Ushus J B Mgt 15, 1 (2016), 25-45

ISSN 0975-3311│ doi: 10.12725/ujbm.34.2

Marketing of Organic Food Products at

Madurai City

P Shandini* and N Ramani†

Abstract

The organic farming sector in developing countries is still

diminutive. However, the traditional practice of organic
farming by the indigenous farmers is an advantage that
would help India to become a global market leader in this
sector. India has the potential to emerge as a major
exporter of organic produce. Organic products mature
without the use of fertilizers, artificial chemicals, and
pesticides. The Indian organic food market, although in
its nascent stage, has started growing rapidly. Generally,
consumers prefer organic food due to safety, human
health, and ecological concern. Sometimes it could also be
due to attributes like nutrition value, taste, originality and
look of organic food. Worldwide trade in organic
products is growing incredibly which has prompted
experts to project consumption of organic food to be more
than 25% of total food consumption by 2020. Universal
consumption growth rates over the next 3-5 years will be
fairly high (25 – 30%) when compared to most other
categories of food. In the last decade, organic food
products have been measured to do a healthier business
than conventional food products. Thus the expansion of
organic agriculture is seen as a part of promising
promotion trends. This research reveals the percentage

* MPhil Scholar, Lady Doak College, Madurai, India;

[email protected]
† MPhil Scholar, Lady Doak College, Madurai, India;
[email protected]

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Ushus JBMgt 15, 1 (2016) ISSN 0975-3311

consumption of organic food products and provides

suggestions to implement the various marketing
strategies adopted by the retailers to sell the products and
other factors impacting the preference of the consumers in
the various strata of the society.
Keywords: Marketing strategies, Organic food products, Consumer
preference and availability.

Introduction

Organic manufacture has been emerging as an important sector in

India and in other parts of the developing world. It is seen as an
important strategy to facilitate sustainable growth. A country like
India can enjoy a number of reimbursements from the adoption of
organic manufacture. Financially viable and social benefits like
generation of rural employment, increased earning capacity of
household, poverty mitigation, social enriching, ensuring the
health of juvenile generations, women empowerment, sustainable
development, avoidance of disasters caused by pesticides,
improving environmental conditions, protection of natural
resources, enhanced soil fertility, prevention of soil erosion,
preservation of natural and agro-biodiversity are the major
benefits.
Though 50% of organic food production in India goes towards
exports, there are many who look towards organic food for
domestic utilization. India was among the top ten countries where
health food, including organic food, is in demand from the
consumers. Concern for the health of one’s own children is the
most important reason for buying organic food. Organic food is
expensive than conventional food (Bonti – Ankomah and Yiridoe,
2006) and customers have to pay a premium, generally 20 -30%
more than what they pay for regular farm produce. However, this
has not deterred customers who are willing to pay a higher
premium owing to the perceived health benefits of organic
products. Rising incomes, urbanization, the development of retail
trade, changing lifestyles, and rapid economic growth have been
the other key drivers of the increase in the sale of organic foods.

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P Shandini et al Marketing of Organic Food Products at Madurai City

Globally, Australia is the largest producer of organic manufacture

(Shukla U N, Manju Lata Mishra, K.C. Bairwa, 2013).In India,
Chennai ranks highest in organic cultivation. Among the countries
of the world, India ranks tenth in terms of having cultivable land
with organic certification (Dinesh Kumar and Y.S. Shivay,
2014).The total area at present under organic certification is 4.72
million Hectare (Dr M Uma Maheswari and D Chandrashekar,
2015).
As mentioned earlier, organic food is preferred by many for
reasons such as health and abstinence from the use of pesticides or
fungicides on the crops. Today, consumers prefer to buy products
that do not involve modern imitation inputs and instead choose
products that would be beneficial to them in the long-term. This
could be a reason for the phenomenal growth of the organic
product stores in India.

Objectives of the Study

 To analyze the factors influencing consumer behavior
towards organic food in Madurai.
 To analyze the marketing strategies adopted by organic
shop retailers.
 To ascertain marketing related problems perceived by the
retailers.
 Finally, this study highlights the factors influencing
consumer preference towards organic food purchase, so
that organic producers and marketers can benefit while
doing strategic market planning.

