Consumers’ perception and choice of shopping place for locally produced tomatoes in the Ashanti region, Ghana

This study set out to investigate consumers’ preference of shopping place for tomatoes in Kumasi and the factors that influence their choice. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to identify 399 respondents. Descriptive Statistics, Perception Index and Multivariate Probit (MVP) models were used for analysis. The study revealed that the majority of the respondents were aware of the sale of quality, locally produced tomatoes in the supermarkets and were also knowledgeable about the quality of these locally produced tomatoes. Empirical results from the MVP model revealed that socioeconomic factors such as income level, proximity to shopping place, education and age of respondent have a significant influence on consumers’ choice of shopping venue for locally produced tomatoes. Perception statements with respect to health, economic, nutrition and service benefits provided by the various shopping places were also found to have a significant influence on consumers’ choices when shopping for tomatoes. The study recommends that supermarkets should restructure their marketing plans by creating more awareness of locally produced tomatoes for consumers to purchase from them. Moreover, policy makers and business operators or entrepreneurs should consider proximity to consumers before siting their retail outlet.