Supplements purchase intention: young consumer's perspective

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the factors that influence young consumers' purchase intention towards dietary supplements (DS) in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachThe supplement industry in Malaysia has been growing rapidly recently due to a paradigm shift in healthcare management, from curative to prevention. Thus, it has sparked interest to conduct a study on the factors that influence young consumers' purchase intentions towards DS. With a response rate of 74.5%, a survey questionnaire was used to elicit data from 149 Gen-Y respondents who consume supplements on a regular basis.FindingsThe results revealed that the influencing factors towards purchase decisions among these Gen-Y respondents aged between 17 and 25 are based on product knowledge and product quality. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are outlined at the end of this paper.Originality/valueThis study offers empirical insights from the perspective of an emerging digital economy on the factors that influence young consumers' purchase intentions towards DS in Malaysia.

Generation Z's perceptions and attitudes toward debt: a case study of young consumers in rural Michigan, USA

PurposeWhile there is a large body of research looking at consumers' perception of debt, much of this previous research focuses on older generations. Less is known about the perceptions and attitudes toward debt of younger consumers, specifically those from Generation Z who are from rural areas in the USA. The purpose of this paper is to identify young rural consumers' perceptions and attitudes toward debt.Design/methodology/approachThis quantitative research used surveys. A well-established scale for measuring consumer attitudes toward debt has been adopted and applied. Because of the sensitive and personal nature of debt, anonymous, self-reporting questionnaires were used to allow respondents to respond freely and minimize potential bias that could be caused by socially desirable responses. The young respondents who participated in the research were invited verbally or via email by the investigators to complete the survey online via QuestionPro.FindingsThis study found the majority of consumers from Generation Z reported that using credit is basically wrong. Also, these young consumers claimed that being in debt is never a good thing. Additionally, the authors found gender differences. Young male consumers were more likely to claim that they had their debt under control, and young female consumers were more likely to claim that financial debt had influenced their life.Originality/valueThese Generation Z perceptions provide constructive data for use in evaluating and amending marketers' strategies to better connect with the young customers. Companies may want to stress how their products are risk adverse, provide a sort of financial security and will not leave the customer in debt. This is especially important following the COVID-19 pandemic as local businesses in a college community are trying to attract students back to their establishments.

Generation Z's perceptions and attitudes toward debt: a case study of young consumers in rural Michigan, USA

PurposeWhile there is a large body of research looking at consumers' perception of debt, much of this previous research focuses on older generations. Less is known about the perceptions and attitudes toward debt of younger consumers, specifically those from Generation Z who are from rural areas in the USA. The purpose of this paper is to identify young rural consumers' perceptions and attitudes toward debt. Design/methodology/approachThis quantitative research used surveys. A well-established scale for measuring consumer attitudes toward debt has been adopted and applied. Because of the sensitive and personal nature of debt, anonymous, self-reporting questionnaires were used to allow respondents to respond freely and minimize potential bias that could be caused by socially desirable responses. The young respondents who participated in the research were invited verbally or via email by the investigators to complete the survey online via QuestionPro. FindingsThis study found the majority of consumers from Generation Z reported that using credit is basically wrong. Also, these young consumers claimed that being in debt is never a good thing. Additionally, the authors found gender differences. Young male consumers were more likely to claim that they had their debt under control, and young female consumers were more likely to claim that financial debt had influenced their life. Originality/valueThese Generation Z perceptions provide constructive data for use in evaluating and amending marketers' strategies to better connect with the young customers. Companies may want to stress how their products are risk adverse, provide a sort of financial security and will not leave the customer in debt. This is especially important following the COVID-19 pandemic as local businesses in a college community are trying to attract students back to their establishments.

