Rehearsal For Thesis Presentation

Since 2022, quails have been officially recognized as poultry under Taiwan's Animal Livestock Law. Currently, there are 56 quail farms, raising approximately 2.1 million quails, and the majority of the quail eggs are sold after cooked. The fresh quail egg market is influenced by various factors, including increasing health awareness in consumer, food safety concerns, and changes of policies and regulations. Additionally, the quail farmers have to respond to market demands and consumer preferences, and to make strategic adjustments when considering to transit from selling cooked quail eggs to fresh ones. the current adjust face challenges necessitating to align with. The aim of this study was to investigate Taiwanese consumers' purchase intentions and attitudes toward fresh quail eggs through qualitative focus group interviews and quantitative questionnaire analyses. The results of focus group interviews revealed that consumers recognize quail eggs and chicken eggs as distinct products, and quail eggs are not substitute. Anyhow, consumers would use the similar quality criteria to purchase both eggs. It was found that consumers prefer the individually packaged fresh quail eggs. Moreover, they are willing to purchase fresh quail eggs because of specific dishes, such as hot pot and stewed quail eggs, as well as nutritional benefits. A questionnaire based on focus group insights received 1,202 valid responses. The majority of the interviewees were female with college degrees, primarily employed in the service industry and in public sectors, with an average age of 38.8 years. The average monthly household income was NT$96,157, and average number of family members is 3.28, and 30.9% of households had members under the age of 18. . The analysis results indicated that 60.9% of consumers purchased quail egg-related products at night markets (60.9%), followed by 30.78% at restaurants. Freshness was the most critical attribute for consumers, followed by food safety certification and price. It is noted that brand and no-caged farming are less important. Specific culinary uses (46.01%) and high nutritional value (38.10%) were primary motivations for purchasing fresh quail eggs. Despite these factors, quail eggs were generally perceived as less favorable compared to chicken eggs in terms of nutritional value and taste. In conclusion, the study highlights that the intensified research and promotion to increase market acceptance of quail eggs are required. More than 50% (65.2%) of respondents were willing to pay a premium of NT$4.48 per tkg for quail eggs due to  higher nutritional value compared to chicken eggs, although 22.8% of respondents are willing to purchase chicken eggs only. Conjoint analysis demonstrated the positive preferences for egg shell color, packaging, and package size. It showed that consumers had a significant preference for pink shells, packaged eggs, and generally prefer small-pack non-refrigerated quail eggs. This study provides an analysis of the fresh quail egg market, and suggests that introducing fresh quail eggs with pink eggshells, small boxed package could maximize market appeal and competitiveness. This analysis provides valuable insights for farmers to adjust product strategies and promote the development of quail egg industry.
 
Keywords: quail egg; consumer behavior; focus group; conjoint analysis

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