MOTIVES AND BARRIERS TO THE CONSUMPTION OF INNOVATIVE FOOD PRODUCTS BY POLISH AND UKRAINIAN CONSUMERS

• Main Authors: Anna Jasiulewicz, Marzena Lemanowicz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Juraj Dobrila University of Pula 2016-12-01
• Series: Review of Innovation and Competitiveness
• Subjects: innovations; innovativeness; consumer; motives; barriers
• Online Access: https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/253432
• ISSN: 1849-8795; 1849-9015

The significant increase in the number of new food products means consumers have the opportunity to choose from among a wide range of innovative foods, which bring a variety of benefits to consumption, but can also, for some, raise uncertainty, opposition and suspicion. The article reviews the literature on innovative food products and their acceptance by consumers. The results of own research on the purchase motives and barriers to consumption of such products are presented in the context of theoretical considerations. The study is presented in relation to the issue of consumer innovativeness as a determinant affecting the approval or rejection of new products. The respondents’ degree of innovativeness was evaluated according to Rogers’ concept and the impact of this variable on the respondents motives of to purchase innovative products. For the comparative analysis of Polish and Ukrainian consumers’ behaviour on the innovative food products market, international research was conducted in 2015 on a sample of 340 Polish and 255 Ukrainian respondents (595 respondents in total). The results clearly show consumer types differing from the Rogers distribution, as well as differences between Polish and Ukrainian consumers’ appetite for innovation. Analysis of the literature and the research results together indicate that the motives and barriers to consuming innovative food products come down to features of the innovation (including price, functionality, healthiness, convenient packaging, taste), consumer characteristics (neophilia, neophobia, innovativeness) and environmental characteristics (trends in consumption, marketing and social communication). Those consumers who are innovators play an important role in shaping the positive attitudes of buyers in relation to innovative food products. Products possessing attributes consumers consider to be essential may also help in the desire to adopt innovation. Basing on the research results certain implications for managers responsible for introducing new food products to the market were presented in the paper.