Estudio del comportamiento de compra de conservas en jóvenes de Cuenca: Análisis de tendencias de consumo y oportunidad de mercado

Abstract

The study explored the purchasing behavior of canned goods among young consumers in the city of Cuenca, aiming to uncover their consumption patterns and identify market opportunities for targeted commercial strategies. Adopting a quantitative approach with a descriptive and correlational scope, the research was based on a structured questionnaire administered to a sample of 382 individuals aged 16 to 24. The analysis involved descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, Spearman correlations, Student's t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression. Findings revealed that personal, sociodemographic, and marketing-related factors significantly influenced purchasing decisions. Variables such as age, income level, perceived quality, packaging design, promotional offers, and nutritional value directly affected consumption frequency, brand choice, and willingness to pay more for locally produced items. Young consumers showed a clear preference for convenient, visually appealing products that reflect values like sustainability and local origin. Age and preference for single-serving packaging emerged as the strongest predictors of monthly canned food consumption. Based on these insights, a marketing strategy was proposed to revamp the product offering by optimizing the marketing mix—product, price, place, and promotion. Key performance indicators (KPIs) were also integrated to measure the effectiveness of the proposed actions. The study concludes that there is a promising environment for strengthening the market positioning of canned products among the youth segment in Cuenca.