• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.1-8
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• 2024

The global nutraceuticals market continues to grow due to rising income levels, increasing life expectancy, and a growing interest in personal health. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, the market for nutraceuticals has expanded rapidly with positive perceptions driven by increased attention to immune management for disease prevention. However, there is still a lack of research on the relationship between nutraceuticals and consumer behavior. This study aims to provide new insights into the dietary supplement market and help establish marketing strategies by analyzing consumer behavior toward dietary supplements in the post-COVID-19 era, focusing on Generation MZ. An online survey was conducted among consumers who have purchased dietary supplement products to test the hypotheses. The collected data were analyzed for validity and reliability using SPSS and AMOS programs. The results showed that the taste, price, brand, and design of dietary supplements significantly positively affect the satisfaction of MZ consumers. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of consumer behavior toward dietary supplements in the post-COVID-19 era, focusing on Generation MZ. By offering insights into consumers' health concerns and consumption behaviors, this study provides valuable perspectives on the future development of the market and helps companies develop effective strategies to meet consumer needs.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.285-296
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• 2022

Food consumption trends in Korea are becoming more health-oriented, and consumers have become interested in high-quality foods that are also beneficial to health. The goals of this study are to examine consumers' impressions of black garlic and to investigate the preferred optimal attribute combinations related to black garlic. To do this, a survey of 352 consumers was used to analyze the current status of consumer purchases of black garlic. A conjoint analysis was conducted to analyze certain aspects of consumer preferences, such as price, health functional food certification status, processing type, and taste. Consumers' purchase experiences with black garlic were relatively few, but those with purchase experience reported that they consumed it mainly for their health. The results show that consumers are not satisfied with the taste and flavor of black garlic despite their perceiving it as a beneficial food for health. Despite the fact that consumers' purchase intentions were found to be low, it can greatly increase if improvements in price, flavor, and taste can be realized and if offering substantial benefits. The results of the conjoint analysis of the preference attributes of black garlic products are as follows. Consumers considered price among the four attributes as most important. The taste of black garlic and the processing style were similar in terms of importance, and health functional food certification was less important. Finally, the results suggest that continuous improvements in price and flavor are needed to spread the consumption of black garlic.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.79-91
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• 2015

Purpose - First, the study identifies and analyzes consumer preferences with regard to health foods and supplements. Second, it identifies and analyzes consumer preferences with regard to the properties of Vitamin C supplements. Third, in order to provide a basic data for the development of Vitamin C supplements and to measure how consumers value the properties of different Vitamin C products, a consumer survey was conducted through the choice-based conjoint model. Based on the results, the research estimates consumers' relative product-related priorities as well as price levels and willingness to pay (WTP) for different product types, and makes suggestions regarding consumer-oriented new product development and progressive directions for the successful launch of health foods and supplements. Research design, data, and methodology - This study aims to define the attributes of health foods and supplements based on several characteristics including their natural ingredients, product price, product originality, natural ingredient content, and additional functional ingredients, and makes suggestions regarding strategic market pricing and product development for health foods and supplements according to customer attitudes and characteristics. The research used choice-based conjoint analysis methodology based on the Multinomial Logic Model and collected 94 questionnaires filled out by users of Korean Vitamin C supplements. Results - Product price is the most influential factor among the five analyzed properties. When consumers buy Vitamin C products, the relative significance level of four of the examined properties is as follows: 40.9% for product price, 23.3% for product originality, 21.9% for natural ingredient content, and 13.9% for additional functional ingredients. Vitamin C content is excluded as it is not a statistically significant factor. It is interesting that supplement manufacturers and retailers consider Vitamin C content to be very important whereas consumers do not regard it as an important factor at the time of purchase. The results for the marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for each property of Vitamin C supplements show that consumers are willing to pay an additional 11,146 Korean won for a 50% increase in the natural ingredient content. With regard to product originality, consumers are willing to pay an additional 11,301 Korean won for products manufactured in Europe than for products manufactured in China. Moreover, consumers show a greater preference for products manufactured in Korea than in Europe. However, consumers are not willing to pay more for additional Vitamin C or additional functional ingredients added to Vitamin C products. Conclusions - According to the results of consumer research on Vitamin C supplements, which represent a popular health food supplement in Korea, most Korean health food and supplement companies are not consumer- or market-oriented when developing new products. Companies gather information from either R&D specialists or sales managers and their opinions are highly reflected in new product development. The study's results will help companies recognize the importance of understanding consumers' unmet needs in advance to develop new products in the future.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.20.1-20.7
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• 2016

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.241-248
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• 2008