Review of Previous Studies

The main reasons for purchasing organic food product is the

expectation of a healthier lifestyle and to encourage environment-
friendly means of production. Buyers of organic produce tend to be
older and higher educated than those who do not buy them
(Ramesh S.V and Divya M, 2015).2The study by Shashikiran.L and
Madhavaiah.C, (2014) examined the willingness of the respondents
to pay a premium for organic food products. The researchers found

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that the customers have positive attitude towards organic products

and they exhibit an increased willingness to pay higher prices for
these products. About 53% of the consumers were aware that
organic produce was available in the market. The consumers are
eager to pay even 20-30 per cent more for organic food products
and were heavily influenced by the perception that organic product
is worth the money and their belief on the safety and health aspect
of the product.
Ragavan N. and Mageh R. (2013) in their study found that the
perceptions towards organic products, beliefs about product safety
for use, beliefs about product friendliness to the environment and
availability of product information are the major determinants for
the consumers’ purchase intention towards organic products.
Fatima Baby D. (2013) in her research found that the problems
faced in organic tomato cultivation are lack of irrigation, the issues
involved in marketing, lack of storage facility, price fluctuation and
lack of financial support. The researcher suggested that the
government should conduct awareness programme on organic
farming, the subsidies available for agriculture and loan facilities
meant for farmers. It also needs to ensure that at least one cold
storage centre is setup for each major tomato selling market.
Lockie et al (2002) in his study involved focus groups and
laddering interviews with 181 regular and occasional consumers of
organic food. They found that the main motives which was
mentioned by the focus groups were health consciousness, the
assumed higher health value, and social aspects including support
for local farming, fair trade, and, further down the scale,
environmental protection.

Research Methodology

a) Conceptual framework
There are various factors that influence consumer attitude towards
buying organic food products due to consumer perceptions like,
organic food products are healthy and safe, environment-friendly,
economically priced, and trust in product certification and
availability of the products. Therefore, the conceptual model for the
present research is depicted in Figure 1.

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P Shandini et al Marketing of Organic Food Products at Madurai City

Healthy and safe for

consumption

Environment friendly

Consumer’s preference
Good nutrition value towards organic food
purchase
Price of the product

Trust in product certification

Availability of the product

Fig 1 Conceptual framework

b) Sampling and Data Collection

With reference to the objectives of the study, Secondary and

Primary data collection techniques were implemented. Primary
data was collected with the use of structured questionnaires based
on the five point Likert scale, which ranged from strongly agree to
strongly disagree. An exploratory study was conducted after an
extensive literature survey. The study was conducted among 125
consumers to identify the factors influencing consumer preference
towards organic food purchase. 15 retailers have been selected
from 22 organic shops in Madurai. Simple random sampling
method is used with the usage of statistical tools like percentage,
chi-square and Garrett ranking method for the analysis of data.

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Table 1Demographic profile of the respondents (125 consumers)

Particulars Categories Number of Percentage
respondents
Age 20-30 27 21.6
31-40 64 51.2
41-50 17 13.6
Above 51 17 13.6
Total 125 100
Gender Male 53 42.4
Female 72 57.6
Total 125 100
Marital Married 82 65.6
status Unmarried 43 34.4
Total 125 100
Education Below SSLC 5 4.0
Qualification SSLC 8 6.4
HSC 11 8.8
Diploma 1 .8
Under Graduate 71 56.8
Post Graduate 20 16
Professional Degree 9 7.2
Total 125 100
Occupation Professional 22 17.6
Business People 11 8.8
Government 14 11.2
Employees
Private Employees 42 33.6
Homemaker 27 21.6
Other 9 7.2
Total 125 100
Income Below 15,000 42 33.6
(in Rupees) 15, 000- 30,000 41 32.8
per month 30,000- 45,000 9 7.2
Above 45,000 33 26.4
Total 125 100
Family size Below 2 9 7.2
3-5 107 85.6
Above 6 9 7.2
Total 125 100

Source: Primary Data

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P Shandini et al Marketing of Organic Food Products at Madurai City

