Consumer insights that drive value creation opportunities in the Indonesian domestic apple supply chain

Abstract: Managing agri-food chains based on the value defined by end consumers provides competitive advantage but requires a thorough understanding of consumers and their value preferences. This study was conducted to identify consumer preferences for apples and to segment consumers so that findings could be used to guide domestic apple value chain development in Indonesia. Data were collected through an intercept survey of 200 apple consumers in Malang, Indonesia. Three significantly different clusters of domestic apple consumers were identified. The ‘indifferent consumers’ disregarded the importance of most attributes of domestic apples, while ‘pro–sensory consumers’ valued sensory attributes more than search attributes. ’Value–conscious consumers’ rated most of the value attributes as important in making a purchase. This study identifies the need for adopting practices along the chain that enhance particular attributes of domestic apples so as to increase value for each consumer segment.