Séminaire ESTASalle 03 / 14h00 à 15h00

Le 30 mai 2017

A Cross-Cultural Exploration of Organic Product Perceptions​ ​of Indian and American Consumers

The global trend of consumption of organic food and products originated in the developed regions of North America and Europe, and has​ subsequently expanded to developing countries like India and China. Currently Europe and North America are the largest consumers of organic food. However, the organic food market in Asia is likely to account for the highest growth rate in the next five years. Although academic research on this topic has made great strides, there seems to be a dearth of studies focusing on organic food consumption in emerging economies. To capture the growing opportunities in these markets, companies are investing significant resources and designing appropriate marketing programs. ​                   ​

This paper takes a qualitative approach in order to understand how people in two cultural contexts – India and the US – perceive organic products and the consumer behaviour processes surrounding organics. The results show that Indian consumers tend to perceive organic products more holistically than respondents from the US, focusing more readily on the augmented product, including the societal benefits of a cleaner environment, better treatment of animals, and improved health of farmers.​ These Indian consumers also acknowledged a spiritual connection to organics, noting that those wanting to be purer or engage in a religious practice such as yoga might be aided by eating organic food.
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Regardless of cultural origin, respondents with lower levels of involvement with Organics tend to be more confused about what organic really means, ​tend​ to have more mistrust in the term, feel unsure what the benefits are and doubt whether they are worth the higher prices.Respondents with higher levels of involvement in Organics​ think that organic food tastes different, are generally more optimistic about organic products and their benefits​, and see the organic lifestyle as healthier, happier, and more informed.

Neel Das, Associate Professor  
Appalachian State University
Walker College of Business
Department of Marketing
Visiting Professor: Université d'Angers, France