Consumer Perception Towards Ready-To Eat Food Products: Evidence From A Tier Ii City- Salem

Abstract

An Increasing Share Of Indian Consumers Wallet Is Going Towards Food Purchases. The Recent Trend Is More Inclined Towards Upgrading Their Consumption Basket By Allocating More To Beverages And Processed Foods. The Change In The Family Structure – Disintegration Of Joint Family And Emergence Of Nuclear Units, Rise In Single Person Household, Migration Of Educated Persons To Cities, Engagement Of More Women To Their Career Goals, Etc Has Increased The Spread Of More On-The-Go Products, Especially The Ready-To-Eat Varieties. Though The Demand And Income  Is More In Tier 1 Cities ,  Tier 2 And 3cities Are Not Less Behind As They Have More Disposable Cash Due To Low Cost Of Living . Consumers In Tier 2 And 3 Cities Are Well Travelled And Well Aware Of Various New Brands And Commercials. They Have A Liking Towards Quality Innovation And More Convenient Food. However Not Much Of Efforts Were Taken To Explore The Attitude Of Consumers Of Tier Ii And Tier Iii Cities Towards These Products. Hence This Study Is Proposed To Fill This Research Gap. The Study Explores The Factors Considered By Consumers In Tier Ii Cities While Making Rte Food Purchase Decisions And Throws Light On Various Aspects Of Rte Food Lifestyle Of The Consumers In These Areas And Help The Marketers Develop Proper Strategies To Design The Appropriate Marketing Mix. The Primary Data Is Collected From 600 Sample Respondents In Salem City In The State Of Tamilnadu. Factor Analysis Is Used For Data Redundancy And To Find The Factors That Affect Their Perception. Regression Analysis Was Applied To Design The Impact Of These Factors. The Results Clearly Indicate That Consumers Consider Diverse Cuisine, Quality And Economy When They Make Ready-To-Eat Food Purchase Decisions. The Orientation Factors Found From The Study Is Used To Segment The Ready-To-Eat Food Market Into 4 Clusters Namely; Ready-To-Eat Foodie, Traditional Foodie, Quality Seekers, Convenience Seekers.