Consumer Preferences for Fast Food Brands: Evidence from an Emerging Country

Abstract

Amid the economic problems and health concerns, there has been a rapid growth in the fast food industry in Turkey, with 3,453 restaurants currently serving the market. Fast food consumption is more popular among children and teenagers making. Turkey a very lucrative market, since almost half of the country s 73 million population is under the age of 25.The aim of this research is to explore young consumers overall behavior toward fast food chains. More specifically, the purpose here is to identify the key factors that influence these young consumers preferences of local and international brands of fast food restaurants. A total of 400 students were recruited from two public and two private universities. Results of factor analysis suggest five dominant factors that have an impact on young consumers preferences of different brands of fast food restaurants. These factors include brand name reputation, cost,convenience, consistency and quality. Moreover, it is observed that these five factors are significantly related to several demographic variables such as age, gender, income level.Results of this study emphasize the importance of the dominant factors that young consumers consider as critical when they compare various fast food brands and make a final purchase decision.