A Quantitative study on the fair trade coffee consumer

Abstract

Few European quantitative studies are available concerning the behavior of ethical consumers. Most of the studies regarding Fair Trade (FT) coffee purchases stick to the consumer perceptions and values. Based on 118, 252 French transactions made between 2005 and 2007, this study investigates the impact of personality traits, product characteristics and types of promotions on FT coffee purchases. Regarding the French FT market (third biggest market in the world) and the importance of FT coffee within this market (almost 50% of all sales), the understanding of the French FT coffee consumer helps identify some features of the European FT consumer. This paper examines the link between FT coffee purchases and personal characteristics and the timing of purchase. The results demonstrate that the gender and the age are not related to FT coffee purchases. The promotions have no specific impact on FT coffee but can play a significant role in terms of adoption. Moreover, the FT coffee purchases have a specific seasonality and grow with the educational level and the standard of living.