Analysis and Interpretation

Table 1 provides the details of demographic profile of the

consumers. As per table 2, more number of female respondents
prefer to buy organic food products as compared to male
respondents. With reference to below mentioned age groups, the
age group 20-30 years prefers to buy more organic food products as
compared to other age groups of respondents. 65.6% of the married
respondents prefer to buy organic food and on the other hand only
34.4% of the unmarried respondents prefer to buy organic food.
Majority of the respondents earning below Rs. 15000 per month
prefer to buy organic food products.
Table 2 Demographic Profile and Preference to Purchase Organic
Food Products
Factors Categories Customer preference to Total Per
buy organic food products centage
Low Medium High
Age 20-30 12 24 6 42 33.6
31-40 5 31 5 41 32.8
41-50 2 1 6 9 7.2
Above 51 4 27 2 33 26.4
Total 23 83 19 125 100
Male 11 33 9 53 42.4
Gender Female 9 55 8 72 57.6
Total 20 88 17 125 100
Married 7 66 9 82 65.6
Marital Unmarried 13 22 8 43 34.4
Status Total 20 88 17 125 100
Below 15,000 12 24 6 42 33.6
Monthly 15,000- 30,000 5 31 5 41 32.8
income 30,000 -45,000 1 6 2 9 7.2
(in Above 45,000 2 27 4 33 26.4
Rupee) Total 20 88 17 125 100

Source: Primary data

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Table 3 Frequency of visiting organic shops

Duration Number of Percentage

respondents
Daily 21 16.8
Weekly 51 40.8
Monthly 50 40.0
Occasionally 3 2.4
Total 125 100.0

Source: Primary data

Frequency of purchasing products from organic shops is a very

important factor because sales increase when people visit organic
shops frequently. Therefore, it is evident from the above table that
out of 125 respondents, majority of the respondents visit organic
shop weekly because they suggested that organic food products are
perishable in nature.
Table 4 Factors that influence to buy organic food products

Factors Number of respondents Percentage

Advertisement /Media 15 12.0
Doctor 16 12.8
Family 32 25.6
Relative 22 17.6
Friends 34 27.2
Others 6 4.8
Total 125 100.0

Source: Primary data

It is inferred from the above table that majority of the respondents

are influenced by word-of-mouth.

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P Shandini et al Marketing of Organic Food Products at Madurai City

Table 5 Amount spent on organic food products per month

Particulars Number of respondents Percentage

Below Rs. 1,000 38 30.4
Rs.1,000 – Rs. 2,000 42 33.6
Rs. 2,000 – Rs. 3,000 26 20.8
Rs. 3,000 – Rs. 4,000 9 7.2
Above Rs. 4,000 10 8.0
Total 125 100.0

Source: primary data

Amount spent on organic food products by the consumers are

dependent upon their purchasing ability. It is observed from the
table that out of 125 respondents, majority of the respondents
belong to middle class families and spend between Rs.1000-Rs.
2000 per month on organic products as they are more conscious
about their family.

The Association between Income and Amount Spent On

Organic Food Products per Month

In order to test whether there is a significant association between

family income and amount spent on organic food products, chi-
square test has been applied.
H0 - There is no relationship between income and amount spent on
organic food products
It is evident from the table given below that the chi-square value is
22.37 and the p-value is 0.33 which is more than 0.05 and significant
at 5% level. Therefore there is no association between family
income and the amount spent on organic food products and proves
that the hypothesis is accepted.

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Table 6 Family Income and Amount Spent on Organic Food

Products
Amount spent on organic food Total
products

Chi-square value
Family income
(in Rupee)

P value
Rs. 1,000 (%)

Rs.2,000 (%)

Rs.3,000 (%)

Rs.4,000 (%)

Rs.4,000 (%)
Rs.1,000

Rs.2,000

Rs.3,000

Above
Below

Below 20 13 5 2 2 42
Rs.15,000 (48) (34) (19) (22) (20)
Rs.15,000 – 10 18 10 1 2 41
Rs.30,000 (24) (47) (38) (11) (20)
Rs.30,000 – 4 1 1 2 1 9 22.379 0.33
Rs.45,000, (9) (3) (4) (22) (10)
Above 8 6 10 4 5 33
Rs. 45,000 (19) (16) (38) (45) (50)
Total 42 38 26 9 10 125

Source: primary data

Reason for Consuming Organic Food Products

There may be one or more reason for buying organic products. But
the real fact is that it is more nutritious and eco-friendly.
Consumers generally make their choices after considering product
information, product attributes and evaluating the consequences of
using a product. Consumers consider health as an important
parameter when they buy a product. Sometimes consumers prefer
organic food due to their demographic characteristics. Households
with graduates were less likely to buy organic produce, while
households with children under 18 were more likely to buy organic
produce.

