Avaliação da qualidade da Feira de Produtos Coloniais e Agroecológicos de Chapecó - Centro 1 por parte dos consumidores

Abstract

This work had as its main objective to evaluate the quality of the Fair of traditional and agroecological products of Chapecó - Center 1 from the perspective of its consumers. This fair is the oldest and most structured of the ten that exist in Chapecó, SC, it is located in the city center, has twenty-nine stands and opens to public on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. The survey was conducted in two moments. In the first, semi-structured interviews with consumers were made, in a qualitative way, to identify the attributes of quality they perceived. These data were analyzed using content analysis. Nine quality dimensions were identified: organization of the fair, physical structure, cleanliness and hygiene, interpersonal relationships, services, product offering, product quality, packaging and labeling, and prices. Later, through structured interviews, quantitative data were collected to evaluate the quality attributes and also to clarify the features that need improvement, from the standpoint of the consumers of the fair. The data were examined using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, in which performed calculations of descriptive statistics were made. Cronbach´s alpha was used to provide reliability to the internal consistency of the dimensions. In addition, the index of statistical significance was calculated using ANOVA and the analysis of influence (or order of importance). Finally, the study presents the priorities of quality improvement both to the marketers and to the City Council of Chapecó, aiming to contribute to the management of the Fair of traditional and agro-ecological products of Chapecó Center 1.