3.1. Primary Data Analysis
In order to respond to the hypotheses of this study, the primary data analysis aimed at:
identifying the main data of the sociodemographic profile of the respondents (
Table 2);
identifying the main data on consumer behavior (
Table 3);
identifying the main data regarding the frequency of purchase, according to the categories of dairy products purchased (
Table 4);
identifying the main data on the digital purchasing behavior of respondents (
Table 5).
In
Table 2, it can be seen that 61% of respondents are women, 76% of respondents are married, 65% are from households where between 2 and 4 people live, and at least 73% have High School or Bachelor’s Degree. By comparing the age categories of the respondents with the age categories of the inhabitants from the analyzed area (
Table 1), the following percentage data resulted: respondents ranging between 19 and 34 years old represent 0.081% (of the total population from the same age category), those aged between 35 and 49 represent 0.115%, those included in the 50–64 category represent 0.065%, and those over 65 years old are merely 0.016%. The batch of the questionnaire represents 0.058% of the population of Suceava County. The number of valid answers is greater than the sample size (384), the confidence level is 95%, and the error margin is 5% for the total population in the case study area.
Table 3 shows that most of the respondents (90%) prefer to choose the ordered products themselves, 59% prefer to buy the products based on a monthly subscription, most of the respondents buy weekly and once every two weeks (69%), 53% prefer cash payment, 23% bought using this system before the onset of the lockdown as well, 30% bought during the crisis, and 70% say they will buy using this system after the crisis.
Table 4 shows that most respondents prefer to buy dairy products using this system as follows: 77% buy milk, 97% buy cheese, 62% buy yogurt, 73% buy sour cream, and 56% buy butter.
Table 5 describes the channels preferred by consumers to be informed about the supply of dairy products available through direct purchase from producers. Thus, it is observed that most respondents do not feel comfortable with direct presentation systems (only 1% prefer the phone presentation and only 1% prefer direct contact). In this context, the favorite channels are Facebook (58%) and Website (42%).
Table 6 presents the preferred channels to order dairy products directly from producers. According to the recorded frequencies, the preferred channel is phone (50%), followed by online platform order (41%), online form order (38%), and Facebook (33%).
3.2. Results on Hypothesis 1. The COVID-19 Crisis Causes Significant Changes in the Behavior of Dairy Consumers in Short Food Supply Chains
To challenge Hypothesis 1, the first thing to do is to have a look at the series of data on purchasing preference before the onset of the state of emergency, during the crisis, and after the end of the crisis. In
Figure 2, the pie chart on the left represents the frequency distribution of those who bought dairy products directly from the producer before the onset of the state of emergency. The pie chart in the middle shows the distribution of those who bought dairy products in this system after the onset of the state of emergency. The pie chart on the right also shows the distribution of respondents’ preferences to buy or not in this system after the end of the crisis.
Figure 2 shows a non-significant variation between the purchasing preferences in this system before the onset of the state of emergency and those during the crisis. The increase is only 7 percent. In addition, out of the 134 (30%) respondents who bought using this system after the onset of the state of emergency, only 67 (14%) bought before the onset of the state of emergency. This particular behavior is present for only 14% of respondents. The other respondents turn out to be only occasional buyers. This result contradicts Hypothesis 1—“The COVID-19 crisis causes significant changes in the behavior of dairy consumers in short food supply chains”. In contrast, it is to be noted that the percentage of those who say they will buy dairy in this system after overcoming the crisis is 70%, which is a significant variation (
Figure 2).
To better understand these seemingly contradictory data, anthropological and ethnographic interpretations are suitable. Accordingly, from an anthropological point of view, when dealing with projections in the future as the expectations are influenced (either positively or negatively) by the information received and the contextual situation [
64]. Thus, it is to remember that since the onset of this pandemic general public has been largely exposed to the idea that in order to survive the contemporary society must change in the sense of a greater concern for nature and health. Therefore, we are also dealing with a behavioral reaction in the sense of the desire to change the lifestyle both individually and collectively.
