Consumer Behavior: Factors influencing consumer behavior while purchasing RTE breakfast cereal products

Abstract

- Consumer behavior studies the perceptions, attitudes and preferences of individuals towards
selecting and utilizing products that meet their needs. This research paper is focused on the consumer
behavior towards ready-to-eat breakfast products like cereals and snack bars. In India, consumption of
breakfast cereal products like muesli and oats have gained high acceptance and popularity that is growing
at a healthy CAGR of around 24% in the last five years. With the fast-paced and busy lives of people,
Ready to eat (RTE) cereals have become a popular choice for consumers, offering them the promised
quality, health and convenience with tasteful variants available in the markets. A survey has been
conducted among people across India to understand their preferences and the factors (social, cultural or
psychological) they are looking for while purchasing RTE breakfast cereal products. The analysis of the
collected data is conducted using SPSS, Logistic Regression and Microsoft Excel for in-depth insights
and understanding. The study was carried out for the year 2020-2021. Data interpretation tools and tables
were used to identify if a factor significantly influenced the purchase decision of the consumer or not.
Demographic information of the consumers such as age group, gender and occupation have also been
captured in this study. Along with this, the study also focuses on the reasons why some people do not
purchase cereal products and the impact of discounts/offers on the breakfast cereal products. In this study,
it has been proved that factors that are relevant in today’s times such as nutritive value, brand image and
availability of the cereal-based products significantly influence the consumer decision making.