Edvin Zhllima

Latent Class Analysis of Consumer Preferences for Wine in Tirana, Albania

This research aimed to determine wine attributes preferred by consumers in Tirana, Albania, and consumer segments based on preferences and sociodemographic factors. To accomplish these objectives, a conjoint choice experiment was designed. Data were analyzed with the latent class approach. Initial results showed a 5-class model fit best. Results indicated that younger people tend to prefer Italian wines over domestic wines, whereas some older consumers strongly prefer domestic, lower priced wines. Other domestic wine consumers sought higher prices, possibly indicating a niche demand for high-quality Albanian wines. The wine industry and its marketers might use this information to strategically market their wine to different groups. Overall, the majority of the respondents preferred Italian wines, but many might be persuaded toward domestic wine. Government assistance in standardizing the quality of wine and introducing new grape cultivars and efficient farming practices should aid long-term competitiveness of domestic wine in Albania.

Analysis of Consumer Preferences for Table Olives—The Case of Albanian Urban Consumers

The table olive production sector is undergoing rapid changes, as the government is undertaking an ambitious program supporting the expansion of olive grove plantations. Despite the increase in domestic production, imports of table olives are still high, due to constraints in quantity and quality of domestically supplied olives. In the context of import substitution strategy, embraced by producers and policy-makers, it is important to analyze the consumer preferences for table olives. The objective of this paper is to segment the table olive market according to preferences for table olives attributes, and assess willingness to pay for the main product attributes, applying Conjoint Choice Experiment (CCE) and Latent Class Analysis to collect and analyze the data. The research results show a strong consumer preference for domestic table olives whereas preferences for other attributes and willingness to pay vary between consumer groups.

Food consumer trends in post socialist countries: the case of Albania

Since the beginning of the transition from a centrally planned economy to a market oriented economy in early 1990’s, economic growth, fast urbanisation, regional trade liberalisation, and gradual integration into eu, are contributing to a rapid evolution of consumption and lifestyle in Albania. The changing structure of the incomes emerging from an increasing per capita gdp and the redistribution among classes of population and among regions (urban population benefiting more from the growth than rural) has given rise to a larger urban middle-income class of consumers. The food demand from the emerging urban middle-income consumers, combined with the gradual consolidation of the retail sector and the recent establishment and expansion of the first supermarket chains, has strong implications for the agrifood industry. Despite these rapid changes, there are few attempts from researchers and other stakeholders to study the consumer preferences in the country. Understanding consumer preferences is important not only for agrifood entrepreneurs but also for government policy makers to tune their policies and allocate their resources more efficiently in line with market demand. The objective of this paper is to describe the main consumption trends and key issues in Albania, analysis of the Albanian consumer patterns and dynamics of the last decades for the main food categories, along with comparisons to the rest of the world. The study finds that the demand toward meat, fruits and vegetables has experienced a significant increase compared to more staple foods such as cereal. The consumer preferences indicate similar features with other transition countries. There is observed an overall preference for domestic agrifood products. However, there are concerns about the perceived quality and safety of various agrifood products in Albania. There is obvious distrust in the government food safety enforcement system, while privately enforced quality and safety systems are almost missing. Strengthening the implementation capacities and improving the image of the government food safety regulation system should be considered a priority in the context of ongoing institutional and legal reforms, such that the preference for domestic produce and products increase to match consumer preferences.

Consumer preferences for typical local products in Albania

Albania has the potential to develop quality products given its cultural, climatic and territorial diversity. Moreover, consumers’ sensitivity to the origin of agrofood products, the huge variety of products, the growing integration of farms into the market, combined with on-going improvements in the legal and institutional framework regarding Protected Designation of Origin (pdo) and Protected Geographical Indications (pgi) indicate that these quality schemes are valid options for the maintenance of the agricultural sector in Albania, especially in mountainous areas. This study is based on a structured survey including 269 face-to-face interviews which were conducted in Tirana during summer 2013. According to the study results, most consumers’ choice of products is based on their origin (domestic versus imported), with a preference for domestic products. Also, within the domestic product group, there are significant differences in perceptions based on which region of Albania they were produced in - most interviewees stated that the region/ area of origin is either important or very important when choosing to buy Albanian products. There is a clear pattern of regional preferences for various food products, including most notably cheese. Based on association of typical product to specific regions, Protected Designation of Origin or Protected Geographical Indications can be promoted.

Determinants of long-term business relationships in the dairy value chain in transition countries: the case of Albania

(e.g. Batt and Wilson, 2000; Fischer, 2013), less evidence has been collected from developing or transition countries which face higher institutional voids (Bouis and Haddad, 1990). By testing our model in the Albanian dairy sector with data from a structured survey with farmers engaged in production of goat and sheep milk, we aim to bridge this gap. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, this is