Factors Generating the Willingness of Romanian Consumers to Buy Raw Milk from Vending Machines

The use of automatic raw milk dispensers for products obtained from Romanian farms can represent an effective method of encouraging the development of short supply chains and promoting sustainable production and consumption systems. There are very few studies in the literature, especially in emergin...

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Main Authors: Marius Mircea Sabău, Pompei Mititean, Cristina Bianca Pocol, Dan-Cristian Dabija
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-05-01
Series:Foods
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/11/2193
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author Marius Mircea Sabău
Pompei Mititean
Cristina Bianca Pocol
Dan-Cristian Dabija
author_facet Marius Mircea Sabău
Pompei Mititean
Cristina Bianca Pocol
Dan-Cristian Dabija
author_sort Marius Mircea Sabău
collection DOAJ
description The use of automatic raw milk dispensers for products obtained from Romanian farms can represent an effective method of encouraging the development of short supply chains and promoting sustainable production and consumption systems. There are very few studies in the literature, especially in emerging economies, that analyze consumer perception regarding the use of raw milk dispensers; most of the research is focused on technical aspects regarding how such machines function and food safety, and less on consumers’ perceptions towards them or consumer satisfaction, loyalty, or intention to use them. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the willingness of Romanian consumers to buy raw milk from vending machines. In this regard, the authors drew a conceptual model to assess the factors that trigger willingness to buy raw milk from vending machines and then implemented a quantitative-based survey among Romanian consumers who buy raw milk from vending machines. The data were analyzed by modeling structural equations with SmartPLS. The results reveal that the generation of consumer willingness to buy raw milk from vending machines depends on how consumers perceive raw milk but also on the product safety, reusability of the milk bottle, and the provenance of the raw milk, as well as the nutritional qualities of the unprocessed raw milk. The paper extends previous studies based on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) and deepens the understanding of consumers’ perception towards raw milk dispensers. Furthermore, the results also highlight possible managerial strategies that aim to improve the understanding of consumers.
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spelling doaj.art-d711f6da4ff74922bf48fcbbcd5f04992023-11-18T07:51:32ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582023-05-011211219310.3390/foods12112193Factors Generating the Willingness of Romanian Consumers to Buy Raw Milk from Vending MachinesMarius Mircea Sabău0Pompei Mititean1Cristina Bianca Pocol2Dan-Cristian Dabija3Department of Economic Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaDepartment of Accounting and Audit, Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Animal Production and Food Safety, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaDepartment of Marketing, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Babeș-Bolyai University, 400591 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaThe use of automatic raw milk dispensers for products obtained from Romanian farms can represent an effective method of encouraging the development of short supply chains and promoting sustainable production and consumption systems. There are very few studies in the literature, especially in emerging economies, that analyze consumer perception regarding the use of raw milk dispensers; most of the research is focused on technical aspects regarding how such machines function and food safety, and less on consumers’ perceptions towards them or consumer satisfaction, loyalty, or intention to use them. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the willingness of Romanian consumers to buy raw milk from vending machines. In this regard, the authors drew a conceptual model to assess the factors that trigger willingness to buy raw milk from vending machines and then implemented a quantitative-based survey among Romanian consumers who buy raw milk from vending machines. The data were analyzed by modeling structural equations with SmartPLS. The results reveal that the generation of consumer willingness to buy raw milk from vending machines depends on how consumers perceive raw milk but also on the product safety, reusability of the milk bottle, and the provenance of the raw milk, as well as the nutritional qualities of the unprocessed raw milk. The paper extends previous studies based on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) and deepens the understanding of consumers’ perception towards raw milk dispensers. Furthermore, the results also highlight possible managerial strategies that aim to improve the understanding of consumers.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/11/2193vending machineswillingness to buystimulus–organism–response (SOR) approachmilk dispensersraw milkshort food supply chain
spellingShingle Marius Mircea Sabău
Pompei Mititean
Cristina Bianca Pocol
Dan-Cristian Dabija
Factors Generating the Willingness of Romanian Consumers to Buy Raw Milk from Vending Machines
Foods
vending machines
willingness to buy
stimulus–organism–response (SOR) approach
milk dispensers
raw milk
short food supply chain
title Factors Generating the Willingness of Romanian Consumers to Buy Raw Milk from Vending Machines
title_full Factors Generating the Willingness of Romanian Consumers to Buy Raw Milk from Vending Machines
title_fullStr Factors Generating the Willingness of Romanian Consumers to Buy Raw Milk from Vending Machines
title_full_unstemmed Factors Generating the Willingness of Romanian Consumers to Buy Raw Milk from Vending Machines
title_short Factors Generating the Willingness of Romanian Consumers to Buy Raw Milk from Vending Machines
title_sort factors generating the willingness of romanian consumers to buy raw milk from vending machines
topic vending machines
willingness to buy
stimulus–organism–response (SOR) approach
milk dispensers
raw milk
short food supply chain
url https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/11/2193
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