Drs. H. Christopher Peterson and Simone Valle de Souza
Michigan State University
Thursday September 29th, at 3:30pm
HORT 117 or join via Zoom
“Meeting the demands of Indoor Agriculture consumers through the horticultural research agenda”
Abstract:
The presentation will address four interrelated issues for development of the Indoor Agriculture leafy green industry:
What do consumers want from Indoor Agriculture leafy green produce? This research sheds light on the subject of consumer preferences for specific attributes of leafy greens. Some aspects of consumer purchasing behavior are discussed along with more details on what consumers understand by often used market labels which relate with leafy green attributes.
Who is the consumer? Using Principal Component and Cluster Analyses, we identified two types of consumer segmentation, based firstly on their attitudes towards indoor farming as an innovative technology and then on their willingness to pay for specific attributes. These two segments are finally compared to determine overlaps.
How do Indoor Agriculture producers respond to consumer needs and segments? Every Indoor Agriculture producer should formulate their value proposition and marketing strategy to meet what consumers want and need.
What does all this mean for horticultural research? We suggest some needed horticultural research topics to enable industry growth as producers meet consumer needs.