Multiple Correspondence and Hierarchical Cluster Analyses for the Profiling of Fresh Apple Customers Using Data from
Masoumeh Bejaei1, Margaret A Cliff1,2, Amritpal Singh1
1Summerland Research and Development Centre, Science and Technology Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Summerland, BC V0H 1Z0, Canada.
Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 9, 2020
Summary
Consumer apple preferences were studied at a special event market. Similar customer segments emerged regardless of cultivar availability, indicating stable purchasing drivers like appearance and taste.
Area of Science:
- Consumer Behavior
- Horticulture Marketing
- Sensory Science
Background:
- Understanding consumer preferences is crucial for fruit marketing.
- Specialty markets offer unique cultivars, potentially influencing purchasing decisions.
- Consumer choice is driven by a combination of factors, including sensory attributes and prior experience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate consumer purchase behavior and preferences for fresh apples.
- To identify key drivers influencing apple selection.
- To explore the impact of cultivar availability on consumer choices.
Main Methods:
- Consumer survey at a special-event apple market.
- Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) for dimension reduction.
- Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) for customer segmentation.
Main Results:
- Consumers prioritize visual appearance and previous experience (pre-eating qualities) over taste/aroma and texture (eating qualities).
- Four primary selection factors identified: visual appeal, prior experience, taste/aroma, and texture.
- Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) identified five distinct customer segments.
- Market segments remained consistent across both retail and special-event markets, irrespective of cultivar variety.
Conclusions:
- Consumer purchasing behavior for apples is influenced by a consistent set of factors.
- Market segmentation for apples can be achieved through analysis of purchasing drivers.
- Cultivar availability has a limited impact on established consumer market segments.
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