An Empirical Analysis on the Factors Affecting Consumer Buying Behaviour of Perishable Products

I. INTRODUCTION

The modern-day consumers are very quality conscious. They expect that the food products they are buying from the market to meet health, safety, and environmental qualities. As incomes of common people increase, the sales volume also increases correspondingly. This leads to the increase in the consumer consciousness. Consumers become more demanding in terms of quality of the products they are buying from the market (Grunert, 2002). Actually, the consumers are demanding the reliability of the products. They want to see whether the products they are worth the value. Hence, in recent times, consumers are more concerned about the quality and safety of the perishable goods they buy for everyday consumption; they want to ensure that these products are worth buying (Jacobs, et. al., 2007). Qualities of the perishable products or food items are normally categorized into three heads: the search like the physical appearance of the product, the credence like whether the product is as healthy to consume as promised, and the experience like the taste of the product (Darby and Karni, 1973). In recent times, buyers have rejected several new products and brand loyalty has been waning steadily. This has made the market experts understand that the buyers are no more silent instead they are a prime deciding factor of fates of the brands. At the same time, the consumers these days are highly health conscious. They study the effects of food products on their health and wellbeing (Gilbert, 2000). Food products, especially vegetables and fruits are consumed on the basis of their food values and benefits to the consumers (Balick and Cox, 1996). In this situation, the retailers and suppliers need to be better aware of the growing and changing demand of the consumers to anticipate the future trend of the perishable food products‘ market. Modern consumers enjoy unlimited choices in food products. With the passage of time, as the choices and options have increased in leaps and bounds

packaging quality. As various activities are performed right from the harvesting and rearing the food products to send them to retailers‘ house, these activities have different levels of adverse effects on the food products. Hence, the quality is affected. There are several parameters that need to maintain as per the prevailing norms like the temperature and pressure of the environment where a perishable food item is kept for some hours or days. Normally, the consumers could understand the quality of the food product just by seeing its color, texture and feeling the odor. However, these parameters may not be appropriate in several conditions. In many instances, the packaging of the food product may make the product somewhat discolored or the taste somewhat changed but the overall quality may remain good (Lewis, 2002). The attributes that keep the foods healthy for consuming, that are processed in a good environment, and that are processed through the ethical treatment to the animals have become more important to the consumers these days (Ragaert, et. al., 2004). At the same time, the consumers are now increasingly interested in getting information on how the foods they consume are processed. So, there is a need for intensive research on all these aspects that would help the modern day more conscious consumers to understand how to assess the quality of a food product. Marketing perishable foods is a tough task for the marketers due to the natural features of these food products. More or less 15% of the perishable goods are spoiled before they reach the market (Brody, 2008). But, the retailers can minimize the wastage, increase their revenues, and keep the prices low by adhering to the perishable foods freshness indicators. They need to maintain the inventory more scientifically. They need to stock the products in the right condition under the regulated temperature and air. Time is another prime factor in the perishable food products retail sector. On the other hand, the prime indicators of understanding the freshness of a perishable product and having the knowledge on how to adhere to those indicators can help the households to keep the products fresh for a long time. A report published by USDA in 2004 shows that almost 50% of food products are thrown away annually in the USA as waste products which amount to almost $50 billion (Brody, 2008). With the increasing demand for perishable food products, people are more concerned about the risk factors. People who are more concerned about the risk factors have been found to check the expiry dates on the packets more frequently than those who are not concerned about the risk factors so much (Tslros and Heilman, 2005). However, there are many consumers who are concerned about the health hazards of out-of-date products but they do not check the expiry dates because they lack proper Quality assessment of the perishable foods seems very tricky partly due to the nature of the foods items and their quick perishable natures and partly due to the difficulty in understanding their sensory features. The characteristics and demand of urban market are somewhat different in this food category which keeps the suppliers on challenge regarding the processing and delivery of the foods. There are several intermediaries playing between the farmers and consumers which make it really tough to understand the origin and ensure the scientific processing of the food products. All these factors are responsible for widening the gap between supply and demand of the products, frequent price changes, misunderstanding between the retailer and customers, lack of knowledge of the customers regarding the quality control processes, food adulteration, etc. Again, all these matters increasing the suspicion about the quality of products the urban consumers are getting from the market. It is, therefore, necessary to assess the consumer behavior, what they think about this market, what they expect from the market, etc. to increase the demand for the products and brand loyalty.