An in-depth-insight into the sociology of the dairy market in the Suceava area resulted from the ethnographical analysis. It should be noted that, in Romania (and by extension, in Suceava County), there is not a very large diversity of dairy categories, and the processed dairy products with longer shelf life are little represented. The primary or semi-prepared products with a short shelf life (milk, yogurt, cream, fresh cheese) are the main diary source present on the market shelves. The offer for these products is diverse in the retail system and the consumer’s desire to ensure food safety (as a family value) determines the buying decision.
It may be concluded that non-significant behavioral changes occur. Significant differences appear in terms of values through the future projections made by consumers when this crisis eventually comes to an end. Thus, there is a real potential for change in this market, and it can be exploited by implementing strategies and policies of branding, by working towards increasing awareness on healthy food education and increasing confidence in short food supply chains. This potential is also shown in a previous paper [
65] built on a questionnaire of a similar structure, but focused on the behavior of buyers of fresh vegetables directly from the producers.
3.3. Results on Hypothesis 2. Behavioral Changes Occur Mainly for Married Consumers, with Family Values Playing an Important Role in the Individual Reaction to the COVID-19 Crisis
In contemporary society, the family is perceived as the basic cell of society [
66], and family relations are strong. However, in Romania (including Suceava County), the extended family model differs from other cultures such as Italy, Spain, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia [
15]. While the usual family comprising spouses and children often lives with grandparents in Italy, Spain, Chile, Colombia, this is less common in Romania. Despite the previous statement, social behavior focuses on the values of the family.
This becomes clearer in
Figure 3. Married consumers prefer to buy dairy products directly from the producer more frequently than unmarried consumers (weekly and twice a week). This is a specific behavior, meaning that it works based on a pattern. In addition, as long as healthy eating behavior is one of the fundamental values in the private space of a family [
42], the purchase of dairy products directly from the producer is perceived as a solution for compliance with these values.
An anthropological interpretation could go even further. In the cluster of married respondents, it may be stated that there is a higher confidence in dairy products delivered directly from producers. This is mainly because dairy products are perceived as healthy food and, consequently, they should be included in the children’s diet. At the same time, recent studies suggest that frequent family meals are not enough to improve diet quality [
67,
68]; thus, it is important to look beyond the frequency of family meals by focusing on the context and nature of the meal [
67,
69]. In this sense, at the level of the family cell, including the purchase of quality products in the supply chain can contribute to diet quality and thus the maintenance of the health of the family.
Figure 4 shows that within the purchasing system directly from the producer, respondents in the single category (N = 109) buy cheese (95%), milk (72%), sour cream (70%), and yogurt (61%). Married respondents (N = 338) state that they prefer the following product categories: cheese (98%), milk (78%), sour cream (74%), and yogurt (62%). Preferences have similar values in both clusters of respondents (single and married). This fact, from an ethnographic point of view, proves that there is a symbolic system of acquisition common to all respondents. In other words, all respondents claim a common gastronomic culture, sharing common values, which determine a similar purchasing behavior through their attitudes.
This common purchasing behavior can be better understood through ethnographic data related to food nutrition. From an anthropological point of view, dairy products are considered healthy foods globally, being recommended especially for dietary calcium intake [
70]. Ethnographically, however, there are some specific differences. Milk is a basic element in daily purchases and has an important dietary role, especially in children [
71]. Milk is often consumed at breakfast. Cheese is consumed throughout the day, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner [
1]. Cheese and cheese products are used as an ingredient for many dish recipes (pie, polenta, pizza topping, snack) and also have a longer shelf life and can be preserved over the winter, out of season. Unlike other gastronomic cultures, Romanians consume a lot of sour cream, both fresh and added to other dishes. It is consumed mainly at lunch and dinner. Yogurt is a product consumed especially at lunch and dinner, being a product recommended for people with lactose intolerance [
72]. Accordingly, of all these products, milk and yogurt have the strongest social character within the family, as long as breakfast and dinner are the meals when family members meet most often.
