Tomato attributes and consumer preferences - a consumer segmentation approach

Purpose Vegetables are an important component of a healthy diet. Given that tomatoes are the most purchased vegetable in Germany, the purpose of this paper is to focus on how consumers evaluate tomatoes during their food choice. Each consumer has different preferences and, in order to target them, it is necessary to identify consumer groups. The study segments tomato consumers into homogenous target groups. Design/methodology/approach A choice experiment was used to simulate the buying situation in a supermarket. The data were analysed using latent class analysis, as well as principal component factor analysis to measure food-related lifestyles. The sample consisted of 1,027 consumers and was representative of the characteristics of gender, age, educational level and income for the German population. Findings Consumers perceive air transportation and plastic wrapping as most climate damaging in tomato production. Six different tomato consumer groups were identified and named according to the attribute they found most important, i.e. "Balanced consumers", "Price-conscious consumers", "Taste enthusiasts", "Colour-sensitive consumers", "Price-conscious consumers with a taste preference" and "Colour- and price-sensitive consumers". In three clusters, colour was the most important attribute. However, green and yellow tomatoes were rejected by all segments, indicating communication problems. Originality/value The results of this study provide breeders and marketers with valuable insights into the factors driving tomato choice. The information was based on a large sample and will help breeders to select the types of tomatoes that are in demand by consumers.