Determinants of Organic Food Buying Behaviour: An Empirical Survey in Eastern Odisha

AbstractIn today’s world, the excessive utilization of pesticides and chemicals in food products makes the food and the environment poisonous. It has been perceived that organic foods are chemicals and pesticide-free, nature-friendly, nutritious, and healthy, because of which customers are moving towards the consumption of organic food and willing to pay more for it. The paper focuses on investigating the factors affecting consumer behavior while purchasing Organic foods and the impact of demographic profile on buying behavior. For this study, 250 responses were collected through the empirical survey method by following a structured questionnaire collected online. Factor analysis and regression analysis have been adopted to study the factors affecting the buying behavior and their impact on each other while making a purchase. Data analysis has been done using SPSS. It has been found that health consciousness is the most significant factor that affects consumers’ buying behavior. The other factors which influence the buying behavior of the consumers are summarized into two categories: Customer reach and hygiene. This study will be helpful for the retailers (e.g., small retail stores, local farmers, large corporate stores, and specialty stores) and entrepreneurs dealing with organic food in making strategies to acquire more customers and retain them by managing the factors affecting their buying behavior.