Key Findings on Consumers Preferences Towards Traditional Foods in the WBC

Transcription

1 FOCUS Food Consumer Science in the Balkans 2 nd open seminar September, 23 rd 2011 Brussels (Europe) Key Findings on Consumers Preferences Towards Traditional Foods in the WBC Pr. Georges Giraud, AgroSup Dijon Social Sciences & Humanities Dept, France g.giraud@agrosupdijon.fr With key contribution from Corinne Amblard, Elise Prugnard VetAgro Sup Clermont and all Balkan partners 1

2 Conjoint analysis on traditional food Consumer based experimental science 2

3 Introduction Objectives of conjoint analysis survey - Measure the attitudes towards traditional food expressed by Balkan consumers - Assess the purchase behaviour of WBC consumers towards traditional food - Identify specific segments of consumers sensitive to traditional food Methodology interviews in 6 Balkan countries carried-out Dec 2010, Jan Strictly same protocol applied in each countries: Set of 11 cards to rank + Q - Cards represent concrete attributes of a concrete food sold on the market - Mladi sir: fresh cow cheese Sampling 200 per country - 59 % female, 41% male ; 60% rural, 40% urban ; 50% years old, 50% older - Usual active status (apart BiH, Me), 83% household 3-4 members - 74% slighty lower /average income - Women buy (70%) and cook (80%) 3

4 Conjoint Analysis methodology CHOICE OF A MODEL IDENTIFICATION OF RELEVANT ATTRIBUTES AND THEIR LEVELS EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN DATA COLLECTION CALCULATION OF IMPORTANCES AND UTILITIES Segmentation Simulation Optimisation - Use of illustrated cards - Rank-based CA - Orthogonal design -Holdouts - Implementation - Calculation with SPSS - Use of results, interpretation - Segmentation 4

5 Step 1: find a common traditional food in WBC 5

6 Protocol According to verbatim analysis of the 12 focus groups, 4 attributes /cards ranking: Origin(3 levels) Production(3 levels) Price(3 levels) Packaging(2 levels) Geographical origin 3 levels: Region, Country, Unspecified Scale of production 3 levels: On-farm processed, Small dairy, Factory scale Price 3 levels equally spaced: lowest, medium, highest /market each country Packaging 2 levels: Sold loose (on desired weight), Prepacked Between 54 possible profiles (3x3x3x2), choice orthogonal design 9 profiles + 2 holdout cards 6

7 Descriptive analysis of cards ranking Global database (all countries) Most often preferred card (most often ranked first) Most preferred card (mean rank minimum) Least often in the last rank Least often preferred card (least often ranked first) Least preferred card (mean rank maximum) Most often in the last rank Card G Card B Card B Card K Card K Card A 7

8 Preferred card / less preferred card Noticeable trends: - Global preference goes to levels presumed traditional (known origin, small scale production as opposed to industrial). - Higher prices don t seem to be a barrier to the choice. - Prepacked level seem globally preferred as opposed to sold loose. 8

9 Attributes importance and partial utilities Utilities Attribute : Production Utilities Attribute : Origin Importances SMALL DAIRY 0.37 ON-FARM Utilities Attribute : Price INDUSTRIAL LOW MEDIUM HIGH LOCAL NO ORIGIN COUNTRY Utilities Attribute : Packaging SOLD LOOSE PREPACKED 9

10 Conjoint analysis results Relative importance of each factor according to the country/region COUNTRY PROD_IMP PRICE_IMP ORIGIN_IMP PACK_IMP BiH 27,12 28,13 24,82 19,92 100,00 Croatia 44,37 17,87 24,54 13,23 100,00 Macedonia 24,73 34,73 24,97 15,57 100,00 MON 31,26 35,11 22,83 10,81 100,00 SER 29,57 28,05 27,45 14,93 100,00 SLO 33,58 28,41 27,86 10,15 100,00 TOTAL 31,77 28,72 25,41 14,10 100,00 REGION Rural 32,27 29,09 24,30 14,34 100,00 Urban 31,27 28,35 26,52 13,86 100,00 TOTAL 31,77 28,72 25,41 14,10 100,00 Importance of considered attribute: Below average Average Above average 10

11 About preferences: General comments on results - Global preferences for the 2 main attributes are turned towards traits of tradition: small scale of production and specified origin. - Importance of price in purchasing context, preference for low and medium - Importance of packaging is weak in global decisionmaking process, but there is a preference for prepacked level (supermarkets, convenience ) 11

