Organic food online shopping in Poland

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse selected characteristics, attitudes and opinions of organic food e-consumers (online shoppers) in Poland.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted among 1,000 inhabitants of Poland aged 15-65. The sample resembled the general population, regarding: age, sex, education and the size of the city of origin. In total, 63 respondents reported buying organic food online. This segment was compared with the rest of the sample with the use of two-tailed t-tests. A logistic regression model was applied to identify the determinants of organic food online shopping in Poland.FindingsIn a logistic regression model, age, income, willingness to pay (WTP) a premium price for organic food, importance attached to product appearance and to quality signs turned out to be statistically significant determinants of online shopping behaviour for organic food in Poland. Higher income, importance attached to quality signs and higher WTP increase the likelihood of being an organic e-consumer, while higher age and importance attached to product appearance decrease it.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, some determinants of organic online shopping have been identified. Second, this study has provided some frameworks to analyse organic food selection motives, barriers to the development of the market, food authenticity assessment criteria, distribution channels, and product characteristics.Practical implicationsThe findings may be useful for the industry due to the identification of the role of quality signs in online food purchases and of the importance of selected organic food consumption motives.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study of organic food online shopping in Poland.