Survey of Consumers’ Responsiveness to Small-Scale Producers’ Marketing in the Northern Hungary Region

Abstract

The purpose of our study is to survey the marketing issues of small-scale food production and short supply chains (SSCs) from the consumers’ aspects, and to give insight into the effectiveness and potential of SSC marketing. The paper presents the result of a wide online consumer survey with the participation of more than 1000 consumers, mostly from the Northern Hungary region. According to our experiences, the most effective „marketing instrument” was the personal contact with producers, communication with relatives, and acquaintances. One-third part of our sample could be motivated by (this kind of) marketing and had more willingness to pay for small-producers’ goods.

Examining the Role of Local Products in Rural Development in the Light of Consumer Preferences—Results of a Consumer Survey from Hungary

“…• (and some larger households and missing values) [76] As already mentioned, 86% of the 1034 responders originated from the settlements of the North Hungarian region (Figure 1).…”

“…In terms of marital status, the majority of respondents were married (41%) or had a common law-partner (not married) (24%). The number of people living in one household was evenly distributed: (and some larger households and missing values) [76] As already mentioned, 86% of the 1034 responders originated from the settlements of the North Hungarian region (Figure 1).…”

“…Product promotion should have a key role in these marketing activities, as there was a statistically significant correlation between perceived positive quality characteristics of local products and expenditures on and willingness to pay for local products [76]. Based on the literature (e.g., References [23,41]), the "superiority" of small producer goods in terms of product quality cannot be generalized.…”

The Impact of COVID-19 Crisis upon the Consumer Buying Behavior of Fresh Vegetables Directly from Local Producers. Case Study: The Quarantined Area of Suceava County, Romania

“…At the same time, SFSC systems play a key role in ensuring the quality of the products supplied by direct contact with the producer [ 58 ] or by traceability guarantees, although the quality of products is often related to their origin, specifically sustainable agriculture, and particular practices of the post-production process [ 59 ]. The fact that SFSCs can facilitate a better interaction between various local agri-food sector producers and potential buyers has been already pointed out by some researchers interested in the development of local food systems.…”

COVID-19 challenges to sustainable food production and consumption: Future lessons for food systems in eastern and southern Africa from a gender lens

“…Small-and-medium-sized producers benefit more from SFSCs. At the same time, direct sales ensure food quality and traceability guarantees and adoption of best practices packaged as sustainable agriculture ( Kiss et al., 2019 ). Some researchers also point out that SFSCs secures access to healthier food, encourages knowledge transfers, counters population migration pressure, and sustains food stores for smallholder farmers and markets ( Falguieres et al., 2015 ; Aguiar et al., 2018 ; Maria et al., 2019 ).…”