The Salient Factors Influencing the Choice of Food Retail Outlet amongst First Year Students at a Rural-Based Tertiary Institution

The increasing relevance of young consumers as a market segment has resulted in marketers and brand managers alike becoming more interested in the consumer buying behaviour of young people. In the case of the retail sector, the increasing buying power of young consumers has peaked marketers’ interest in the young consumer market segment. This paper aimed to survey the salient factors that influence the choices made by students of which food retailer to buy groceries from. As a result the study conveniently sampled n=217 first year School of Economics and Management students. The questionnaire was the data generation tool, and was comprised of close-ended questions and a 5-point Likert scale for responses. Data was collated and descriptive statistics generated utilising Microsoft Excel 2010. Significantly, the survey found that students were principally price sensitive and the pricing of goods was the key influencer for students. It also emerged that the influence of the family’s buying behaviour with regards to retailer choice was also a significant influence. The paper recommends further studies into the retail buying behaviour of young consumers as this would be important in the strategic management of brands by marketers as well as retailers. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p95