Consumer preferences for purchase places of organic fruits and vegetables in Turkey

The major aim of this study was to measure the preferences of Turkish consumers regarding places to purchase organic fruits and vegetables. The study also explored the factors influencing the degree of consumer preferences. The data were obtained from a survey of 803 randomly selected consumers from the five most developed regions of Turkey (Marmara, Central Anatolia, Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Sea), as well as the five most developed cities (Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana and Bolu) within the defined geographic regions. This study took place in two stages. in the first stage, fuzzy pair-wise comparison (FPC) was applied to calculate a measure of preferences. Five types of venues for the purchase of organic fruits and vegetables, local market, greengrocers, supermarkets/hypermarkets, web-based retailers (the internet) and specialized stores were suggested to consumers. The purchase places were ranked from most to least preferable depending on preference measures obtained from FPC. The results show that the most important venues for the purchase of these items are local markets and supermarkets/hypermarkets. The existing marketing channel via specialized stores is not a convenient marketing approach for Turkish consumers. The consumer preferences from the first stage were regressed upon the consumer-specific variables by using a Tobit model in the second stage. Preferences regarding places to purchase organic fruits and vegetables are mainly influenced by gender, age, education, income, family size, frequency of purchasing organic fruits and vegetables and regional differences. Policy makers dealing with agricultural marketing should consider differences in consumer preferences among regions and economical and demographic attributes of consumers for determining an efficient marketing channel.