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P Shandini et al Marketing of Organic Food Products at Madurai City

Table 7 Garret’s Ranking– Factors that Influence Consumption of

Organic Food Products
Particular No of respondents Total Mean Rank
I II III IV V VI Score score
Family Health 78 22 14 7 2 2 8588 23.20 I
Minimize
Health
Problem 22 48 17 21 14 3 7175 19.38 II
Taste 12 17 21 30 27 18 5895 15.92 III
Environment
Friendly 6 19 35 20 28 17 5868 15.85 IV
Quality 7 16 34 36 20 12 5675 15.33 V
Affordability 0 3 4 11 34 73 3814 10.30 VI

Source: primary data

It is clear from the table that majority of the respondents prefer to
buy organic food products taking their family’s health into
consideration.
Marketing Strategies and Problems Faced by Organic Shop
Retailers
Table 8 Demographic Profile of Organic Shop Retailers (15
Retailers)
Demographic Categories Number of Percentage
factors respondents
Age 20-30 1 6.7
31-40 10 66.7
41-50 3 20.0
Above 51 1 6.7
Total 15 100.0
Gender Male 10 66.7
Female 5 33.3
Total 15 100.0
Educational HSC 1 6.7
Qualification Under Graduates 9 60.0
Post Graduates 3 20.0
Prof. Degree Holders 2 13.3
Total 15 100
Family Size Below 2 1 6.7
3–5 12 80.0
Above 6 2 13.3
Total 15 100.0

Source: Primary Data

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From the above table, it is clear that majority of the retailers belong
to the age group of 31-40 years who run the organic shop in
Madurai. Gender-wise, 66.7% of the respondents running organic
shops in Madurai are male and most of them possess at least an
undergraduate degree.
Table 9 No. of Years in Business

Duration (Years) Percentage

Below 1 Year 26.7
1 - 2 Years 33.3
2 - 3 Years 13.3
Above 3 Years 26.7
Total 100.0

Source: Primary data

As mentioned earlier, the popularity of organic food products has

only been on the upswing. Duration of running the business of
organic food products (the number of years they have been in the
organic produce selling business) indicates the experiences of the
people in this sector. It is evident from the above table that 26.7% of
the retailers started their organic shop recently and 26.7% of the
retailers are running shops for duration of above 3 years.
Table 10 Sources of Fund

Source of fund Percentage

Own Investment 80.0
Bank Loans 6.7
Money Lenders 6.7
Relatives and Friends 6.7
Total 100.0

Source: Primary data

Investment is a main source to start a business. As various sources

of investment exist to start a business, this study has taken into
consideration options like own funds, bank loans, lending from
moneylenders, and relatives and friends. Therefore from the above
table it is evident that majority of the respondents started their
organic shop with their own investment.

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P Shandini et al Marketing of Organic Food Products at Madurai City

Table 11 Monthly Sales by the Retailers

Monthly Sales Number of Respondents Percentage

Below Rs.30,000 1 6.7
Rs.30,000 – Rs.60,000 4 26.7
Rs.60,000 – Rs.90,000 4 26.7
Above Rs. 90,000 6 40.0
Total 15 100
Source: Primary data

It is evident from the above table that 40% of the respondents had
sales above Rs. 90,000 per month.
Table 12 Advertisement Media– Garret Ranking
Media of Total Score Mean Score Rank
Advertisement
Pamphlet/ Handbills 968 25.43 I
Newspaper 863 22.67 II
E-advertising 741 19.46 III
Television 722 18.96 IV
Radio 513 13.48 V
Source: primary data

Advertisements are very important to promote products. People

are aware of different media for advertisements like television,
radio, magazines, newspaper, pamphlets, websites and also
banners. Advertisement helps in reaching the consumers
effectively. It is a well-known fact that marketing strategy is an
important tool to increase sales. Organic shop retailer’s work is to
concentrate on marketing their organic food products in different
media, in order to gain customers’ confidence towards
consumption of organic food products. It is clear from the table that
pamphlet/handbill advertisements are more effective
advertisement than other media of advertisements.

