creators_name: Midmore, Peter
creators_name: Ayres, Natasha
creators_name:  Lund, Thomas Bøker
creators_name: Naspetti, Simona
creators_name: Zanoli, Raffaele
creators_name: O'Doherty Jensen, Katerine
type: conference_item
datestamp: 2008-10-02
lastmod: 2009-08-20 14:38:13
metadata_visibility: show
title: Understanding the Organic Consumer through Narratives: an International Comparison

ispublished: pub
subjects: 5markets
full_text_status: public
keywords: European organic consumer analysis
abstract: Consumer narratives drawing on life history, events and influences are used to explain evolving consumer behaviour with regard to purchasing and consumption of organic products. Triangulated qualitative interviews, involving 54 principal participants in major and average sized cities in Denmark, the UK and Italy form the empirical basis of the study, combined with shopping trip observation and supplementary interviews. The research uses Gardner’s (2004) concept of ‘change of mind’ as a starting point for analysis. While cultural and geographical contexts vary across countries, a key finding is that consumer behaviour co-evolves with market development. The study concludes that potential future marketing strategies must distinguish carefully between strongly committed and occasional consumers of organic products.
date: 2008
date_type: published
refereed: yes
citation: Midmore, Prof Peter; Ayres, Ms Natasha; Lund, Mr Thomas Bøker; Naspetti, Dr Simona; Zanoli, Prof Raffaele and O'Doherty Jensen, Dr Katerine (2008) Understanding the Organic Consumer through Narratives: an International Comparison. Cultivating the Future Based on Science: 2nd Conference of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research ISOFAR, Modena, Italy, June 18-20, 2008.
document_url: http://orgprints.org/12574/1/Midmore_12574_ed.doc