This study has aimed at achieving below listed following objectives: • To understand the attitude of consumers while purchasing perishable products • To explore factors influencing buying behavior of perishable products

The problem discussed in this study has many resemblances to a company‘s decision regarding product line. A firm engaged with a single product and possessing no clear picture about the demand of the product often ends experiencing low demand of the product. However, if the product is non-perishable in nature, it can be carried forward as inventory and sold in the market next time. This is not possible in case of perishable food items. In case of a perishable food product, the quality deteriorates after some time or days and becomes a partial substitute for a fresh product of the same type. So, the decision to carry forward the inventory becomes a product line decision as the firm needs to consider the possibility of decreasing sales volume and revenue due to marketing such substitute product, instead they may need to consider introducing a fresh product on the original product line. This creates a chaos in the market as there remain some substitute products that may deteriorate the sales volume as the consumers will

changed the traditional retailing processes. It has also changed the consumer behavior to a great extent. Farhangmehr, Marques and Silva (2001) had done a research on the impact of hypermarkets on consumer behavior and traditional marketing (Farhangmehr, et. al., 2001). For this purpose, they had questioned both the consumers and traditional retailers. The research outcomes showed that the consumers prefer hypermarkets for the convenience of marketing and lower prices of the products. On the other hand, the traditional retailers opined that the hypermarkets have spoiled their sales. Goldman, Ramaswami, and Krider (2002) have presented a framework to get a clear concept on the growth of the retail market in the basis of product category and consumer segments (Goldman, et. al., 2002). Modernization of food retail market was the subject matter of the researchers. In a 1995 study on food retail through supermarkets, it was found that the economic and geographic diffusion of supermarkets were almost complete but as far as the perishable products are concerned the market diffusion of the supermarkets was not complete. But, as long as it is not happening, the supermarkets will not be able to gain market share substantially. In another study in 1999, the impacts of superstores selling perishable products were studied. Consumers felt that the perishable goods of the superstores were better than the perishable goods in the traditional marketplaces. According to a study conducted by Capgemini.com consumers are mostly dissatisfied with their shopping environment. A research-based study ―Future Consumer: How Shopper Needs and Behavior Will Impact Tomorrow‘s Value Chain‖ reveals that over 90% consumers who were surveyed think that are not comfortable with the shopping experience, especially in the perishable foods products industry. The study opines that the retailers and manufacturers need to comprehend what their consumers want and how to keep them satisfied. They should be focused on the health issues and quality of products at the same time. Some new trends like ecommerce and the increasing demand for in-site services need equal attention too in order to understand the changing consumer behavior. The survey of Capgemini included 2000 consumers in the UK, the USA, France, and the Netherlands. According to the study, 80-90% of the consumers are not satisfied with the stores from which they buy products regularly and this included both online and physical stores. The study further reveals that the shoppers are mostly concerned about the product quality, product availability, packaging type, information on the packages, navigation in the ecommerce sites, and accessibility of an ecommerce. Over 85% of the consumers mentioned in the survey that they are concerned The proper and prompt distribution channel is the most important factor in perishable food product industry. There are several parameters that ensure the quality of perishable food products like the temperature, air, light, and cleanliness of the storing place (Hsu, et. al., 2007). Their study further shows that transportation also plays a vital role in keeping the quality of the products. Novaes, Lima, and Bez (2015) proper refrigeration is a must for maintaining the quality of the food products (Novaes, et. al., 2015). Chen, Hsueh, and Chang (2009) believe that the revenue of the suppliers depends on both the quality of the products as also quantity they can supply to the market (Chen, et. al., 2009). According to the researchers, three factors are important in this aspect: (1) The time of production (2) The optimal production and (3) The transportation routes. Packing plays a vital role in the demand and preservation of the perishable food products. According to Guilbert, Gontard, and Gorris (1996), biodegradable packaging is necessary both for keeping the quality of products, reducing bacterial and fungal effects, and showing support to the growing demand of environment-friendly packaging systems (Guilbert, et. al., 1996). According to Santos et al (2015), the availability of hyperbaric storage has given a new way of preserving the perishable products at variable room temperatures without refrigerating those (Santos, et. al., 2015). Xiaohuan and Wang (2015) held a research which was probably the most appropriate one and in that three significant factors of consumer attitude for perishable foods have been seen: 1) Readiness of the customers to pay can have a huge influence by freshness of food and risk of inventory storage. 2) Price differences also have part to play in the consumer purchasing behaviors and 3) Point of view of customers regarding inter-temporal price fairness can have an influence on purchasing decisions. According to them, the multi-period dynamic pricing method is helpful in satisfying the long-term utility maximization of food retailers due to which numerous researches can be found which focus on perishable goods, quantity, price and distribution. Supply chain and distribution process cover majority of the researches while viewpoint of consumers and attitude towards perishable food quality have barely a study for them. Research on the viewpoint and attitude originate from the psychology even though not long ago there was a movement through which psychological process can be studied so the behavior of consumers can be known from a marketing perception. There are specific systematic processes which can help in disclosing everything about consumer behavior. There are current researches on the attitude of consumers which neglect the attitude towards

