The role of socio-demographic variables and buying habits in determining milk purchasers’ preferences and choices

Abstract

Emerging new purchasing behaviors have been reflected in the sales trends of dairy products, mainly in cow milk consumption. This study aimed to investigate the preferences of milk purchasers toward different product attributes, by considering both individuals’ socio-demographic characteristics (SD) and milk purchasing habits (PH) as independent variables in the milk consumption model definition. To achieve this objective, a questionnaire was administered to a sample of 1,216 residents in Northwest Italy. The application of the Best-Worst scaling (BWS) methodology to define the purchasers’ declared preferences toward a set of 12 milk attributes, showed that milk origin and expiry date are the most important attributes for milk choice in the decision-making process. The correlation analysis showed that the SD and milk purchasing habits variables affect the definition of stated preferences heterogeneously between the intrinsic, extrinsic, and credence attributes.

Analyzing Strawberry Preferences: Best–Worst Scaling Methodology and Purchase Styles

“…The experimental design used in this research had already been used in other consumer behavior studies [55][56][57]. In accordance with the standard design commonly used in BWS surveys, given a set of n (n = 12) attributes of strawberries, r choice sets are provided (r = 9), and each set contains 4 attributes (t = 4) (constant condition n > t) that are differently combined, and each item appears 3 times in the questionnaire (s = 3), according to a balanced incomplete block scheme (Table 2) [58][59][60].…”

Socio-demographic and cross-country differences in attention to sustainable certifications and changes in food consumption

“…A cross-sectional questionnaire was developed in four sections. In particular, the questionnaire included the following measures: socio-demographic characteristics (gender, age, family composition); food purchasing frequency: this self-constructed scale composed by seven items ( fresh cheeses, aged cheeses, cured meat, pork, beef, fruits, vegetables) was adapted 30 , 36 , 40 , 64 , 65 to measure the actual food purchasing frequency of the different foods using a 7-point internal scale (ranging from 1 = never to 7 = more than 5 times per week). Cronbach’s Alpha was equal to 0.94; sustainable certifications: this scale was composed of four items ( cheeses, cured meat, meat, fruits, and vegetables) and was developed to rate the level of interest of individuals in the sustainable certification, using a 10-point Likert scale (ranging from 1 = not at all important to 10 = extremely important) 40 , 65 , 66 .…”

“…food purchasing frequency: this self-constructed scale composed by seven items ( fresh cheeses, aged cheeses, cured meat, pork, beef, fruits, vegetables) was adapted 30 , 36 , 40 , 64 , 65 to measure the actual food purchasing frequency of the different foods using a 7-point internal scale (ranging from 1 = never to 7 = more than 5 times per week). Cronbach’s Alpha was equal to 0.94;…”

“…At the same time, the levels of awareness, interest, and trust in sustainable certifications play significant roles in influencing the purchasing decisions of consumers 33 – 35 . Italian consumers have shown an increasing interest in environmental sustainability in the food sector 36 , 37 . According to a recent research, 75% of Italian consumers are willing to pay a higher price for food products from sustainable productions, thus demonstrating they are highly sensitivity to and aware of the environmental impact of food products 38 .…”