Attributes and perceptions: Understanding regional Chinese mango buyers

Abstract

Regional cities in The People’s Republic of China (China) are rapidly becoming a significant market for a range of tropical fruit varieties. There is an increasing importance to Chinese consumers of what they eat and where they shop. Consequently, studies specifically identifying Chinese buyer preferences are needed to aid the success of agri-food expansion opportunities. This study employed an exploratory approach to profile regional Chinese mango buyers using a sample of 1148 consumers. The purpose was to determine consumption frequencies of different socio-demographic groups and to identify mango attributes that buyers perceived as important. The results revealed a dependence on income. Interestingly, many of the socio-demographic factors such as age, gender, education and marital status were not correlated with consumption. Feeling for ripeness was identified as the most important attribute for a mango. Other attributes in order of importance were: colour, smell and amount of blemishes. Regular and occasional buyers shopped at the supermarket for their mangoes and predominantly liked to eat their mango as fresh fruit. A significant number of buyers identified with the mango as a healthy fruit but a lesser number of them would consider the mango for inclusion in recipes or for gift giving. Overall, Chinese buyers presented an encouraging view of mangoes and a sound understanding of the product attributes and intrinsic features