Review of Agricultural and Applied Economics (Oct 2021)
DETERMINANTS OF CUSTOMERS CHOICE OF RETAIL OUTLET FOR THE PURCHASE OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Abstract
Research background: Adequate and sufficient intake of fruits and vegetables has been listed as one of the important avenues for actualizing a healthy living. More so, access to fruits and vegetables through a preference for retail outlets is indispensable to the debate on fruits and vegetable consumption among households. Purpose of the article: The study examines factors influencing the choice of retail outlets and frequency of visits to retail outlets for the purchase of fruits and vegetables. Methods: The study employed multistage sampling to select the respondent for the study. Primary data were collected from 290 respondents through semi-structured questionnaires and were analysed using Descriptive statistics and Multinomial Logistic Regression. Findings & Value added: The results indicate that majority (52.76%) of consumers preferred to purchase fruits and vegetables daily, weekly, and monthly, while 27.59% preferred to purchase fruits and vegetables weekly only. Regarding the choice of retail outlet, most (46.21%) preferred both open market, neighbourhood stores, and supermarkets, while 33.10% preferred open market only for the choice of fruits and vegetables. The results also indicate important and significant factors like household size (p<0.1), number of people working within the household (p<0.05), total household income (p<0.05) that influenced the consumer’s choice of retail outlet for fruits and vegetable. Likewise, important and significant factors such as customer service (p<0.05), sex of consumer (p<0.05), shopping habit (p<0.01) influenced the frequency of visits to fruit and vegetable retail outlets by consumers. The study recommended that retail outlet owners should strive to create a conducive and friendly atmosphere with their customers to engender an enduring customer service experience to encourage customers’ repeat purchases.
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