ATTRIBUTES CONSIDERED BY COFFEE CONSUMERS DURING THEIR BUYING DECISION PROCESS: A STUDY USING FACTORIAL ANALYSIS
Resumo
The aim of this study was to identify, categorize and evaluate the attributes considered by the consumers during their coffee buying
decision. A descriptive and quantitative survey with 459 coffee consumers was conducted in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. The results
indicate that the attributes considered by the consumers can be grouped into five factors based on importance: (i) Product features -
Organoleptic Characteristics, (ii) Brand and Tradition, (iii) Food safety, (iv) Availability and Product Offering, (v) Packaging. The
theoretical contributions of this work are the identification of attributes considered by the consumers for buying coffee, the significance
verification of these attributes, as well as the separation into factors, which allows a better understanding of the decision-making
process of coffee consumers. The contributions of this research for management practices are related to the technical characteristics
of the product, food safety, brand, label and packaging management, which are seen as very important factors. Moreover, distribution
and trade marketing along the distribution channels are also aspects to be considered. These aspects must be worked out through
integrated marketing communication. Finally, the research presents its limitations and several suggestions for future studies.