Are Greeks ready to enhance the fair trade market?

Abstract

This paper presents a consumers’ survey in Thessaloniki, Greece with regard to the fair trade products. A sample of 500 households from the Thessaloniki Municipality was selected through the one-stage area sampling in combination with the systematic method. One member of the household, above 18 years of age, served as interviewee. As the fair products have been recently introduced in the Greek market by the Altromercato shops of Fair Trade Hellas, the aim of this study was to reveal the consumers’ intentions to buy them. Marketing research may provide a sober basis to the management of Fair Trade Hellas, sufficient to build an optimum strategy on it. It was assumed that consumers’ awareness, beliefs and attitudes with regard to the Fair Trade movement might influence their intentional purchasing behaviour. Thus, consumers’ intentional purchasing behaviour was investigated in the light of a set of possibly influential factors, such as their awareness, past behaviour and level of satisfaction with regard to the fair products and their specific attitudes towards fair trade principles and objectives. Previous research has already revealed that there are values hidden behind any socially responsible behaviour, or ethical consumption choices. So, socially oriented psychographic characteristics, such as universalism, power, collectivism and individualism were chosen to be added in the investigation. Selected demographic characteristics were also included. It was found that there is a potentially 30% target group of intentional fair purchasers. These consumers hold strong positive attitudes towards the principles and objectives of Fair Trade. They share strong universalistic and collectivistic values, while low values of power and individualism. They are rather young, highly educated, hard working - either as employees or professionals - and thus earning medium yearly incomes.