Local Consumers’ Purchase Intention toward Ghanaian Chocolate Brand

This study applied the theory of planned behaviour to predict intentions to purchase locally manufactured Ghanaian Golden Tree chocolate brand, as very little research attention has been paid to consumption of chocolate in cocoa producing countries. A random sample of 257 working and non-working University students responded to self-administered questionnaires. A structural model was developed based on intention, attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control, and multiple regression analysis carried out to test the model’s ability to predict purchasing intention. There was low consumer intention to purchase the local chocolate brand. Attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control collectively explained 55.5 percent of the variance in intention to purchase chocolate, and attitude was the strongest and significant predictor of intention to purchase. The study fills a gap in our understanding of chocolate purchasing behaviour of local consumers in a cocoa producing country and highlights the role of attitude in purchasing intentions. Future explanatory models based on an extended theory of planned behaviour may include factors such as self-identity, affective and moral attitudes to provide further insights. The study has implications for the purchase and consumption of local chocolate brands and the subsequent retention of value in the cocoa producing country. An attitudinal change would be critical to a market-oriented strategy and policy intervention to increase the purchase of Ghanaian chocolate brands at home.