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Beata Kupiec: Food Management Economist, Management Division, Scottish Agricultural College, Aberdeen, Scotland, and
Brian Revell: Dean of the School of Management, Harper Adams University College, Newport, Shropshire, UK
Introduction
The role of price in the formation of consumers' judgements about speciality foods requires consideration of both product attributes and specific market characteristics. Decomposition of the contribution made by the properties of such products to the overall utility derived from their consumption enables the identification of the features that consumers of speciality foods value the most. Speciality products have been defined as those "based on traditional craftsmanship and are characterised by small-scale batch production. They differ from artisanal food products[1] in that new and unusual recipes may be used while adhering to traditional methods, and in that such foods are frequently packaged and marketed as gifts" (Mintel, 1999a). As previous research has shown, customer value is determined not only by the specificity and exceptional quality of such products (in terms of both level and distinctiveness), but also by the high level of customer involvement with the purchase decision (Mai and Ness, 1998; Kupiec and Revell, 1998). Furthermore, loyal consumers of speciality products may exhibit specific decision-making behaviour based on differing perceptions of product value as well as on their particular psychographic features.
This paper measures consumer utility values for attributes of speciality products as exemplified by farmhouse Cheddar cheese. It also determines price sensitivity in the speciality cheese consumer niche and examines the integrity and extent of intra-niche differences. The study and results form part of a larger EU-funded research project[2] into farmhouse cheeses and yogurts in the UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, Portugal and Greece.
Product attributes
Product attributes as perceived by consumers are critical factors in the food choice process. Hence, it is not surprising that focus on the subjective entity of a product as perceived by the consumer (and, indeed, a moulding of consumer perceptions) is a major determinant of the success of many product marketing strategies. Although certain attributes are normally expected to be included in a product's perceptual space, the individual construct systems can vary, especially where niche/speciality markets are concerned.
One of the methods used for identification of product attributes is the repertory grid method, also known as Kelly grid...