The Marketing Stimuli Factors Influencing Consumers’ Attitudes to Purchase Organic Food

The demand for organic food products have increased rapidly in recent years. Among the main factors contributed to the increasing global consumers' demand towards organic food products are food safety concern, health benefits, better quality, higher nutritional value and environmental concern. Therefore, there is a need to explore consumers' behaviour towards organic food products. This study attempts to examine the effects of marketing stimuli factors on consumers' attitudes to purchase organic food in Malaysia. Five key marketing stimuli variables were examined in this study, and they were product attributes, price, availability, sales promotion and marketing communications. This study is based on the results of a survey conducted on a sample of 430 organic food consumers in Malaysia. The structural equation modeling was used for data analysis and six hypotheses were tested. The results showed that three marketing stimuli variables of product attributes, availability and sales promotion have significantly influenced consumers' attitudes of organic food. Subsequently, consumers' attitudes is positively correlated to actual purchase of organic food. There was no significant effect of price and marketing communications on consumers' attitudes of organic food. Based on the findings, marketing stimuli strategies should be focused on creating positive attitude of consumers by increasing consumers' awareness, trust, satisfaction and loyalty towards organic food. In addition, price of organic food should be reduced and more effective communication strategies should be undertaken to enhance consumers' purchase of organic food