Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 19 ISSUE 1
Written by Agatha POPESCU, Ion GURESOAIE

The paper analyzed consumer behavior regarding honey purchase on a sample of 196 individuals at randomly selected from the visitors of the National Honey Fair held on September 14, 2018 in Bucharest. The responds to the 9 questions included in a structured questionnaire used in a face-to-face interview were statistically processed regarding frequency, percentages, average and standard deviation, and also Chi-squared test, Pearson and Cramer's correlation coefficients were used to establish the independence/dependence between age, education level and monthly income and honey purchase decision. Honey is bought in a higher proportion by people older than 45 years, married persons, high school leavers and university graduates, by people with a monthly income over Lei 3,000. The most preferred honey is polyfloral and acacia. Honey is purchased to be consumed at breakfast, next to a cup of coffee and tea or as a medicine, less as sweetener in the kitchen and for cosmetic goals. Honey is bought mainly several times a year and twice a year. Honey is bought mainly directly from beekeepers and honey fairs, less from agro-markets and supermarkets. The amount of 1-2 and 2-3 kg honey is frequently bought mainly by people of 36-50 years old, by the ones who have a higher education level and income level over Lei 3,000 per month. Between age, education level and income and honey type and amount of bought honey there is no relationship, but between the purchased amount and income level is a dependence link. Honey price, type, packaging and color are the significant criteria influencing purchasing decision. Beekeepers and honey fairs are the main information sources for buyers. As a final conclusion, beekeepers should improve their marketing strategies to better satisfy consumers' needs and increase, their sales and profit, and honey consumption per capita as Romania produces a high production of high quality honey.

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