Analysis of Consumer Perceptions for Purchase Decision Making on Fruit Beverages in Sri Lankan Supermarkets

Abstract

Sri Lanka is currently being operated by four leading supermarket chains. These supermarkets provide four major fruit beverage categories of Ready to Drink (RTD) fruit beverages, fruit nectar, fruit cordial and fruit concentrates. This study was conducted at the Colombo city, commercial capital of Sri Lanka to identify the consumer perceptions that drives the purchasing decisions of consumers on fruit beverages. A survey included in the study identified fruit nectar as the most preferred fruit beverage category. The attributes that drives the consumer perception are calculated using discrete choice model, choice based conjoint analysis. Among them "Brand name", "Flavour", "Volume", "Price" and "Sugar levels" have 34%, 20%, 20%, 21% and 4% aggregated importance respectively. Well-known brand names have higher consumer preference and consumers are more likely to consumer mango nectar. Also, consumers prefer nectar at the affordable middle level price range. Factor analysis was conducted to identify the major factor that drives the market and a cluster analysis was conducted to divide the sample population in to four segments. Four factors focused on consumer behavioural segmentation were identified within the study from the factor analysis. They are "Information seeking factor", "Neophile factor", "Convenience factor" and" Health conscious factor". Keywords: Fruit beverages, Choice based conjoint analysis, Factor-cluster segmentation, Descriptive analysisObjectives  To identify the most preferred fruit beverage category.  To identify the product attributes that consumers consider as important when making the purchase decision in the selected fruit beverage category.  To determine the most preferred product attributes of the selected fruit beverage category.  To identify major marketing segments among the shoppers in supermarkets.