Search results

This study aims to determine the factors influencing consumers’ organic food purchase intention during Covid-19 and how Covid-19 impacted these factors. Understanding these factors will assist marketers in making strategic decisions on how to market their products during a crisis.

This study used a quantitative approach. Data were collected online from 278 organic food consumers based in India. The partial least squares-path modelling method was used for data analysis.

The results revealed that Covid-19 has substantially impacted consumers' health consciousness, environmental concern, availability, price and intention to buy organic food. This study also revealed that health consciousness, environmental concerns and availability of organic food affect consumers’ purchase intention even during the Covid-19. However, it has been found that price consciousness does not influence consumers’ purchase intention during Covid-19.

Marketers should come up with innovative promotional strategies. Providing information related to quality checks on packages, expanding online sales channels, boosting promotional activities and emphasising the long-term benefits of organic food items should be the go-to marketing strategy of organic food.

The study adds value to the extant literature by examining consumers' purchase intention towards organic food using more customised and thorough constructs that appear to be more practical during the challenging times of Covid-19 and whose findings are not restricted by some pre-established theoretical assumptions.

This study aims to assess housing affordability and estimate demand using a hedonic regression model in the context of Lucknow city, India. This study assesses housing affordability by considering various housing and household-related variables. This study focuses on the impoverished urban population, as they experience the most severe housing scarcity. This study’s primary objective is to understand the demand dynamics within the market comprehensively. An understanding of housing demand can be achieved through an examination of its characteristics and components. Individuals consider the implicit values associated with various components when deciding to purchase or rent a home. The components and characteristics have been obtained from variables relating to housing and households.

A socioeconomic survey was conducted for 450 households from slums in Lucknow city. Two-stage regression models were developed for this research paper. A hedonic price index was prepared for the first model to understand the relationship between housing expenditure and various housing characteristics. The housing characteristics considered for the hedonic model are dwelling unit size, typology, condition, amenities and infrastructure. In the second stage, a regression model is created between household characteristics. The household characteristics considered for the demand estimation model are household size, age, education, social category, income, nonhousing expenditure, migration and overcrowding.

Based on the findings of regression model results, it is evident that the hedonic model is an effective tool for the estimation of housing affordability and housing demand for urban poor. Various housing and household-related variables affect housing expenditure positively or negatively. The two-stage hedonic regression model can define willingness to pay for a particular set of housing with various attributes of a particular household. The results show the significance of dwelling unit size, quality and amenities (R² > 0.9, p < 0.05) for rent/imputed rent. The demand function shows that income has a direct effect, whereas other variables have mixed effects.

This study is case-specific and uses a data set generated from a primary survey. Although household surveys for a large sample size are resource-intensive exercises, they provide an opportunity to exploit microdata for a better understanding of the complex housing situation in slums.

All the stakeholders can use the findings to create an effective housing policy. The variables that are statistically significant and have a positive relationship with housing costs should be deliberated upon to provide the basic standard of living for the urban poor. The formulation of policies should duly include the housing preferences of the economically disadvantaged population residing in slum areas.

This paper uses primary survey data (collected by the authors) to assess housing affordability for the urban poor of Lucknow city. It makes the results of the study credible and useful for further applications.