Importance of intrinsic and extrinsic quality food characteristics by different consumer segments

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine intrinsic and extrinsic food quality characteristics and the relative importance placed on these characteristics by different consumer segments. Moreover, relationship between segments of consumers and consumption frequency of differentiated food products (traditional, functional and organic) was analysed. Design/methodology/approach A three-stage stratified random sampling approach was employed and data were collected via 500 face-to-face interviews conducted in respondents’ homes. A version of the Food Choice Questionnaire was used to examine the motives of consumers’ underlying food choices. The collected data were analysed by factor analysis followed by cluster analysis. Findings Four factors were identified: health and sensory characteristics, price and availability, body weight and digestion, and convenience. Resulting clusters were named as: healthy and tasty food lovers, convenient, concerned, and indifferent consumers. Differences were identified between the segments according to consumers’ frequency of consumption of the different types of food products. Practical implications The findings have impact implications for food producers and distributors in developing communication strategies for consumer segments with different attitudes and motives. The findings of this study not only contribute to the organic, traditional, and food with health claim literature, but also help industry, government, and consumer associations fully understand consumer perceptions of intrinsic and extrinsic foods characteristics and enhance consumers’ responses to the different types of food products. Originality/value The study represents one of the first assessments of the importance of food quality characteristics, segmentation, and consumption frequency of traditional, organic, and functional food products in Central and Eastern Europe.

Consumer Understanding of Food Quality, Healthiness, and Environmental Impact: A Cross-National Perspective

“…The difference from the present research consists of the number of tested cues (their study tested nine quality elements) and the fact that it identified two consumer groups according to the quality cues that they used. Brecic et al [25] analyzed the importance of quality cues to consumers, but the number of cues investigated in their study was lower compared to the number of cues tested in the present study (20 vs. 59).…”

Consumer Segments and Value Preferences for Tomatoes in Pakistan

“…This indicates that this cluster is merely concerned with using tomato as an essential ingredient for meal preparation (Table 4). Brečić et al (2017) and Kovačić et al (2010) also identified similar consumer segments who did not care about most of the quality attributes of fresh produce.…”

Bringing the Consumer Back in—The Motives, Perceptions, and Values behind Consumers and Rural Tourists’ Decision to Buy Local and Localized Artisan Food—A Swedish Example

“…One relevant observation is that consumer behavior studies, in general, tend to include intrinsic and extrinsic values in one way or the other, but these attributes are quite absent in the wider local food discussion, except for some recent articles [29]. Thus, the relevance of intrinsic and extrinsic attributes highlighted in this case helps us to enrich our understanding of consumers in market-driven direct produce systems and close typicity systems.…”

“…However, consumers can also be driven by so-called extrinsic attributes; that is, attributes disconnected from the product, but connected to the sale. Some examples of such attributes are brand name, brand image, stamp of quality (for example, an ecological brand, or a protected designation of origin), price, country and/or place of origin, store, staff at the selling point, packaging, production information, and consumer communication [29][30][31].…”

“…As such, the attributes perceived by the consumer are the consumers' interpretation of what the food quality is. However, as seen above, quality is a complex social construct that grasps intrinsic and extrinsic product attributes, as well as other performances, criteria, and characteristics that the consumer wants [29]. These attributes are, in turn, tightly linked to the type of production system out of which the local food in question sprang from.…”