Economics and Marketing
Amirhossein Tohidi; Mohammad Ghorbani; Alireza Karbasi; Ahmadreza Asgharpourmasouleh; Behrooz Hassani-Mahmooei
Abstract
Saffron is one of the most valuable and important agricultural products in Iran, and, it is necessary to consider the preferences of consumers to develop its market. Consumers have different needs and wants, and by benefit segmenting the saffron market, companies can understand customers' preferences ...
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Saffron is one of the most valuable and important agricultural products in Iran, and, it is necessary to consider the preferences of consumers to develop its market. Consumers have different needs and wants, and by benefit segmenting the saffron market, companies can understand customers' preferences in each segment of the market correctly. Therefore, in this study, using the crisp and fuzzy clustering algorithms, the saffron market was divided into homogenous segments, and then, using the results of the conjoint analysis; consumer preferences, attitudes, and demographic characteristics were examined in each saffron market segment. The necessary data were collected from 400 respondents using a stratified sampling method from 13 districts of Mashhad, Iran. The results of this study showed that the saffron market could be divided into six homogeneous segments, and the fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm performs better at finding clusters than k-means, k-medoids, fuzzy Gustafson-Kessel and fuzzy Gath-Geva methods. According to the study findings, in most market segments, the weight of saffron and the packaging type are the most important attributes influencing purchase decisions. Based on the study results, it is suggested that saffron companies consider consumer preferences in different market segments when supplying saffron products and formulating marketing strategies.
Economics and Marketing
Amirhossein Tohidi; Mohammad Ghorbani; Alireza Karbasi; Ahmadreza Asgharpourmasouleh; Behrooz Hassani-Mahmooei
Abstract
Nowadays due to the intensity of competition and continuous changes in environmental conditions, identification of customers' needs and wants is essential to gaining competitive advantage in domestic and international markets. Saffron is one of the most valuable and important agricultural products in ...
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Nowadays due to the intensity of competition and continuous changes in environmental conditions, identification of customers' needs and wants is essential to gaining competitive advantage in domestic and international markets. Saffron is one of the most valuable and important agricultural products in Iran, and for the development of its market, it is necessary to consider the preferences of consumers of this product. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to rank and evaluate the effect of saffron attributes on the consumer utility of this product in Mashhad city. In this study, 3, 3 and 8 levels were considered for the trade name, packaging type and weight, respectively. In 2020, The data from 400 respondents were collected using a stratified sampling method (with proportionate allocation) from 13 districts of Mashhad-Iran. Using conjoint analysis, the results of the study showed that the weight of saffron marketed and the packaging type are important attributes influencing consumer preferences. In a more detailed analysis and taking into account the attribute levels, the results of the study confirmed that the highest utility values were found in saffron products with pocket packaging and weight of 4.608 gr. According to the study results, to design marketing strategies for different customer groups, saffron companies are recommended to pay more attention to consumer preferences in target markets.
Economics and Marketing
Amirhossein Tohidi; Mohammad Ghorbani; Alireza Karbasi; Ahmadreza Asgharpourmasouleh; Behrooz Hassani-Mahmooei
Abstract
The lack of a clear competitive strategy is one of the major problems of Iranian saffron companies to gain a competitive advantage in domestic and international markets. Therefore, the Picocrocin main purpose of this study is to rank the factors affecting competitive advantage in the domestic and international ...
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The lack of a clear competitive strategy is one of the major problems of Iranian saffron companies to gain a competitive advantage in domestic and international markets. Therefore, the Picocrocin main purpose of this study is to rank the factors affecting competitive advantage in the domestic and international markets of Iranian saffron. Therefore, the importance of marketing resources and competitive strategies for one of the major producers and suppliers of saffron is investigated in this study considering market position theory and resource-based view. A pairwise comparison-based questionnaire is used to collect opinions of experts in the company. Using the analytic hierarchy process method, the results of the study showed that the differentiation strategy has the most effect in gaining competitive advantage. The results also indicate that particular attention must be paid to managerial and customer relationship capabilities in executing the differentiation strategy. Accordingly, improving financial conditions and understanding customers' needs and requirements are among the approaches that lead to development of key company capabilities and gaining competitive advantage in saffron markets.
Shukrullah Shwoban; Arash Dourandish; Mohammad Ghorbani
Abstract
Saffron is one of the agricultural products considered for cultivation by Afghan farmers in recent years. Investigation of willingness of farmers in this region to continue cultivating this crop is especially important in developing this product and promoting it at the global level due to the exceptional ...
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Saffron is one of the agricultural products considered for cultivation by Afghan farmers in recent years. Investigation of willingness of farmers in this region to continue cultivating this crop is especially important in developing this product and promoting it at the global level due to the exceptional position of Afghanistan’s saffron in the world. Therefore, the aim of this study is investigating willingness of farmers in Herat to continue production of Saffron. Data was collected using the random sampling method and completing questionnaires and performing personal interviews with saffron farmers in the Herat province in 2018 with 202 samples. The willingness to continue cultivating saffron farmers in the Herat Province was classified into four categories: very low, low, medium, and high. The results of using the ordered Logit model show that the variables yield, price, size of the farmer's household, saffron cultivation experience and capital have a positive influence on increasing willingness to continue cultivation of this product by saffron producers. On the other hand, non-agricultural income, age and availability of labor have an inverse effect on willingness to continue saffron production. At the end, suggestions are provided to achieve the research’s goal. These include provision of low-cost facilities for farmers to provide easier and cheaper access to utilization of new technologies such as use of laboratories, improvement of packaging quality and drying equipment.
Economics and Marketing
Ahmadreza Shahpouri; Mohammad Ghorbani; Arash Dourandish; Mohammadreza Kohansal
Abstract
Considering the importance of planning at the production level, it is necessary to identify the consumer's future behavior towards organic products. Thus, using seemingly unrelated regression and data of 2012 for 200 households in mashhad, in the present study we have tried to determine the future share ...
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Considering the importance of planning at the production level, it is necessary to identify the consumer's future behavior towards organic products. Thus, using seemingly unrelated regression and data of 2012 for 200 households in mashhad, in the present study we have tried to determine the future share of these products in the household's basket and also survey the effective factors on this share in organic saffron. The results showed that households in mashhad tend to allocate an average of 34 percent of their future consumption basket for organic saffron. The regression results illustrated that while children below 10 years old in the households, willingness to pay the price differential compared with non-organic products and organic labeling positively affected the willingness to pay for organic products, environmental concerns variables created by non-organic products had a negative effect on their willingness. Considering the research results, helping to raise people's awareness about food through different educational and advertising approaches, providing a mechanism to label organic products and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of producing and distributing the organic products are provided as suggestions.
