A study of the main drivers for coffee purchasing behaviour in Ireland - with a focus on the Theory of Buyer Behaviour by Howard and Sheth

Lee de la Torre, Ana (2022) A study of the main drivers for coffee purchasing behaviour in Ireland - with a focus on the Theory of Buyer Behaviour by Howard and Sheth. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Consumer behaviour is important for managers and business owners to understand their markets to make decisions about the products they offer their customers. On the other hand, the increasing environmental awareness has become an important aspect for companies to incorporate in their products, as this awareness has been on the rise. The Theory of Buyer Behaviour by Howard and Sheth (1969), has been used for years to understand the consumption process consumers go through when making decisions. This study aims at identifying the main drivers for coffee consumption in the Irish context, considering habit, price, convenience and the environment and fair-traded precedence as potential drivers. Moreover, its objective is to contribute to a better understanding in consumer behaviour in Ireland for businesses in the coffee industry.

For this research, a survey was administered through Google Forms to test the presented hypothesis, in order to identify the main drivers for coffee consumption in Ireland. A total of 154 responses were received, out of which 139 respondents were actual coffee purchasers, therefore, only these respondents were considered. The respondents have answered 22 questions including demographics, patterns in motives for coffee consumption, and environmental and fair-trade awareness. Excel and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28 were used to test the hypothesis and analyze the data obtained in this research.

The results obtained in the study suggest that there is a strong relationship between the drivers, habit and convenience, and consumer behaviour for purchasing coffee in Ireland. Price, although related to coffee consumption, was not a driving factor. Additionally, the environmental awareness and fair-traded precedence of coffee were not found to be drivers for coffee consumption in the Irish context.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Supervisors:	Name Email Ramirez, Rachel UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Consumer Behaviour; Theory of Buyer Behaviour; Environmental Awareness; Fair Trade; Habit; Convenience; Price; Coffee Consumption
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > Business Ethics H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > Marketing > Consumer Behaviour H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Specific Industries > Food Industry
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Science in International Business
Depositing User:	Tamara Malone
Date Deposited:	21 Mar 2023 18:42
Last Modified:	21 Mar 2023 18:42
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/6376

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