Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Consumers behavior towards milk products in urban Albania 

Author(s):

Ana Kapaj *, Eda Deci, Ilir Kapaj, Maksim Mece

Recieved Date: 2012-12-20, Accepted Date: 2013-04-19

Abstract:

The dairy industry, and along with it the milk collection system, are still in the course of modernizing structures and technologies in Albania. As milk is a very important component of the Albanians diet, this study explores consumer preferences for milk in Albania and also tries to determine consumer types based on their preferences and socio-demographic factors. The objective of this study was to inform stakeholders in the milk industry about consumer preferences, so that they can focus their final product towards a specific market share. A Conjoint Choice Experiment (CCE) survey was designed and primary data were collected in the most populated cities of Albania. Then the data were analyzed using latent class approach to determine milk consumer classes based on the product attributes. Conjoint choice experiment with latent class analysis indicates that the most important attribute for Albania consumer is fat level and  Albanian consumers prefer fresh milk towards UHT milk. Also four consumer groups, 9.2, 28.1, 42.6 and 20.1%, were identified with their specific characteristics for each group. This study provides useful information to different stakeholders including milk producers and importers. The milk industry and its marketers may benefit from this information by using it to strategically market their milk to different groups. Enforcement of origin identification should be a priority for the government and other stakeholders, while producers should consider introducing and promoting their own brands such as producer associations’ brands. 

Keywords:

Albania, milk, consumer preferences, market segmentation, conjoint choice experiment, latent class analysis

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2013
Volume: 11
Issue: 2
Category: Food and Health
Pages: 76-80

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