Feelings of favorability or unaffordability for a thing, a person, a problem or behavior can be represented by attitudes. Kotler (1997) is a marketing specialist who can describe attitude as a lasting general evaluation of a certain product or service along with forte of feelings like liking or disliking (Kotler, 1997). When the consumers go through the experience they know about such attitudes in direct way or they can also know via receiving data regarding the object which is advertising. Attitude can be called as a general guide that can uncover behavior regarding the attitude object and provide a boost for the constant favorable or unfavorable pattern of response. The attitude theory of Fishbein (1963) quite possibly has the greatest impact on consumer attitude study for last three decades (Fishbein, 1963). Fishbein states that attitude is an independent determinant of affect for or against attitude object that is a function of belief strength and evaluative factor related with every attribute. According to him, when someone begins to know a new product, learning comes in form of beliefs regarding product attributes and thus the attitude theory of Fishbein tells the way the beliefs, attributes of a certain object result in the attitude toward that object. According to Green (1953), all the attitudes are theoretical or hidden variables instead of being immediately observable variable (Green, 1953). It can also be called as abstraction. Green has stated that the attitude concept does not stand for a certain act or response of a person, but it can be called as an abstraction from numerous acts or responses. As per the definition by Donald Campbell, social attitude of a person is a long-lasting condition of response consistency regarding the numerous social objects (Campbell, 1950). According to Katz (1960), attitude is the tendency of a person to assess a thing or part of his world in favorable or unfavorable manner. Cohen (1964) wrote regarding the group as an important source of attitude change and mentioned that there have been numerous outcomes from the studies that the members of a group tend not to interact and follow norms and values of group. All of this tells us that thinkers theorize attitude in countless ways. There are some of them who think it is a display of assessment while there are some who think it is a concealed behavior instead of being an expressed one. It is quite apparent from the argument that attitude is a two-part concept and when it is measured it comprises of attitude direction and attitude intensity. Direction is an evaluative factor which shows the performance on an existing dimension. With the use of 5-point Likert scales which usually varies from Delight to Failure, like to dislike or Excellent to Poor, direction is often Measurement is often done with the use of 5-point Likert scale which varies from Very Important to Not at all important. Precise measurement of attitudes can be a result of mixture of assessment and important measures.

For the study exploratory research analysis has been done. Purpose of the research is to understand the factors affecting the consumer buying behavior of perishable products. Primary data is being collected from 71 respondents through structured questionnaire related to the research work. This predesigned questionnaire has all the relevant questions related to the study. • Research Design • Population • Sample design • Data collection method • Statistical tools used • Limitation

Population data is all the consumers who purchases perishable products from various sources like retail stores, open markets and super markets in Lucknow city of Uttar Pradesh, India. According to the data, 71 consumers have been contacted for filling the pre-designed questionnaire. This questionnaire has been designed in such a way where factors affecting the consumer buying behavior of perishable products can be identified.