Online shopping behaviour and service quality perceptions of young people in South Africa: A COVID-19 perspective

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on business operations and consumer behaviour across the world. The South African online retail environment also encountered different opportunities and last-mile logistics challenges. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online consumer behaviour has received limited attention. Furthermore, limited studies exist which have measured the online buying behaviour of young people, an important online market segment. Objectives: The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced the online shopping behaviour of young people and to provide online retailers and consumer behaviour theorists with a better appreciation of young consumers’ online purchasing needs, which will assist them in developing and effecting appropriate last-mile logistics strategies. Methods: A quantitative research design was used, and empirical data were collected from two non-probability sampling surveys conducted in 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and in 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) of 461 young people in the Johannesburg area. A self-administered online questionnaire was used to collect the research data. Results: The results indicate that online shopping behaviour either did not change or increased because of the COVID-19 pandemic for most respondents. Young online consumers consider order fulfilment aspects to be more important than the tangible considerations of online retailers. Conclusion: This research study provides a distinct perspective of young people’s perceptions of online shopping and makes a meaningful contribution by identifying the important fulfilment-related service quality expectations of young online customers in South Africa. © 2022. The Authors.

Short marketing circuits and agroecology during COVID-19 in Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, Spain).

The emergence of COVID-19 caused a series of changes in society. Food trends were altered with increased demand for fresh and local produce. Local farmer initiatives, supported by short marketing circuits, benefited from these new trends and increased in number and demand. But one year after the beginning of the pandemic, doubts arise about the future of some of the initiatives that were developed in the first months. Past food crises show that society tends to return in the short term to the situation before the crisis. This research is focused on the territory of Gipuzkoa (Basque Country) and is based on interviews and workshops with farmers and sector agents. It shows how they behaved, what strategies are still being applied, and proposes actions to encourage short marketing circuits. These channels have benefited from the emergence of COVID-19 as the sale of local products has grown significantly. But not everyone has reacted in a similar way. The main beneficial effect is the increased consumption of fruit and vegetables among the most aware consumers. This consumer is typically young and committed to organic and local products. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] La irrupción de la COVID-19 provocó toda una serie de cambios en el conjunto de la sociedad. Las tendencias alimenticias también se vieron alteradas, incrementándose la demanda de producto fresco y de proximidad. Iniciativas campesinas locales, apoyadas en circuitos cortos de comercialización, se vieron beneficiadas por las nuevas tendencias, aumentando en número y demanda. Pero, un año después del inicio de la pandemia, surgen dudas sobre el futuro de algunas de las que se desarrollan los primeros meses. Crisis alimenticias anteriores demuestran que la sociedad tiende a volver a corto plazo a la situación previa al momento detonante. La investigación, centrada en el territorio de Gipuzkoa (País Vasco), demuestra que los canales cortos de comercialización se han visto beneficiados por la irrupción de la COVID-19 y la venta de producto local ha crecido de manera significativa. Pero no todos han reaccionado de manera similar. Es el consumo de frutas y hortalizas el principal beneficiado y el consumidor más concienciado, el que engrosa los grupos y cooperativas de consumo de productos ecológicos, el que más ha crecido. Es un consumidor joven, con poder adquisitivo y con mayor nivel de concienciación y que, al menos durante la pandemia, mantiene su apuesta por el producto ecológico y local. (Spanish) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Investigaciones Geograficas is the property of Universidad de Alicante, Instituto Universitario de Geografia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The Importance of Food Attributes and Motivational Factors for Purchasing Local Food Products: Segmentation of Young Local Food Consumers in Hungary

Future trends in sustainable food consumption include the emergence of short food supply chains and growing interest in local food products. Among the drivers are the more urgent sustainability expectations, the emphasis on environmental and social responsibility, and the changing consumer needs, of which the desire for healthy and quality products, curiosity, uniqueness, and experience are the most prominent drivers. Today’s customers are becoming more aware and open to culinary discoveries and exotic delights. In this study, we investigated the importance of product attributes related to local products, and the motivational factors that determine purchase intentions. The significance of our work lies in the fact that we have studied young consumers’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors. A quantitative consumer survey was conducted using a hybrid data collection method on a sample of 1756 respondents aged between 18 and 45 years. The questionnaire focused on product features, intrinsic and extrinsic motivational elements, and demographic characteristics. The results of our study provide strong evidence that the features associated with local products include but are not limited to the following: freshness, high quality, nutritional value, reliability, safety, evoking domestic flavours, naturalness, being healthy, environmentally friendly, etc. The motivational elements were grouped into four factors: hedonism, curiosity, nutritional value, and tradition. The main reasons for young respondents purchasing local food were taste and curiosity. Based on the results of the cluster analysis, we formed three groups having different features and different motivations for purchasing local products. Moreover, we had the opportunity to understand the attitudes and perceptions of young people towards buying local products. A key result of our study is that the “value-creators” segment considers local products to be healthy and nutritious.

