Price in the choice of fresh fruits and vegetables

Abstract

Price and choice in the purchase of fruits and vegetables is an under-researched area. While the salience and role of price in choice has been studied in some depth by marketing researchers, these studies have been largely confined to various grocery-based product groups. Little attention has been given to this topic in the general product group comprising fruits and vegetables. Research which has focused on price-related issues has mainly emanated from the economics discipline and in studies conducted at the aggregate level. Yet, there are many features of fruits and vegetables which suggest that a closer examination of price in their choice may contribute to our general understanding of behaviour in response to this attribute. Fruits and vegetables are often priced differently to one another, they are subject to quality and price variability which is unrelated to competitive influences, and their constitution is such that they can provoke strong sensory responses in consumers. The research comprising this thesis sets out to develop a comprehensive perspective of how price features in 'actual' consumer choice in the purchase of fruits and vegetables. In so doing, it explores both the salience and role of price in choice. The research draws on the theory and evidence developed in the fields of economics and marketing and, where relevant, the literature of physiology.