Direct Marketing and Consumer Trust in Organic Food Products: Vilnius (Lithuania) Case

2013-05-30
Direct Marketing and Consumer Trust in Organic Food Products: Vilnius (Lithuania) Case

Abstract: The market of organic food products has a continuous upward trend though the growth rate and sale channels in individual countries are rather different. This research aims to identify the key factors that influence consumers’ choice to buy organic food products in Lithuania focusing on the consumer trust in the quality and the most acceptable marketing channels. In order to get the necessary information, the residents of Vilnius (the capital of Lithuania), as having the greatest potential for the organic food market in the country, were interviewed. The analysis of collected data was done using the methods of mathematical statistics and comparison of relative frequencies. The results of this research prove the increasing consumers’ interest in organic food products. The majority of consumers consider these products to be healthier, better-tasting and fresher. Only about a third of the purchasers (usually buying frequently) can see differences between organic and non-organic products, therefore, there is a problem to distinguish organic food from conventional products and, consequently, remains a possibility to cheat the consumer. An additional quality control and direct sales from known and familiar farmers might increase trust in the quality of organic food products. So far, supermarkets are the most important place to buy organic foods, however, the greater consumer confidence in the quality of organic products bought at farmers’ markets and the acceptance of the majority of purchasers to buy organic food products directly from the farmers suppose the need to develop a direct marketing system.

Key words: Organic food products, Consumers, Consumer trust, Direct marketing, Specialized farmers’ markets.

Skulskis, V.; Girgždienė, V. 2013. Direct marketing and consumer trust in organic food products: Vilnius (Lithuania) case, Journal of agricultural science and technology. B 3(4): 272-283. ISSN 2161-6264 [EBSCO, CAS, CSA, Ulrich's, OCLC, NSD, Index Copernicus, CNKI, UDLSB].