SEGMENTING CENTENNIALS BASED ON THEIR CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR DURING COVID-19 PANDEMICS: THE CASE OF CONFECTIONERY INDUSTRY

The COVID-19 pandemics brought significant changes to everyday lives and disrupted the former life-style. One of the habits that was mostly affected by the lockdown and mandatory social distance was shopping. Consumers had to improvise and change not only their shopping habits, but their consumption habits, attitude towards shopping, and even opinion towards the company in question based on its activities in battling the global pandemics. This study aims to segment young consumers, the Centennials, based on their attitudes towards the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of the company and their consumer behaviour during COVID-19. Afterwards the differences in options of the retained segments are explored. As the study was done on an example of a confectionery company, we hope that the results could provide valuable insight on consumer behaviour change in a specific industry. © 2021 Samo Drobne – Lidija Zadnik Stirn – Mirjana Kljajić Borštnar – Janez Povh – Janez Žerovnik

Young Consumers' Concerns About Meeting Their Food Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: The aim of the study was to identify young consumers' concerns about the increase in food prices and its consequences for young consumers' eating habits and meeting food needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey of 702 young consumers - students - was carried out in October and November 2020. The questionnaire was available to respondents as a Google form. The obtained data was processed using a standard qualitative analysis and selected quantitative methods, including descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation coefficient and Pearson's chi-square test. Findings: Nearly 63% of respondents agreed or rather agreed that the food needs of their household are fully met. Almost 44% of respondents stated that they are afraid of the lack of money to meet their food needs during the pandemic, and quite a similar share of respondents (47.3%) stated that they have no concerns in this regard. Although as many as 72% of the surveyed young consumers are concerned about rising food prices, only 22% are concerned that they will have to change their eating habits during the pandemic. The vast majority of respondents (92%) pay attention to the price when buying food and 83% agree that food is wasted in households. Research limitations/implications: Due to the limited possibilities during COVID-19, the research was conducted among 702 respondents, who were mainly students of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW). Such a number of respondents and the sample selection do not fully authorize the generalization of the results. Consequently, the conclusions should not be treated as representative for the whole population of Polish young consumers. Moreover, the questionnaire survey is related to the subjective interpretation of questions and the declarativeness of respondents, which may influence the obtained results. However, despite these limitations, the findings allow for approximating the concerns of this consumer group during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value: As COVID-19 is a new social and economic challenge, young consumers' concerns in such conditions have not been investigated so far and this study is to fill this gap. Moreover, this research may be a basis for further research as the pandemic situation evolves and may change both young consumers' economic situation and their concerns about meeting their food needs.

How does perceived severity of COVID-19 influence purchase intention of organic food?

Purpose The COVID-19 outbreak has been rapidly spreading around the world for more than a year. However, few studies have explored the connection between the perceived severity of COVID-19 and purchase intention of the health-related products, for example, organic food. Based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework, this study examines the influencing mechanism of perceived severity of COVID-19 on purchase intention of organic food. Design/methodology/approach To evaluate the proposed model, an online survey was utilized to collect 1,104 valid questionnaires from China. Findings The findings suggest that (1) the perceived severity of COVID-19 has a significant positive impact on purchasing intention;(2) health consciousness acts as a mediating role between perceived severity of COVID-19 and purchasing intention and (3) perceived inconvenience negatively moderates the connection between perceived severity and purchase intention. Originality/value The findings of this paper provide new insights into the positive effects of COVID-19 and pave the way for governments and enterprises to promote the purchase behaviour of organic food.