?
Факторы, влияющие на приобретение «зеленого» молока
The presented study explores the nature of factors that facilitate the purchase of “green milk”, which
serves as the most appropriate term for defining environmental and organic milk of animal and vegetable origin.
Aim. The study aims to identify factors that affect the indicators of disposition towards purchasing
green milk.
Tasks. By summarizing previous studies, the authors put together a set of factors influencing green
consumer behavior, conduct an empirical assessment of the impact of these factors, and specify the
criteria for facilitating an environmental perception of food products by the consumer.
Methods. This study is based on empirical quantitative-qualitative research. Its qualitative part involves a series of semi-structured interviews aimed at gaining insights. The quantitative part is
processed in IBM SPSS 23.0 using regression analysis. Alpha level 10% is chosen as the p-value. The
respondents are selected using the snowball method with allowance for the niche component. Some
respondents are micro-influencers running their own blogs, active on social media, and managing
digital communities. From the age perspective, the respondents include millenials living in the capital of the Russian Federation (born in 1982-2000, according to V.V. Radaev). According to Nielsen, consumption of organic products by millenials increased by 14% in 2018, which makes them the
fastest growing consumer segment in the eco-market. Moscow accounts for 70% of the Russian ecomarket. Based on the above, the examined group of respondents can be regarded as innovators and
early supporters of the emerging green milk market.
Results. Literature analysis reveals factors that could potentially affect green consumer behavior. The
constructed regression model shows health concerns to be the main motive for buying green products.
Despite certain difficulties in distinguishing between the terms “ecological” and “organic” in the
context of the topic, it is established that milk (of vegetable and farm origin) can be both ecological
and organic. The majority of consumers of these products are women. The key factors that consumers
pay attention to when choosing environmental or organic food products are ingredients and eco-labels.
Conclusions. Based on the obtained results, marketers working with green products should focus on
their health benefits. Ingredients and eco-labels are the key criteria for identifying a product as green.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide information about the health benefits of the ingredients on the
packaging, and it also advisable to put an eco-label. The results of the study make it obvious that
consumers cannot tell the difference between official and non-official certification marks on green
products. Thus, such words as green, organic, vegan, eco may not increase sales, but will help define
the product as green. When developing a marketing communication strategy, it is necessary to keep
in mind that women are the target audience in most cases. A potential business opportunity that
deserves attention is organic products for men’s health, which will help to differentiate a new product.