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to identify a gap between consumer characteristics and utilization of health information on the Internet. Methods: A telephone survey of nationally representative samples was conducted using structured questionnaires, and 1,000 of the 1,189 responses obtained were included in our analysis. The following variables were included in the analysis as potential predictors of health information use on the Internet: predisposing factors such as gender, age, and education status; enabling factors such as region and monthly household income; consumer need for health information; and attitude to health. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between utilization rate and the potential predictors. Results: Thirty-nine percent of consumers had obtained health information on the Internet over a one-year period. The utilization rates were higher for consumers who were young, educated, worked in the office setting, had higher incomes, wanted health information, and were able to use the Internet. The utilization rate was 5.35 times higher in the younger group (20-30 years) than in the elderly group (95% CI=2.21-12.97); 2.21 times higher for office workers than for manual workers (95% CI=1.16-4.20); 3.61 times higher for college graduates than for middle school graduates and below (95% CI=1.07-11.59); 1.99 times higher for people with monthly household incomes over 3,000,000 won than for those with monthly household incomes below 1,500,000 won (95% CI=1.01-3.92). Conclusions: There needs to be a paradigm shift, with consideration of not only Internet accessibility in the digital age, but also consumer ability and attitudes toward utilization of health information.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.113-134
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• 2005

The study was first part of the research on development of consumer education program as social education program. The purpose of this study was to review social consumer education programs conducted by various organizations and to examine the consulting statistics from Korea Consumer Protection Board and Korea National Council of Consumer Organizations. In Consumer Protection Board, consumer education was operated mainly for both college students majored in consumer studies and public-sector workers. Outgoing education was provided mainly to the persons in industries and housewives. Other consumer organizations conducted consumer education using government funds. The organizations considered 'purchasing' and 'consumerism' most frequently as the topics for the education. 'Credit' and 'insurance' were another main concerns at the education. The consulting statistics showed that 'mobile communication', 'laundry service', 'health foods', and 'educational materials for foreign language' took the largest portion of the consumer consulting. Some implications were made for developing consumer education program as social education.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.21-28
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• 2014

Purpose - This study aims to understand the brand marketing of agricultural products and redefine their status in South Korea by analyzing impacts on consumer buying behaviors. Research design, data, and methodology - Products, with independent variables, were divided into agricultural brand products and generic products. Dependent variables were limited to expanding sales of a specialty brand through consumer awareness, consumer buying behavior, and confidence in agricultural products' quality. Control variables were based on characteristics of products such as freshness, safety, quality, and their category. Moderating effects were examined on consumer characteristics, including income levels and age. Results - Consumers increasingly purchased agricultural brand products rather than generic agricultural products because of the general reliability of quality assurance. Conclusions - Large agricultural specialty stores have enhanced the perceptions of quality assurance, freshness, safety, and diversity. Through a critical analysis of the domestic consumer income levels and age, gender, and demographic factors, such as agricultural consumer buying behavior not affecting consumers' health and life, this study proposes positive changes in quality perception.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.1-14
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• 2019

Objectives: This study was conducted to analyze the effect of hospital social responsibility(HSR) activities on organizational health and customer orientation. Methods: We conducted an online survey with hospital employees and analyzed the questionnaires of 206 selected respondents. A regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Results: First, 'consumer issues', 'community involvement and development', and 'fair operating practice' factors in HSR influenced 'medical environment suitability' in organizational health. The 'fair operating practice' factor in HSR affected 'management environment suitability' and 'community orientation' in organizational health. The 'labor practices' factor in HSR affected 'practices suitability' and 'vitality' in organizational health. Second, the activities on 'consumer issues' and 'environment' in HSR have influenced 'Reliability', 'Reactivity' and 'Tangibility' in Customer Orientation. The activities on 'consumer issues' have affected 'Empathy'. Conclusions: The results of this study provide a positive direction for medical institutions as they conduct HSR activities and provide a basis for establishing effective HSR strategies.

• Food Quality and Culture
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.74-81
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• 2009

This study investigated consumers' recognition on shelf life of health functional foods to set up their rational expiration date. For this study 107 male and female adults aged 20 to 59 years were randomly selected as major consumers of health functional foods. And their data were analyzed with SPSS 17.0. The questionnaire included questions asking a consumer's recognition on the shelf life of health functional foods and how to treat health function food passing its shelf life. In this study, the consumers were found to pay attentions considerably to the shelf life. But most of them did not know an accurate meaning of the shelf life of health functional food and mistook it for expiry date. In addition, the consumers doubted safety of health functional foods passing the shelf life. Therefore, education for consumers about an accurate meaning of the shelf life was needed. The results of this study were considered to be helpful to set up a reasonable expiration date for health functional food.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.424-431
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to analyze and evaluate the key success factors for the fast food industry in the region of Lahore Pakistan. Fast food concept developed very speedily in the last few years in Lahore region. The success or failure of a fast food industry based on some factors like Physical environment, Brand-name, Food quality, Price, Taste, Promotional activity, Habitual consumption, Health threats, Consumer expectation, and Family meal. To identify which of these factors has a greater influence on consumer satisfaction, four fast food restaurants such as McDonald's, PIZZA HUT, KFC, and subway were targeted randomly. The proposed research is quantitative in nature and for data collection; a random sampling technique was used. A questionnaire survey answered by 273 people was considered in this research. Data have been analyzed through statistical techniques. It is observed that Brand name, Food quality, Physical environment, Health threats, Price, Family meals, Habitual consumption, and Consumer expectation showed significant impacts on Fast food industry compared to other factors evaluated herein.