Analysis of the Hungarian Agricultural Supply Chain’s Micro-enterprises Based on their Answer to the Consumer Trend Shift Caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic

Fülöp, Zsolt – Bajkó, Norbert – Nagyné Pércsi, Kinga:

Keywords: sustainability, innovation, marketing, conjoint analysis, benchmark analysis Q14, R19

The Coronavirus pandemic caused intense changes in the Hungarian micro-small- and medium enterprise sector. The issues presented by the pandemic forced most sectors to attempt controlling them even at the cost of having more significant difficulties. Several of these sectors found themselves amid even worse conditions, for example in tourism or catering. Sectors that are more exposed to food chains had not only procurement and stock management to deal with – changes in consumer demands shifted as well, forcing them to take on further increased pressure from the demand side.
The goal of the authors is to identify the changes in consumer preferences towards buying foodstuffs and catering services caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. In order to obtain this key information, authors conducted a conjoint analysis among the consumers of select micro-enterprises in the foodstuffs sector. Using the results of the conjoint analysis, the authors carried out a benchmarking analysis with the help of various micro-enterprises in the food chain, in order to map the level and price at which the representatives of this sector could follow the changed market conditions. Authors were mainly concerned about the usage of the tools of innovation and marketing, and the success of usage. The results showed a limited success rate of adaptation by micro-enterprises. The results of the research highlighted the need for further analysis to successfully support the survival of micro-enterprises in the food chain in a future crisis of similar severity.