Fuente: Sustainability - Revista científica (MDPI) Sustainability, Vol. 17, Pages 10734: Consumer Preferences and Sustainability in the Food and Beverage Sector: Empirical Evidence in Greece During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Sustainability doi: 10.3390/su172310734
Authors:
Paraskevi Boufounou
Panagiotis Chatzimichalis
Kanellos Toudas
Chrisovalantis Malesios
Antonios Skouloudis

This study focuses on the interplay between digital marketing and the F&B industry in Greece during the health crisis of COVID-19 in shaping consumer choices. The theoretical section discusses the most popular digital marketing methods and their importance, particularly during a crisis that confined most citizens to their homes and forced F&B stores to find new ways to attract customers. From an empirical perspective, a survey was conducted utilizing a structured questionnaire, involving 70 consumers in Athens, Greece. Participants expressed their views through closed-ended questions on the criteria for selecting F&B stores, the positive and negative aspects of digital marketing, and their preferences in general, as well as specifically for restaurants, bars, and cafés. The findings highlight that consumer confidence is a key priority (as the most important criterion for selecting F&B stores is the quality of the products) and that digital transformation of the F&B industry is essential as it can bolster resilience and drive growth in the F&B sector amid ongoing challenges.