Files
Abstract
Functional Food emerged as a constant segment in the European
food market and offer potential for product innovations which make them
attractive for the food industry in nearly stagnating markets. Target group
research is one key factor for successful innovative food products. The aim
of this project was to develop and test a Functional Food related consumer
segmentation model. For this purpose a survey was conducted in Germany,
the United Kingdom, Poland and Spain with a total of 590 respondents.
Factor analysis revealed consumers' motivation to buy or to refuse
Functional Food. Motives, consumers' knowledge about Functional Food,
their trust towards diverse actors in the context of nutrition and their
purchase pattern were used in a cluster analysis and resulted in eight
consumer segments. These groups differ significantly regarding sociodemographic
characteristics. A conjoint study examined consumers'
preferences towards a new type of orange juice enriched with functional
ingredients recombined with different health claims. Aggregated
preferences for single consumer segments provide indications for target
group specific product development. Cross- country comparison of
consumer segments showed distinct shifts of segments' distribution in single
countries. This might be considered for companies' marketing approaches
or the European commission's health and consumer protection policy.