Buying behaviour of rural and urban consumers in India: the impact of packaging

Abstract

This study aims to establish whether the residential background of consumers has a varying influence on their buying decisions. A survey of 1090 urban and rural respondents was carried out of which 523 were rural and 567 were urban. The gathered data were analysed by applying counts, percentages, means, and analysis of variance. Rural residents found that packaging is more helpful in buying, that better packaging contains a better product and that they are more influenced by the ease of storing a package than their urban counterparts. Ease of carriage, package weight, simplicity, transparency and similarity of packaging have comparatively less impact on purchase decisions of rural consumers than urban ones. However, rural consumers are more critical about packaging as they strongly consider that it contributes to misleading buyers and is also an environmental hazard.

Consumers' experiences of cold chain food packaging: A qualitative study among women in South Africa

“…It has also become increasingly important for packaging to support convenient storage and handling of food (Silayoi and Speece, ), e.g. being lightweight (Sehrawet and Kundu, ), as changing lifestyles, such as more working mothers, have created a demand for packaging that offers easy, efficient handling (Rundh, ). In our study, ease of storage and handling was also highlighted by some participants [‘Most importantly it must be stored easily … Packaging must handle easily and not take up too much space in your fridge'].…”

Cutting through the clutter: purchase intentions as a function of packaging instrumentality, aesthetics, and symbolism

“…Perceived instrumentality, aesthetics, and symbolism as mediators of the relationship between the type of packaging and purchase intentions Transparency was found by Sehrawet and Kundu (2007) to be a preferred attribute of packaging which is linked to buying behavior. However, their study was based on the responses of participants to questions about their packaging preferences, and not on responses to real product packaging.…”

Understanding the green buying behavior of younger Millennials from India and the United States: A structural equation modeling approach

“…Consumers from a collectivistic culture have shown to be committed to the environment (Li 1997) and are more conscious of their environmental footprint than those belonging to an individualistic culture (McCarty and Shrum 2001). Researchers have found that consumers in developing countries like India are in the forefront of sustainable practices (Verma 2002;Sehrawet and Kundu 2007). A Gallup Poll showed that Indians are environmentally conscious (Ray and Pugliese 2011) and value eco-friendly products (Rafferty 2014).…”

“…According to the 2011 Census of India, the total population is 1.2 billion, of which 69% (833.1 million) live in rural areas. Rural consumers are known to be more collectivist and environmentally conscious (Sehrawet and Kundu 2007), and because the Indian sample was represented by urban Millennials, future studies could explore the millennial population in rural India. With regard to peer and family communication, future research could include social interaction in the learning process and explore its individual impact on the consumer socialization process.…”