6. Sales Promotional Techniques adopted by the Retailers

Promotional techniques are one of the tools to attract the

customers, by issuing credit, discount, or gifts. This analysis is to
evaluate the suitable techniques to catch the attention of customers
to consume the organic products.

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Table 13 Sales Promotional Techniques

Sales promotional Number of Percentage

technique respondents
Sale on discount 2 13.3
Selling product on credit 0 0
Gift 2 13.3
Reasonable price 11 73.3
Total 15 100
Source: primary data

Majority of the retailers preferred to sell their products at

reasonable price because, as it is, organic products are more
expensive than non-organic products. It was also found that the
retailers do not sell their products on credit.
Problems Faced by the Retailers towards Marketing
Organic Food Products
The problems faced by organic shop retailers towards marketing
the products in Madurai city has been classified into 3 categories
namely low level problems, medium level problems, and high level
problems for analytical purpose. The Table shows the marketing
related problems faced by organic shops retailer. If the
respondent’s scores are less than mean minus standard deviation
(mean- S.D) is said to be low level. If the respondent’s scores are
more than the mean plus standard deviation (Mean + S.D) is said to
be high level. And if the scores fall between the (Mean- S.D) and
(Mean + S.D), then it is said to be medium level of consumer
satisfaction.
Table 14 Problems Faced by Organic Shop Retailers
Marketing related Number of Percentage
problems respondents
Low 4 26.7
Medium 9 60.0
High 2 13.3
Total 15 100.0

Source: Primary data

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P Shandini et al Marketing of Organic Food Products at Madurai City

It is observed from the above table that majority of the shop

retailers (60%) have medium level marketing related problems on
organic food products, 26.7% of the shop owners have low level
marketing related problems on organic food products, and 13.3% of
the shop owners have high level marketing related problems on
organic food products.

The Association between Monthly Sales and Marketing

Related Problems of Organic Shop Retailers

H0 - There is no significant relationship between monthly sales and

marketing related problems of organic shop owners.
Table 15 Monthly Sales and Marketing Related Problems of
Organic Shop Owners

Categories Marketing related

Problems of Organic
Chi-square

P value
Factors

Shop Owners
Total

Low Medium High

Below Rs. 30,000 0 1 0 1

Monthly sales

Rs.30,000 Rs.60,000 1 3 0 4
Rs. 60,000 Rs.90,000 0 3 1 4 4.965 0.548
Above Rs.90,000 3 2 1 6
Total
4 9 2 15

Source: Primary data

The value of x2 is 4.965 for owners and marketing related problems.

The P value (0.548> 0.05) is greater at 5% significant level. Hence
the null hypothesis is accepted at 5% level of significant and it
proves that there is no significant association between the monthly
sales and marketing related problems of organic shop owners.

Scope for Further Research

This research was limited to Madurai city, and in particular the

respondents who consume organic food products. This could be

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further expanded to various cities of India. Future research could

be undertaken to study the various marketing strategies by the
marketers and other factors impacting the preference of the
consumers in the various strata of the society.

Findings

The major findings of the research are:

Consumers

 51.2 % of the respondents belong to the age group of 20 - 30

years.
 57.6 % of the respondents are female, and visit organic
shops frequently.
 It is observed that 65.6% of the respondents who visit the
organic shops frequently for buying food products are
married.
 56.8% of the respondents who visit organic shops are
undergraduates.
 It was observed that 33.6% of the people who visit the
organic shops are private employees.
 33.6% of the respondents earn income below Rs.15, 000
monthly.
 85.6% of the respondents’ have3 to 5 members in their
family.
 40.8% of the respondents visit the organic shop weekly.
 73.6% of the respondents purchased organic food products
from organic stores because of quality, freshness, and price.
It is also evident that most of the respondents are influenced
by their friends to buy organic products
 40.8% of the respondents had purchased organic products
from priority organic shops, 33.6% of the respondents had
spent Rs.1, 000 per month on organic food products, 69.6%
of the respondents recommended organic food products to

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P Shandini et al Marketing of Organic Food Products at Madurai City

others and 40.8% of respondents had consumed organic

food products for a period of less than 6 months.
 When asked for the reasons for consumption of organic
food products, the respondents ranked their family health
first with a mean score of 23.20 and second rank goes to
minimize health problems with a mean score of 19.38.
 When asked to rate the level of awareness towards organic
food products, the first rank goes to Rice varieties with a
mean score of 25.5, second rank goes to Dal varieties with a
mean score of 24.92 and the least mean score of 19.29 goes to
palm products.
 On the level of consumption of organic food product the
respondents ranked Rice varieties first with a mean score of
36.6, second rank goes to Dal varieties with mean score of
36.3 and the least mean score of 22.5 goes to beverages.
Retailers

