Measuring Consumer Involvement and Product Attributes on Beef Consumer Segmentation

Abstract
Involvement is crucial in explaining emerging consumer behavior, such as purchasing and consumption
decisions. Consumer involvement and purchase decisions are influenced by product attributes,
resulting in differences in segmentation. Therefore, this study aims to examine consumer involvement
in various beef segmentation categories and their product attributes. This would enable the profiling
of consumer segmentation based on their level and type of involvement. The data were collected through
an unrestricted self-selected survey run among 303 consumer and 4 consumer segments were identified.
Furthermore, the One-way ANOVA F-tests with post-hoc Tukey multiple comparison test of mean
scores and Pearson's chi-squared were used to achieve the second objective. The results showed
concerned-consumer and cautious-consumer segment place emphasis on the economic value of
the product when making purchasing decisions. In contrast, there was no distinction between functional
and symbolic values of involvement in each consumer segment. This indicates that concernedconsumer, cautious-consumer, indifferent-consumer and straightforward-consumer segment perceive
the advantages of purchasing beef. Furthermore, the concerned-consumer segment scored high on
all product attributes. This study found that consumer with high involvement may consider a variety of
factors before purchasing a product. Nevertheless, a low level of consumer involvement has
less information to be apprehensive about, and improved consumer service can assist the cautiousconsumer and concerned-consumer segment by simplifying the various information considered.
Also, the identification of consumer segment based on balancing their attitudes towards meat
consumption is of fundamental importance for the development of strategies in the red meat sector.
The formulation of the market orientation has implications for product differentiation and marketing
communication strategies.
Keywords: beef product; consumer behavior; consumer segment; involvement; product attributes