A study on consumer purchase intention towards ready-to-eat food in Ahmedabad

Abstract

Food has always been an integral part of the society. Over the period, India has been witnessed to be influenced by the Western Culture and so does creeps in Ready-to-Eat (RTE); Food Packages which provide any person an ability to wear an apron to be a master chef in no time. With the changing style of food consumption and the benefits availed through the use of Ready-to-Eat food has resulted in a subsequent rise in the RTE market. The research focused on finding the reasons for purchase and non-purchase of Ready-to-Eat food as a substitute to a daily meal (i.e. Indian breads, Rice and curries) taking into consideration the changes in socio-economic conditions prevalent today. It thus focuses on knowing the perception of the consumers towards Ready-to-Eat food and the impact of factors on their purchase intention. There existed an ambiguity of what Ready-to-Food is, as different sources provided with different meanings. Various secondary sources were referred and primary pilot test was conducted to narrow on the operational definition of Ready-To-Eat food. In order to derive a niche expertise of derived findings, the research was restricted to only branded Ready-to-Eat products and to Consumers who were aware about RTE food products. To further narrow down the scope of research and retain the accuracy of the results, the research focused on respondents belonging to West and New West Zone. Quota sampling method was used so as to get appropriate representation from different Age, Gender, Occupation and Marital Status, Education and Income. Various Intrinsic factors, Extrinsic factors and Socio-economic factors were studied to understand consumer perception and purchase intention. In order to analyze and interpret the data, various quantitative techniques including Chi-Square test were applied. Findings suggest that ‘Ease of Use’ and ‘Saving of Time’ were the two most important factors that affect buyers and potential buyers of RTE food. The research further states as to how people look for the value they pay for when it comes to RTE food unlike any other food related purchase. And so comes with it a strong favorability to Health, Quality, Brand Image and Availability. Purchase intention was found to be dependent on Age, Income, Marital status, Education status. Research findings where recommended and verified by the prominent market players such Vadilal Food and canteens of various colleges and corporations. The research spouts out the purchase intention of consumers towards RTE food and the reason hidden underneath; in the city of Ahmadabad. The relevance of the results may turn out to be of utmost important and useful for the upcoming and existing players in Ready to Eat food industry.