Consumers’ Attitude towards Supermarket and Proximity Stores as Purchasing Outlets of Italian Potato Consumers

Abstract

World potato consumption has fallen. Similarly, Italian consumers are buying fewer potatoes, despite the high number of certified quality and innovative potatoes being produced. Moreover, Italian consumers’ knowledge of potato characteristics and innovations tends to be limited. To increase consumer engagement and revitalize the market, strategic marketing efforts need to be implemented by addressing the different characteristics of consumers in the different purchase channels. The aim of this study is to explore and differentiate consumer purchasing behavior and attitudes towards potatoes in supermarkets and neighborhood channels. The study collected 855 responses through an online survey. Data processing included the creation of indices of consumers’ knowledge of potato nutrition and their propensity to innovate, as well as logistic regression to analyze the determinants of potato-purchasing behavior. The results show that consumers with increased potato consumption, a higher level of education, and employment prefer to buy potatoes in the supermarket. A preference for potato innovation also increases the likelihood that consumers will buy potatoes in supermarkets. Conversely, consumers with elderly relatives at home and a low level of education, but a high level of knowledge about the nutritional properties of potatoes, prefer to shop through neighborhood channels.