TURKISH CONSUMER ATTITUDES TOWARD FOOD PRODUCTS: THE CASE OF ERZURUM

Increasing global interactions and improvements in the Turkish economy in recent years have led to significant changes in the overall marketing sector and in the purchasing behaviour of Turkish consumers. The aim of this study was to determine the most salient food attributes that influence consumer food choices using factor analysis and then to identify consumer group profiles by k-means cluster analysis. The results showed that price was the most prominent food attribute that influenced the buying decisions of consumers in all groups. Consumer satisfaction with food products, brand loyalty and price were the most effective factors in cluster 1(C1), C2 and C3, respectively. The results of this study show the interrelationships among product attributes, consumption, preference values and attitudes of Turkish consumers. This information could be used to develop predominant strategies and policies for marketing food products in Turkey.