 66.7% of the retailers belong to the age group between 31-

40 years.
 66.7% of the organic shop retailers who are running the
organic shop at Madurai city are male, 60% of the organic
shops retailers who run the organic food products business
are graduated, 33.3% of organic shop retailers had started
their business between 1 – 2 years ago, 80% of the organic
shop retailers are funding the business with their own
source of investment, 53.3 % of the retailers were motivated
to start the business to sustain a healthy environment and
40 % of the shop owners were earning a profit above
Rs.90,000 per month.
 60% of the organic shop retailers purchase their organic
food product from wholesalers and local farmers, 73.3% of
the retailers earned profits by selling non-perishable goods
and 60% of the organic shop retailers guarantee their
product competent by the government authorization and
NPOP agencies.

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 Amongst the different options available to the retailers to

advertise their products, they chose pamphlet/handbill to
be the most effective, followed by newspaper
advertisements, E-advertising, television and radio
advertisements, in that order.
 40% of the organic shop retailers preferred to advertise
through pamphlet/handbills, 73.3% of the retailers do not
provide discount facility to their customers and would sell
at reasonable price, 86.7% of the organic shop retailers
deliver the products at their customer’s place and 40% of
the organic shop retailers reach their customers through
their personal selling and word-of-mouth.
 It was found through Friedman test that the problem faced
by the retailers while marketing is due to the product and
promotion. Another set of difficulty is the place and price.
 All the retailers said that the government is not taking any
initiative to provide any basic amenities to run the
profitable business.

Suggestions

 Advertisements and sales promotions should be raised by

the retailers, since their influence on the consumers has
been less, though they have the potential to be a powerful
medium, when compared to the word-of-mouth reference
from friends and family, as seen in the results.
 Promotional advertisement of organic products can lead to
an increase in daily and weekly consumers.
 There is a need to open organic shops in every extension
area of Madurai city.
 It is necessary to create awareness on the health benefits of
organic food products among Madurai consumers.
 Sustained improvement in product features would lead to
increase in consumption of organic food products.

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P Shandini et al Marketing of Organic Food Products at Madurai City

 Increased frequency of viewing advertisements on organic

food products, and better taste would influence many to
purchase more organic products.
 To have a greater influence on consumers buying organic
food products, variables like familiarity, personal ideology,
social interaction, monitory cost, and habits are necessary
among the retailers.
 The familiarity of the organic food products among
customers depends on the promotional efforts of the
marketers. The availability of organic food products need to
be advertised widely.
 The products initially should be made available in
prominent market places and also in organic shops.
 Ensuring quality of the organic products by the farmers
through certification of NPOP agencies helps the retailers
acquire a good profit.
 Increased cultivation of organic farming will help the
retailers to sell more organic products in the market and
would consequently influence the consumers’ buying
behaviour.
 Banks should provide loans to organic shop retailers to
enhance their business.

Conclusion

India is rapidly emerging as one of the fastest growing and largest

market for organic food products in the world. The study assessed
the customer preference towards organic food products, marketing
strategies and promotional techniques adopted by the retailers. In
this regard, it can be concluded that the customers are well aware
of all the products and they prefer to consume organic food
because it is healthy and environment friendly. It was found that
majority of respondents are influenced by their family members to
buy organic food products and they suggested that organic food
products are fresh, better in quality and safe to use. The study also
indicated that the customers of organic food products are very

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conscious about their family health. Hence, for the benefit of the
customers, the retailers market their products by adopting sales
promotional techniques like direct marketing, door-to-door selling
and e-advertising. The study shows that the major sales
promotional techniques adopted by the retailers are selling the
products at reasonable price, and door delivery to their customers.
The retailers adopt marketing strategies such as personal selling
and word-of-mouth. While marketing the organic food products all
the retailers faced problems like shortage of products and
customers’ willingness to purchase such products. Hence, it can be
concluded that it is in hands of the retailers to market their
products in such a way that the customers can be easily attracted.

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