PERCIEVED BARRIERS FOR BUYING ORGANIC FOOD PRODUCTS

In marketing, it is of great importance to realize and understand the motives and barriers for a certain type of behaviour. Based on determined motives and barriers, it is possible to design the appropriate marketing strategy in order to achieve a specific short- or long-term goal. The purpose of this paper is to determine the main barriers for buying organic food products or the factors that negatively influence the intention to buy these type of products. Based on an extensive previous research, the intention to purchase is the best predictor of the actual behaviour. The study is based on the outcomes of a questionnaire completed by a sample of 411 household primary shoppers from Eastern Croatia. Results from regression analysis reveal significant negative relationship between organic food purchase intention and cost barriers, time barriers, knowledge barriers and negative attitudes on organic food. Based on the model developed, these identified barriers explain 52.9% of the variance in intention to purchase organic food with the negative attitudes being the strongest contributor to the variance explained. Identified barriers that prevent the buyers to opt for an organic product at the time of purchase indicate the great potential and the importance of action in terms of marketing at the level of different social stakeholders. In other words, the main barriers identified can and need to be minimized or eliminated by marketing actions in order to stimulate buying organic food products.