Comportamiento del consumidor español de productos hortofrutícolas

Resum

Firms commercialising fruits and vegetables are facing increasing levels of competitive rivalry in their markets, situation that is aggravated by the power of negotiation exhibited by the large retailing chains, along with the consumers¿ tendency to substitute the consumption of fruits and vegetable with other products. This leads to the conclusion that the future of these firms is conditioned by the level of consumers¿ acceptance of their products. In this context, this article¿s purpose is to analyse the behaviours that consumers adopt when they buy and consume fruits and vegetables, along with the variables that affect them. The knowledge of this is important for the firms to design and implement strategies to increase the market demand of these products and, finally, to improve their productivity. Among other strategies, innovation must be of critical importance. It must be directed to endow fruits and vegetables with the characteristics the consumers do prefer (e.g., healthier, more practical, novelty, etc); all attributes that must allow to differentiate a firm¿s offer from competition. Moreover, and along with innovation, the firms must also communicate their offers to the consumers, what will impose them the necessity of developing authentic policies of branding and communication. To implement these actions the companies must access to human resources welltrained and experienced and to increase their size through integration with other firms.