12 Comments on complementary attitudinal questionnaire - A product perceived as traditional - Very few consumers who do not purchase it (7%) - Mostly bought in supermarkets, but informal sales remain still attractive - No difference of consumption frequency urban / rural - Tradition and heritage (80% eat it as a child) - Both usual and festive consumption 12

13 Individual utilities and segmentation Classification: (AHC+consolidation) - Distance between respondents - Clusters made with respondents similar in terms of preferences - Min variance within each cluster - Max variance between clusters 13

14 Individual utilities and segmentation Going in depth to the individual level - SPSS file of individual utilities => numerical data Respondent Constant Low PRICE utility Medium PRICE utility On-farm PRODUCTION utility Industrial PRODUCTION utility BIH001 5, BIH SLO200 => To which is applied a PCA + Classification 14

15 Identified clusters High importance given to 60 Factor importance by cluster Origin 50 Scale of production 40 Cluster GEOGRAPHICAL ORIGIN PACKAGING PRICE PRODUCTION Cluster 2 Cluster 3 Cluster 4 Price Price and scale of production 15

16 Identified clusters Cl.1: Pref. for local level (vs no origin) Cl.2: Pref. for onfarm production (vs industrial) Cl.3: Pref. for low prices (vs high) Cl.4: Pref. for industrial prod. & high price (& prepacked) 16

17 Cluster1 (18% resp.) Characterization of clusters (test-values) Cluster 2 (30% resp.) Cluster 3 (20% resp.) Cluster 4 (32% resp.) Local origin Rejection of industrial level Rejection of high prices High price & industrial production Less often festive consumption, less consumption as a child - Less purchases at supermarkets. - More home-production, (family, friends) - Less requiring about hygiene condition for smallscale production - More purchases on markets - Less home-production, (friends, family) -Price is more often quoted as a barrier for consumption - Less people having finished faculty - Fewer main cooks - Fewer purchases at farms, friends, families but more at supermarkets - More requiring about hygiene condition Under-represented: Macedonia Under-represented: Macedonia Over-represented: Croatia, Slovénia Under-represented: Macedonia, Croatia Over-represented: Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia Under-represented: Bosnia, Slovenia, Croatia Over-represented: Macedonia (41%) 17

18 Factorial map of PCA F1 + F2: 47.47% variance explained Explaining variables: - scale of production - price sensitivity - local origin as consensual attribute 3 groups countries -Se, Me, BiH -Hr, Si -Mk 18

19 Conclusions The type of packaging is not an important attribute for fresh cow cheese Importance of Price, Scale of production and Geographical origin differs according to the cluster In all countries, consumers have globaly a strong reluctance for no specification of origin on fresh cow cheese Industrial production is strongly opposed to the 2 other types of production (small-dairy & on-farm processed) Cluster analysis indicates valuable ways for labelling and marketing strategy for traditional food products in WBC, based on deep cultural proximity and differences 19

20 Policy implications Favouring urban market accessibility for local small food producers by: i. Maintaining green markets instead of favouring the opening of several supermarkets, ii. Implementing food hygiene regulation affordable for small local workshops instead of formatting hygiene practices on the standards of big factories, iii. Protecting local names via EU regulation of GI scheme, preferably PDO iv. Promoting consumer information and market transparency about difference between GI and strong private branding, v. Developing cultural and education policy, towards consumers and citizens, providing opportunities for consumption of traditional food products via festive celebration of special events related to cultural heritage. These celebrations may favour the transmission of values related to genuine tangs and local food habits towards young generations. 20

21 Healthy concerns about Balkan traditional rich & hearty cuisine, the same as everywhere 21

22 - Food origin and hygiene - Opinion about GI Some perspectives - Consumer globaly sensitive to hygiene rules in food production (except home-made) - Importance of region (and country) highlighted - Link between taste and origin not well stressed - Nearly 80% declaring to have already bought products with GI - GI rather perceived as traditional - High agreement on the need to protect traditional food with GI 22

23 Dairy food is local and universal Zagreb market 23

24 Ìstanbul souk Gamalost Oslo Green market Portland 24

25 Sibiu covered market Divle Antalya Orthez covered market 25

26 Sibiu Tirana Many thanks for your attention 26