Application of information technology in the vermicompost market research

Marketing information quickly becomes outdated, therefore it is important to identify changes in consumer behavior and preferences in relation to a specific product category, thus it is necessary to use information technology in marketing research. The purpose is to study characteristics of consumer behavior in the vermicompost market using information technology. Marketing research methods (observation, survey) and statistical methods for data analysis are used in the article. When studying the statistics of search queries on the Internet, it was revealed that vermicompost was in demand among consumers; there are seasonal fluctuations with a peak of activity in the spring. Sales are carried out through gardening stores, department stores of non-food products and marketplaces. There are brands of vermicompost from different manufacturers on the market; these offers differ significantly in volume and type of packaging, which leads to significant price variations. According to the survey, the majority of respondents usually purchase vermicompost in specialized stores for gardeners; vermicompost is most often used for seedlings. When studying the factors that are significant when buying vermicompost, it was revealed that the most often influencing the choice of buyers is an acceptable price, the content of soil nutrients and previous purchasing experience, while men are less likely than women to indicate the price in the list of parameters for choosing vermicompost. The application of information technology in marketing research provides technological and economic advantages, as well as social and communicative advantages, at the same time it is necessary to manage new tasks and limitations associated with the introduction of information technology in the research process.