A Study on Consumer Awareness, Preference and Buying Behavior for Cold Pressed Oil in Hyderabad, India

The interest in natural and organic food, including oils and fats, has grown in the last few years. The cold-pressed extraction concept was uniquely used to extract oils from oilseeds, and these cold pressed oils have a great significance in cosmetics, medicinal purposes and are also used in cooking. The usage of the cold pressed oil has increased in recent days. A study was conducted in Hyderabad city of Telangana state to investigate the consumer awareness level, preferences, buying behavior and opinion on cold pressed oils and their willingness to buy. The study included a sample of 90 consumers of cold pressed oil. Consumers were selected randomly from segmented areas. Percentages and factor analysis methods were used for analysis of the data collected. The study reported that respondents have a minimum awareness of cold pressed oils, whereas the consumers of cold pressed oil preferred health aspects as the main reason in purchasing it, price was the other main factor that influenced the purchase decision of the consumers. Educational level and income were directly linked to the buying behavior of the consumers as majority of the respondents were graduates who were residing in urban areas with an earning capacity of above 9 lakhs per annum. These attributes implied that literates and high-income respondents were comparatively more aware of the health benefits of cold pressed oils and were also willing to pay a higher price. Product attributes, product appearance, good service offered and nutritional aspects are four factors which influence the consumers to purchase cold pressed oil.