The Emergence of Diverse Organic Consumers: Does a Mature Market Undermine the Search for Alternative Products?

In: Sociologia ruralis, Band 53, Heft 4, S. 454-478

Abstract

AbstractThis study uses qualitative and quantitative data as well as household panel data regarding actual purchases of organic food in order to make a psychographic profiling of organic consumers and examine recent developments of organic demand inDenmark. It is shown that contemporary organic consumers have become a heterogeneous group, since three distinct positively minded segments are identified. These positively minded segments hold a very high share of all organic food sales on theDanish market and are also driving demand forward. TheDanish organic market can be said to have matured insofar as positively oriented segments that differ in their food involvement, shopping behaviour and levels of ethical concern have appeared, while marketing and distribution strategies have co‐developed with these trends. We discuss our findings in the light of the attitude‐behaviour gap that is said to exist in regard to organic consumption and the consequences that are thought to follow from the detachment of consumers from organic producers according to the much debated conventionalisation thesis.