Abstract

Purpose: The study examines consumer behaviour towards fresh tomatoes and reveals the factors that influence consumption leading to an adoption of a healthy diet. The major consumer segments are also illustrated and interventions to promote tomato consumption are suggested.
Design/Methodology: A consumer survey was carried out in Thessaloniki (Greece) and 337 self-reported questionnaires from tomato consumers were used in the analysis.
Findings: The findings from Principal Component Analysis indicate that the main factors that influence consumption of fresh tomatoes are: “Nutrition Value”, “Organoleptic Characteristics” of tomatoes and “Eating Habits” of consumers. A Two Step Cluster Analysis revealed three segments of tomato consumers labelled as “Tomato-Loyals”, “Sensorialists” and “Health-Conscious”.
Practical Implications: The findings reveal the consumption characteristics of each consumer segment where tailored social marketing plans can be developed based on this work. The findings will be of interest to food marketers and food policy makers, as they can contribute to addressing obesity problems in Europe in general and Mediterranean countries in particular.
Originality/Value: The paper identifies the underlying reasons for eating fresh tomatoes which can lead to the adoption of a healthy diet and can support policies towards that. It also reveals new consumer segments and highlights differences between them. In addition, it highlights the interventions to increase tomato consumption of each segment. Finally, it employs a cluster analysis technique, Two-Step Cluster Analysis, which has not been widely used in marketing research..