For the purpose of the study, 71 respondents have been chosen randomly to help us in finding the factors affecting the consumer buying behavior of perishable products. Before conducting the survey concern from the respective respondents has been

To check the data reliability Cronbach‘s alpha test has been done. Post checking the reliability of the data, Pearson correlation coefficient test has been done to find the significance level of the relationship between the variables. All these tests were analyzed with the help of Statistical Package for the Social sciences (SPSS). Demographics is shown with the help of bar diagrams, histograms and with percentage method. Primary data is being collected through structured questionnaire for the purpose of collecting information regarding faculty attrition and retention in the engineering college of ―Factors affecting the consumer buying behavior of perishable products‖. Like kart method has been used to collect data in numerical form. In like kart scale following are the assumptions strongly disagree is termed as 1, disagree is termed as 2, undecided is termed as 3, agree is termed as 4 and strongly agree is termed as 5.

In general studies based on surveys through questionnaire suffer significantly from the limitation of the possibility of difference in the actual vs recorded data. No matter how carefully data has been entered into the system there is always a difference in the reality. Sometimes, it also depends how the responded has filled the data; if the approach is casual or just filling the questionnaire then the entire result is different than the fact. At, the time of filling the questionnaire such precautions have been taken care of. According to limitations regarding the scope of the validity of the conclusions, listed below are few limitations: 1. Sample size in comparison with the total size of the population is significantly small. 2. There is a high probability of personal biasness of the respondents while responding.

In result and discussion, primary data analysis has been done to understand the responses of the respondents. Result and discussion have been divided into two parts; first part will talk about the analyses and the results of the interview which has come from the organized retail store customers. Whereas the second part talks about the analyses and the results from the gathered information. This information has come from the users of the perishable products. Sample size of 71 customers has been selected to do the respective study. First

Above table shows the distribution based on gender. Male contributes 73.00% of the total sample size of the survey

been observed that majority of the respondents (23.750%) belongs to the age group of 36-45 years followed by 22.50% in the 16- 25 years age group and 17.50% in 26- 35 years, 13.75% in 46- 55 years, 11.25% in >55 years respectively.

Above table shows the distribution based on the preference of place to buy perishable products. It has been found that significant number of respondents (37.50%) prefers to buy perishable products from open market followed by 35.00% retail stores and 16.25% super market.

Above table shows the buying frequency of perishable products. Age is segregated in Daily, Weekly, Twice a Week, Monthly and Twice a Month. It has been observed that majority of the respondents (25%) buy on a weekly basis followed by twice a week and monthly as 21% and daily consumption is only 14%.

H01: There is no relationship between change in the place of retail and buying behavior of perishable products Vs. H11: There is a positive relationship between change in the place of retail and buying Behaviour of perishable products

H02: There is no relationship between to packaging and buying behaviour of perishable products Vs. H12: There is a positive relationship between to packaging and buying behaviour of perishable products

H03: There is no relationship between level of education and buying behaviour of perishable products Vs. H13: There is a positive relationship between level of education and buying behaviour of perishable products

taste and hygiene factors and buying behaviour of perishable products Vs. H14: There is a positive relationship between to freshness, taste and hygiene factors and buying behaviour of perishable products

According to the data total 71 questionnaires are being filled and their mean value is closure to 3.8 with average standard deviation of 0.51. Sample t-test has been done to find the attribute of the consumers while purchasing perishable products. T value for each attribute at 79 degree of freedom are as follows: First attribute ―Change in behaviour‖ t value is 59.08, second attribute ―pay attention towards freshness, taste and hygiene‖ t value is 57.98, third attribute ―pay attention towards packaging‖ t value is 68.3 and fourth attribute ―level of education in terms of 123shelf life‖ t value is 83.71.

