Regional marketing for organic retailers: Status quo and capabilities

The market for organic food is still growing. The entrance of conventional supermarkets as well as discounters into the market and the increase of organic supermarkets are responsible for the organic boom in Germany and more price competition. These developments raise the question of new competitive strategies for small and medium sized organic retailers. The combination of organic and regional marketing might provide an opportunity to render small organic shops more successful again. The following paper discusses the opportunities for regional organic marketing strategies. First, this contribution gives an impression of the current situation and problems in the organic food branch, before continuing with theoretical research concerned with regional marketing. In the conclusion, the authors will underline different aspects with the aid of empirical results

The acceptance of GMO Seeds in German agriculture: empirical results

Crop Production/Industries,

Determinants of Trust between Buyers and Suppliers in Agribusiness: Empirical Evidence from the German Pork Sector

There are several hints that there is lack of trust in the relationships between farmers and processors in the meat industry. To generate instruments of trust management, a survey is conducted in the German pork chain measuring the level of trust perceived by farmers as well as the antecedents of trust. Overall satisfaction, the perceived neutrality of the carcass grading system, fairness and farmer orientation are the most import factors explaining trust.Satisfaction, reliability, regression analysis, pork chain, Agribusiness, Livestock Production/Industries,

The Relationship between Supply Chain Coordination and Quality Assurance Systems: A Case Study Approach on the German Meat Sector

The German meat industry faces a high demand for food safety and traceability. After several meat scandals in the recent past, efforts have to be made to regain consumer trust and to assure access to export markets. Apart from a few niche markets, there is no focal company in the German pork supply chain which efficiently coordinates food chain information, harmonizes the multiplicity of different IT systems or takes on professional public relations in charge of the whole sector. In cases of food crises, essential up- and downstream information slowly flows across the supply chain which hinders both seamless traceability and the harmonization of production processes between the various stages of the supply chain. This contribution focuses on the opportunities for more efficient coordination based on spot market environments. With reference to the theory of organization economics, a case study of the QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH as the leading certification scheme that addresses the German meat industry was carried out. Several non-classical certification activities which fall within the scope of coordination were identified with QS. Based on the assumption that the company continuously improves the coordination of the supply chain, there are opportunities for the meat sector as a whole which are pointed out in the conclusion.Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

From field to plate: Farmer-to-consumer direct marketing for organic and regional products

The importance of direct marketing for high quality farm products has increased in the last few years. This paper analyses the impact of customer satisfaction and its driving forces for farmer-to-consumer direct marketing and is based on a customer survey in 30 organic and conventional on-farm stores in Germany. The results emphasize the role of the store atmosphere and customer service as the main influencing factors on customer satisfaction

The Reliability of Organic Certification: An Approach to Investigate the Audit Quality

Increasing complexity and first scandals indicate that the current control structures for organic food is insufficient. The main challenges are different methods of implementation on the national level and the collaborative responsibility between the public and the private sector. Both often cause lacking clarity and disagreements. The following contribution focuses on instruments to enhance the quality of certification of organic food. Only a few of the suggested instruments have been included as necessary requirements yet. Given the risk of deficient quality assurance and at the same time increasing control costs, it seems urgent to trigger discussions on risk-oriented auditing and to improve the current certification system

Perspectives of Small Retailers in the Organic Market: Customer Satisfaction and Customer Enthusiasm

Abstract. In this paper we discuss the impact of customer satisfaction and enthusiasm on the performance of small retailers in the organic food market. The analysis of customer satisfaction and shop data confirm essential economic effects. The study is based on 948 customer interviews and an analysis of management ratios of 12 organic food shops in Germany. The results show that customer satisfaction is a relevant key to sales performance. Regression analysis reveals that overall customer satisfaction accounts for 32 % of sales per square meter sales area. An additional factor analysis identifies service and product quality as main determinants of customer satisfaction. Consumers consider the freshness of fruit and vegetables as representative for the quality of the whole assortment. A correlation analysis demonstrates that customer enthusiasm is a more accurate factor in the recommendation of shops than customer satisfaction. The paper ends with managerial and scientific implications

Acceptance and Motivational Impact of the Organic Certification System

In recent years the institutional framework of the organic certification system has step by step become a more formal and state run system. Our research shows that al-though the majority of the farmers accept the system, they are not convinced of its cost-benefit relationship. Farmers prefer a more association- and advice-oriented control of the organic certification process

Success factors in the development of farm vacation tourism

Farm vacation tourism allows many families to fully use their domestic resources; furthermore it generates social benefits for the surrounding community. We have conducted a study to examine the success factors of this type of tourism. The results clearly demonstrate that one of the key components relies on the entrepreneurial skills of the farmer

Attitudes of Chinese consumers towards retail formats

The Chinese consumer goods market is widely considered to be one of the economic hot spots of the world. China seems to be the market with the largest growth potential within the next decade. Multina - tional retail companies, for example, Wal-Mart, Metro and Carrefour have made large investments to open up this new market. However, parallel to the positive aspects of the market development, foreign retail companies entering the market encounter numerous risks and difficulties. Whereas questions concerned with logistical problems are being discussed more often, analyses focusing on the shopping behavior of Chinese consumers are rare. In this context, the following report provides information on store preferences based on a comprehensive survey of 800 citizens of Wuhan. In detail, the research focuses on decision- making problems of Chinese consumer s and determines their preferences for foreign chain stores on the one hand and for domestic supermarkets and traditional retail formats on the other hand. All in all, traditional wet markets still dominate shopping behaviour. Nevertheless, modern retail outlets are ac - cepted as an alternative, although they are mainly used in addition to the daily shopping at traditional wet markets. However, this research shows that even in a more domestic market - oriented city like Wuhan, traditional shopping patterns are being abandoned and more differentiated shopping patterns are emerging.Retail and Distribution Management, Consumer Behavior, Store Preferences, Consumer/Household Economics,