Figure 4 also shows that butter is the least purchased product directly from manufacturers for both singles (53%) and married (57%) individuals. An explanation could be that butter sold in this purchasing system has a high-fat percentage (at least 80%).
To understand other ways in which family values can influence purchasing behavior, the data were represented by using a biplot with multivariate correspondence. This data representation tool is useful for the identification of strong or weak correlations between more than three categories of data. The data bipolarity distribution is given by two categories selected as the main subject of analysis. For our data, the single and married categories were chosen, and their representation is given by the two ellipses (
Figure 5). The intersection of the ellipses is the area with the strongest similarities in purchasing behavior, depending on the other categories chosen. The two axes have an operational role, and they determine both the center of maximum similarity in connection with the interpretations made and four quadrants (Q1–Q4, numbered from the top left, clockwise) to simplify the interpretations. Another important aspect is the proximity to the intersection of the axes. The closer it is to this point, the more values a category has in the dataset. It can be seen, thus, that the married category has much more values than the single category. However, the most important aspect is the size of the angle that two categories make with the center of the intersection of the axes. The smaller the angle, the stronger the correlation between the two categories of data.
Figure 5 shows that the analyses described so far are confirmed, and at the same time, allows more conclusions to be drawn. It can be observed that those included in the single category, as well as those in families of two, buy dairy products directly from the producer, especially when the need arises. Families of 3, 4, or 5 people buy dairy products directly from the producer, especially weekly or twice a week. Accordingly, it may be concluded that the presence of children in the family leads to a higher frequency of purchasing dairy products directly from producers. This conclusion is also reinforced by the observation that, in
Figure 6, there are stronger correlations between families with 3 or 4 members and the purchase of milk rather than cheese or other dairy products. It should be highlighted that, from an anthropological point of view, milk is considered an indispensable food, especially in children’s nutrition. In the case of two-member families, yogurt, butter, sour cream, and cheese are preferred over milk. Therefore, it can be stated that purchasing behavior is influenced by family values in the symbolic systems of healthy living and food safety.
3.4. Results on Hypothesis 3. Behavioral Changes Trigger Digital Transformation of Short Chains of Dairy Products Distribution
To verify Hypothesis 3, we identified those data that appear to be significant or atypical regarding the behavior of respondents in the information and ordering system regarding these products. These aspects must be analyzed by comparing the cluster of the married with that of the unmarried individuals. In this respect, in terms of the symbolic information system, consumer behavior is similar in both the married and unmarried groups (
Figure 6). An important argument to be considered is whether this is due to common values that are consolidated into common purchasing behaviors.
Things change, not significantly but noticeably, when comparing the information channels on dairy products and preferred channels for ordering. Email is preferred by 25% of the married respondents and 13% of the singles. Facebook appears in the preferences of 35% of married consumers and for unmarried, 13%. Differences also occur in the case of online platforms: they are favored by 59% of married people and 42% of singles. Online forms are chosen by 39% of married people and 28% of singles. In the case of the phone, the percentages are almost equal, around 50% (
Figure 7). To better understand these data on control channels, qualitative behavioral interpretations were used.
Thus, as presented in
Figure 7 in both clusters (married and single) the highest values are for ordering by online platform and phone. These are also the only channels through which the consumers find additional information about the characteristics of the products and which can provide real-time information on order and distribution.
In this context, we believe that the respondents have expressed their desire to be more informed in the buying process, in terms of product quality and distribution process. Ordering via email, a simple online form, or a Facebook message cannot be made in a context where the consumer can find out more about the ordered product or the purchase procedure.
Besides the separate analysis of the preferred channels for information and those preferred for ordering, interesting data can be revealed by comparing the two. Thus, it can be noted first that, both in terms of information about dairy products and in terms of ordering them, consumers prefer the same channels: Facebook, Websites, and Online platforms. The only notable difference lies in the preference for placing the orders over the phone, except for being disturbed by a product promotion. Accordingly, the consumer wants to have a personal experience both in terms of identifying and selecting products and ordering them as well.