Habits, Health and Environment in the Purchase of Bakery Products: Consumption Preferences and Sustainable Inclinations before and during COVID-19

Abstract

The aim of the research is to investigate whether purchasing decisions about bakery products (bread, snacks and biscuits) are influenced by concerns about health, climate change, biodiversity loss and food waste. The exploratory survey was carried out in two successive moments before and during the health emergency from COVID-19. Before the health emergency, face-to-face interviews were carried out using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed by factor analysis, reliability tests and descriptive analysis. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the research hypotheses. The results of the modeling analysis of the structural equations highlighted that health and the environment represent an important background in the consumer experience of the respondents and influence the attitude and intention to purchase safe and environmentally friendly bakery products. Furthermore, the results suggest that informed, modern and aware consumers have direct and indirect effects on the intentions to adopt sustainable attitudes. On the contrary, the perception relating to the shops where consumers buy bakery products does not always show a significant influence on the propensity for sustainability. During the health emergency, the interviews were conducted online. Families confined to their homes, buying less in stores, have prepared many baked goods manually at home. The descriptive analysis of this group of consumers shows a growing attention to points of sale and the tendency to use online shopping. Furthermore, the changes in the type of purchases and the importance attributed to the need to reduce food waste emerge.

How do purchase preferences moderate the impact of time and price sensitivity on the purchase intention of customers on online-to-offline (O2O) delivery platforms?

“…This finding is in accordance with the reports published by many authors, such as Lin et al. (2000), Nicolosi et al. (2023), Boubker and Douayri (2020), and Kim and Sim (2017).…”

“…Thus, the platform can provide customers with opportunities for a shopping experience, improve their SAT, and enhance loyalty. This finding is in accordance with the reports published by many authors, such as Lin et al (2000), Nicolosi et al (2023), Boubker and Douayri (2020), and Kim and Sim (2017). The analysis of H2a and H2b revealed that PS had a negative effect on SAT but a positive effect on PI.…”

“…By introducing latent variables and multiple indicators, SEM can accurately capture the complex causal relationships between variables (Rabiatul et al, 2021), analyze consumer purchase decision-making processes, purchase motivation, and price sensitivity (Kataike, 2019). It can reveal the impact of brand name on consumer attitude, purchase intention, and loyalty (Dam, 2020) as well as the factors influencing customer satisfaction, such as product quality, service quality, and price, to help companies improve customer satisfaction (Kim and Sim, 2017;Boubker and Douayri, 2020;Nicolosi et al, 2023). Detailed reviews of SEM and path analysis are provided by Lei and Wu (2007).…”

“…, 2021), analyze consumer purchase decision-making processes, purchase motivation, and price sensitivity (Kataike, 2019). It can reveal the impact of brand name on consumer attitude, purchase intention, and loyalty (Dam, 2020) as well as the factors influencing customer satisfaction, such as product quality, service quality, and price, to help companies improve customer satisfaction (Kim and Sim, 2017; Boubker and Douayri, 2020; Nicolosi et al. , 2023).…”

Development of a novel cryostructured composite coating of xanthan–bovine collagen–oregano essential oil spraying applied for the preservation of commercial biscuits marketed in Mexico

“…Over time, numerous investigations have been carried out on the science/technology of cereals and their derivatives, as they give an idea of the efforts that remain to be studied on post-process changes and thus improve applied research in studies surrounding bakery products. In this context, biscuits are versatile bakery products from the food industry that occupy a prominent position due to their attractive characteristics such as longer shelf life, and variety of flavors or textures (Arepally et al, 2020;Bölek, 2021;Nicolosi et al, 2023;Roze et al, 2023).…”