CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR READY-TO-EAT FOOD IN CHENNAI: A STUDY OF DEMOGRAPHIC PATTERNS AND BUYING BEHAVIOUR

Abstract

Ready-to-eat (RTE) food has become an increasingly important component of urban food consumption due to changing lifestyles and time constraints. The growing demand for convenience-oriented products has significantly influenced consumer purchasing patterns in metropolitan cities. This study examines consumer preferences and buying behaviour for ready-to-eat food in Chennai, with a focus on both demographic profiling and the determinants of purchase behaviour. The study is guided by two objectives: (i) to profile RTE food consumers based on demographic and behavioural characteristics, and (ii) to identify key factors influencing buying behaviour using an econometric framework. Primary data were collected from 120 respondents through a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and percentage analysis were used to analyse consumer characteristics and behavioural patterns, while a binary logit model was employed to estimate the probability of purchase behaviour as a function of demographic, behavioural, and product-related variables. The findings indicate that consumers are moderately diverse in demographic terms but exhibit strong behavioural engagement, with high levels of purchase participation and recurring consumption patterns. Although the recoded income variable shows a positive association with buying behaviour, its effect is not statistically significant. In the full model, taste emerges as a key positive determinant, while the reduced model identifies frequency of purchase as a significant positive factor, and ingredient base and time of consumption as negative influences. The model demonstrates moderate predictive ability, with an AUC of 0.76. Overall, the study highlights that RTE food consumption is driven primarily by consumer experience, habitual behaviour, and product perceptions, offering important implications for marketing strategy and product development.