Ecological Orientation as a Sourсe of Competitive Advantage for International Companies on Russian Market: the Case of Ecological Food Product Market

Abstract

Many studies of ecology oriented consumer behavior demonstrate that there are a lot of social-economic and psychological factors that influence consumers’ behavior on the market for ecological products. Considering this, present study investigates consumer behavior on the Russian market of ecological products on the example of ecological food products market. It is examined how different factors influence and contribute the understanding of consumer buying behavior patterns. Study outlines results from Russian customer surveying and interviewing. It reveals factors that are significant for local consumers and constructs model containing these specific factors. Empirical data was analyzed by both discriminant and logistic regression analysis in order to distinguish and interpret the characteristics of different consumer groups and then test the influence of concrete variables and aggregate factors on the purchasing actions. The purchase behavior is presented as a dependent variable and determined by the binominal distribution of purchase likelihood. In conclusion, the paper presents managerial implications and recommendations for marketing managers of international companies on how to adjust their marketing activities on the Russian market in order to obtain better market opportunities for their ecological products.