The Impact of marketing mix elements on feed buying behaviour of broiler farmers in Lusaka

Abstract

The study aimed at exploring the following objectives; to analyse the factors that influence broiler farmer preference of feed brands, to explore the marketing strategies employed by poultry feed companies and to determine the factors (Marketing Mix Elements) influencing broiler farmers’ consumer buying behaviour. To ascertain the association between the components of the marketing mix and feed purchasing habits, a correlation research approach was employed in this quantitative study. Questionnaires on a five-point Likert scale, from strongly disagree to strongly agree, were used to gather primary data. The study population of this research study targeted small scale broiler farmers in Lusaka, Zambia, with a sample size of 377, estimated using the Rao soft sample size calculator, at a 95% confidence level and margin error of 5% for a population of 20,000 broiler farmers. The data was analysed quantitatively, and descriptive statistics methods were used. A total of 80 questionnaires were completed, with 60% of the participants identifying as male and 40% as female. The data indicated that 76.1% of the respondents had 6 to 10 years of experience in the broiler industry, while the remaining participants had less than 5 years of experience. The results of this study showed that product, place, promotion, and price strategies demonstrate a positive correlation with consumer purchasing behaviour concerning the acquisition of feed for broilers. The results indicated that all four hypotheses were affirmed, with the price strategy demonstrating the most significant correlation (r=0.548, p<0.05) with consumer purchasing behaviour. The factors of Product, Price, Promotion, and Place all exhibited positive associations with consumer buying decisions, suggesting that as these factors rise, there is a tendency for consumer purchasing decisions to also rise. The study recommends that managers should understand the marketing mix and how it influences consumer purchasing behaviour. Keywords: Feed Brand Choice, Broiler Farmers, buying behaviour, Zambia