Consumer purchase behaviour of perishable products from selected stores in Durban

Abstract

The determination of retailers to deal with the challenges of managing perishable products’ category continues as they persist to provide quality service and fresh products to their customers. These challenges often afflict retailers and consumers alike, which innately impact category management and good consumer behavior. This article reports on a study that investigates the influence of category management on consumers’ purchase behavior of perishable products.  The objectives of this article are to determine the influence of category management on purchase behavior, to explore the current retail category management practices for perishable products, and to investigate the relationship between pricing and shelf life of perishable products and how this relationship influences consumers’ purchase behavior.  To achieve these objectives, in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews that were explorative by nature were conducted, with ten (10) staff members of a selected store in Durban, South Africa, who were responsible for the perishable products category.  The findings reveal that category management does influence the purchase behavior of perishable products; however, problems were identified concerning assortment planning, shelving, promotions, pricing, and shelf life. The results were limited to this Durban store. Recommendations were made to the retailers to solve those problems to effectively satisfy consumers.