ABSTRACT:The organic food movement is an established market domain in Western economies, while simultaneously remaining a novelty in urban India, where it faces the dual challenges of healthy middle-class consumerism and extreme price sensitivity. Compared with carbon labelling, a concept barely known to Indian consumers, organic labelling appears to have better penetration with Indian consumers, both in terms of recognition and trust. Although the concept of organic certification in India is still young, the India Organic and Jaivik Bharat certification marks have achieved reasonable success. This study attempts to explore the dynamics of organic FMCG consumption (pulses, cereals, dairy, and other packaged goods) in Mumbai against the backdrop of this dichotomy. By analyzing consumer responses to a questionnaire, this study explores the degree to which Indian consumers are likely to pay a premium for organic products and the extent to which such willingness-to-pay (WTP) is informed by health-conscious purchasing behaviours, as well as the role played by trust in organic certification. The study employs a mixed-methodology involving both primary and secondary data collection. Primary data in the form of a Likert-scaled survey were collected among 100 respondents in Mumbai to identify consumer attitudes and buying motives. Additionally, percentage analysis, Likert-scaled analysis, and chi-square testing were conducted to assess the influence of price premium, product characteristics, and consumer behaviour. The findings of the study highlight a number of factors that appear to moderate the attitude-WTP gap in organic FMCG consumption in Mumbai and serve as guidelines for organic FMCG-sellers hoping to expand their footprint in the Mumbai market.
KEYWORDS: Willingness-to-Pay (WTP), Organic FMCG, Consumer Behaviour, Mumbai Consumers, Sustainable Consumption, Organic Certification, Price Premium, Health Consciousness, Urban India, Green Marketing
ENTREPRENEURIAL INNOVATION AND THE STARTUP LANDSCAPE OF MUMBAI: PROSPECTS,CONSTRAINTS AND THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT SYSTEMS
NISHIT BALDAWA, VEDANT BANG