eco-friendly,” “environmentally friendly,” and “sustainable” to investigate consumer preferences, relatively little is known about how consumer perceptions as a pre-decision mechanism impact their preferences and choice behaviors. Using data collected through an online survey of U.S. and Canadian consumers, we investigate systematic differences in individuals’ perceptions of the terms “eco-friendly” and “sustainable.” Marketing implications for the food and green (i.e., greenhouse/nursery producers, suppliers, and retailers) industries are discussed.

Consumer Preferences for Peach Attributes: Market Segmentation Analysis and Implications for New Marketing Strategies

Consumers in todays marketplace have seemingly endless choices with regards to produce. Peach growers and retailers in Ontario, Canada, have begun taking steps to increase demand for their products. This study investigates the impact of those strategies on the market. Using conjoint analysis and market simulations, we evaluate the peach market to identify key drivers of peach purchasing. The results indicate that the market is heterogeneous and that price, origin, and quality indicators are the most important drivers of purchases. Our simulations indicate that adoption of new plastic packaging by the industry is a viable strategy for increasing demand for local peaches.

Analysis of Food Away from Home Expenditures by Meal Occasion: Are Transactional Variables and Prior Purchase Behavior Important?

Given the rise in health-related issues associated with changing food consumption patterns, we examine the role of not only demographics on food-away-from-home expenditures by meal occasion, but also transactional specific variables (e.g., promotion, ordering, and both facility and meal characteristics) and past away-from-home expenditures. Our results suggest that transactional variables that reflect both facility and meal characteristics as well as ordering, promotion, and party composition variables significantly influence food-away-from-home expenditures by meal occasion. Furthermore, both the timing and amount of previous away-from-home expenditures play a major role in expenditures as well.

Buyer and Nonbuyer Barriers to Purchasing Local Food

Policymakers and value chain members often use a one-size-fits-all strategy to increase local food consumption. Our results indicate this approach may not be effective; local food buyers and nonbuyers have differing barriers to purchasing more or accessing local food. We examine the effect of demographics, health indicators, shopping location, and zip code on those barriers. Prices and availability are barriers for both buyers and nonbuyers. Consumers with higher healthy diet scores are more likely to think about local food availability. Providing specific products is a more viable strategy than creating additional purchasing venues. These results are important, as governments seek to increase local food purchases and enhance local agriculture.