Las preferencias del consumidor de carne de cordero: diagnóstico de situación y estrategias de actuación

Castilla-La Mancha region is the third region in term of sheep production with 3.3 million heads (corresponds to 14,8 per cent of the Spanish census) and it is in second position with 19520,7 tons as production of sheep meat. The market for meat products is characterized by a very high competitiveness especially for products with a relatively high price, as the case of lamb meat, and a very low consumption compared with other types of meat. To act to this actual situation, companies operating in the food sector started adopting a strategy of differentiation based on Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indications (PDO and PGI), and organic production, two factors highly appreciated by consumers. This differentiation does not seem be enough to increase the consumption of lamb meat, it will be appropriate analyze the consumer behavior in general through their consumption and purchasing habits, preferences, degree of ethnocentrism and maximum willingness to pay for an organic product compared to other conventional. In this sense, to satisfy the consumer and respond to their needs, a survey has been conducted to study consumer behavior in Madrid for 400 respondents, food buyers for their own home. In terms of consumer preferences, the most important attribute is the origin, followed by the price, the production system, the type of meat and "PGI certification" the least preferred attribute. Three segments were detected by the technique of Conjoint Analysis. The first segment, which is the largest, prefers lamb meat for its origin (national), the second segment, the small one, prefers it for its production system (organic) and the third segment, prefers the product for its price and with “protected Geographical Indication” label. Regarding to the degree of ethnocentrism, measured by CETSCALE scale, it has been found that the majority of consumers are not ethnocentric. Then, they were segmented in two groups, one less ethnocentric (49,63 per cent) and other more ethnocentric (50,37 per cent). In relation to the maximum willingness to pay, consumers are willing to pay a premium of 13,05 per cent and 12,06 per cent respectively for organic suckling and ternasco lamb meat in comparison to other conventional. Finally, based on the conclusions of the various analyzes conducted and presented in this paper, different strategies of action relating to the marketing mix are proposed to increase the consumption of lamb meat. It should improve the packaging and final presentation for the product and develop precooked products. In addition, it would be beneficial and productive for farmers to provide meat according to the rites of Islam to respond to the preferences of Muslim consumers of consumers, preferring the traditional lamb meat “ternasco”. It would be appropriate to conduct programs promoting international food recipes for countries which this product is more consumed and adopt a technical and genetic innovation for farms to improve profitability and limiting the very high prices. Related to lamb meat with certified quality (PDO, PGI), it is interesting inform the public that this meat has produced in a such region under severe controls and it is healthy and tasty, in order to increase their consumption and offering this product with accepted price premium for different consumer segments. For advertising and publicity, it would be beneficial conduct a generic advertising campaign for the consumption of lamb meat at the national level to inform consumers about the benefits of this product, especially among the youth segment, which does not consume it too much. As traditional butcher shops are preferred by consumers when they buy this product, it would be necessary to focus on this distribution channel through training of butchers to reinforce their role to recommend their client to consume the product.