Application of consumer style inventory (CSI) to predict young Indian consumer’s intention to purchase organic food products

Abstract

The present study attempts to investigate the consumer decision making styles (CDMS) in the organic food category. Sproles and Kendall’s Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI) instrument (1986) was modified and applied in the organic food-product context. Further, two additional constructs identified from the literature were included, namely; environmental consciousness and health consciousness. Responses were collected from 527 young consumers using convenience sampling approach and analyzed with the help of Exploratory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling. Out of eight CDMS, five styles, namely perfectionism (high quality consciousness); brand consciousness; recreational (hedonistic shopping consciousness); price consciousness and brand loyalty reported significant influences on consumers’ organic food purchase intention. Further, both the additional constructs (environmental consciousness and health consciousness) were also found significant. The finding of the study will help the organic food marketers in identifying the factors important for organic food purchases.