Results of sample t test for all the four attributes are at significant level. Thus, for all the four attributes null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypotheses are accepted at 5% significant level or 95% confidence level. The result shows a significant association between • Change in the place of retail and buying behaviour of perishable products • Packaging and buying behaviour of perishable products • Level of education and buying behaviour of perishable products

According to the data total 71 questionnaires are filled and their mean value is closure to 3.8 with average standard deviation of 0.50.

In exploratory factor analysis, hypothesis testing is not applicable. It is a methodology, which is designed to examine the set of variables which might to be interlinked with the domain under the study. Two types of methods are being used in EFA they are statistical and heuristic methods. Goal of exploratory factor analysis is to find the relationships within the set of variables. This process helps in reducing the components to the meaningful factors. In order, to find the significant factors influencing buying behaviour of perishable products 6 statements on five point like kart scale has been set. Further to this, respondent‘s responses are

which means data is not biased and good to use for further analysis. Post this Kaiser Meyer Olkin (KMO) test has been done to measure the accuracy of the sample and the result is .588. Varimax rotation method has used to extract the Factor loadings. The person-trait variables are eliminated and the remaining variables are rotated using Varimax. While doing this three factors or components are being yielded with eigenvalues of 1.0 or higher as shown in below table. Over 66.92% of the total variance is being explained by these three components.

According to the above table the most significant factor is the factor F1, wherein at reliability scale Cronbach value is .785. In this factor customer look at all the parameters like smell, source, taste, size and tenderness while buying perishable products

It has been observed that nowadays consumers have become aware while purchasing perishable products. At the time of buying ensure to look at smell, taste, tenderness, color, shelf life, packaging etc. before taking buying decision. This study has aimed at achieving below listed following objectives: • To understand the attitude of consumers while purchasing perishable products • To explore factors influencing buying behaviour of perishable products Significant relationship has been found between all the attributes like ―Change in behaviour‖, ―pay attention towards freshness, taste and hygiene‖, ―pay attention towards packaging‖ and ―level of education in terms of 124shelf life‖ and their t-values are as follows: □ First attribute ―Change in behaviour‖ t value is 59.08, □ Second attribute ―pay attention towards freshness, taste and hygiene‖ t value is 57.98, □ Third attribute ―pay attention towards packaging‖ t value is 68.3 and □ Fourth attribute ―level of education in terms of 124shelf life‖ t value is 83.71. • Out of 7 parameters, two factors have been found with the Cronbach value of .785. These two factors explain 66.9% of the model. Factors and their loading values are as follows: Factor 1, parameters are smell (.849), source (.823), taste (.691), Size (.689), tenderness (.607) and Factor 2, parameters are colour (.868). • According to the respondents 75% of the consumers who buys perishable products are male. • Significant number of the respondents (23.75%) who buys perishable products falls under the age group of 36 to 45 Years followed by the age group of 16 to 25 Years (22.50%). • Significant number of the respondents (37.50%) buys perishable products from open market followed by retail stores (35.00%).

affecting factors that affect consumer buying behavior of the perishable products. Findings from the research has shown that, the most significant factors that affect consumer buying behavior of the perishable products are as follows smell, source, taste, size and tenderness. There are many key factors about perishable foods such as leafy vegetables, fruity vegetables, fish and meat which are taken into the account as a crucial criterion to purchase that specific food. According to the research, the supermarket stores should maintain the actual condition of leafy vegetables and there should be proper amount of care provided when looking over those vegetables as spoiled leaves would make the consumers go away. People usually think the consumers tend to buy fruity vegetables which are comparatively big in size, although, from the research, it has been known that it is not the size but the color which customers notice while they purchase. Therefore, there should be good amount of lightnings at the place where vegetables are kept so the color can be bright and attractive. Consumers judge the product by the general elements such as smell, color of gill and belly condition but except all those, they also often judge the product based on where it is preserved in supermarket. Therefore, if the fishes are kept in refrigerators, that might cause sales of fish to reduce. According to the retailers, buyers tend not to buy bones and instead buy more meats even though the study shows the consumers judge it according to color and hygiene and not much according to fat or bones. The retailers should take notes that they should clean meat instead of chopping and hanging it in large volume.

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Research Scholar, Department of Commerce and Business Management, Integral University, Lucknow, India