Consumer versus Organic Products in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Opportunities and Barriers to Market Development

Magdalena Śmiglak-Krajewska,Julia Wojciechowska-Solis

doi:10.3390/en14175566

Magdalena Śmiglak-Krajewska, Julia Wojciechowska-Solis

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/en14175566

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Abstract

The main objective of this study was to determine the behavior of the Polish consumer of organic products during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify preferred channels of distribution of organic products in the situation of restricted freedom of movement as well as to assess what information displayed on the labels of organic food was most important to the customer. The research was conducted on a sample of 1108 respondents with the use of CAWI technique collected in an online survey carried out in February–August 2020. To analyze the obtained results, cluster analysis, linear regression model and duplication method were used to verify the substitute channels for purchasing organic goods. The pandemic has intensified the health value of consumers when making decisions about choosing food products. Consumers are sensitive shoppers who read the content of the labels and pay attention to the ingredients of the products they buy. The price is also of significant importance for consumers; however, it is less important than, for example, the expiration date of the purchased product. With the use of PCA analysis, it was possible to identify 18 factors that could be divided into three segments: marketing, practical and sensory. The proposed factors, according to the respondents, had an effect on the purchase of organic products by Polish consumers. Regarding the preferred purchasing channels, the Internet is becoming more and more important. Almost one-quarter of the respondents confirmed that they bought organic products via the above-mentioned distribution channel. Nearly 17% of the surveyed consumers considered the Internet to be an alternative way of doing their shopping. The results obtained in the research can be used in the sector of organic food producers to design marketing strategies and to adapt their offer to the proposed four groups of purchasers of organic products: eco-activists, eco-dietitians, eco-traditionalists, eco-innovators.

Highlights

Introduction iationsThe outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic (Corona Virus disease-2019) was undoubtedly an exceptional situation that has recently affected all aspects of the everyday life of people around the world
The objective of this study was to determine the behavior of the Polish consumer of organic products during the COVID-19 pandemic, to assess what distribution channels were chosen by the purchaser of organic products in the situation of restricted freedom of movement and what elements of the labels placed on organic food were important to the consumer
While analyzing the values within the groups of the respondents, it can be noticed that for eco-activists the impulse to consume organic products was: “professional commitment/lack of time”, “family traditions”, “family well-being”—according to those consumers organic products were the combination of such values as a high level of quality or special flavor associated with childhood and with family traditions

Summary

Introduction

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic (Corona Virus disease-2019) was undoubtedly an exceptional situation that has recently affected all aspects of the everyday life of people around the world. Many persons believe that the pandemic, while compared to the previous ones, was the cause of the most serious problems in terms of public health, economic and financial security, quality of life and food security worldwide [1,2,3]. To limit the spread of COVID-19, a large number of countries instructed people to stay indoors and leave their homes only when it was necessary to meet basic needs such as buying food, sudden medical emergencies, or to go to work (in the cases when the job could not be performed remotely) [4,5]. The global health crisis has definitely affected all aspects of the day-to-day life of the population, it has especially influenced the eating habits or contributed to the change. In the age of COVID-19, the majority of consumers have started to prioritize their personal safety and the well-being of their families

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