Consumers' perception of products with geographical indications in Serbia

Geographical indications, as part of product labeling and packaging, are used extensively worldwide as a powerful tool for product diversification and branding. The main purpose of this study is to shed light on consumers' awareness and knowledge of geographical indications in Serbia. Aiming to bridge this gap, we present the results obtained from a consumer survey on a sample of 806 respondents in the territory of Serbia. Differences in consumers' awareness of geographical indications have been tested according to several socio-demographic criteria. The results showed that there are significant statistical differences in monthly income and level of education regarding consumer awareness of GIs. In addition, the respondents indicated a low level of knowledge about the GIs, qualities, benefits, and method of production of these products, as well as the existence of an adequate control system. As consumers consider themselves insufficiently informed, this finding suggests that it is necessary to undertake actions that will contribute to the consumers' education and information. Based on the obtained results, recommendations useful for marketing managers, decision-makers, agricultural producers as well as future research are given in the paper.