| dc.description.abstract | Bixa Orellana, a natural food-colour, is in high demand in both local and international
markets due to its health benefits. The sales performance of the crop remains relatively
low in Kenya despite its potential contribution towards increasing Bixa farmers‟ income.
Unlike other cash crops, the marketing efforts of Bixa remains unstructured and has been
the obligation of small-scale farmers who produce the crop. It therefore remains unclear
whether such efforts have influenced the sales performance of Bixa Orellana. The
purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of marketing mix strategies on the
sales performance of Bixa Orellana among Small Scale farmers in Kwale County,
Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to: examine the influence of product
strategy; assess the influence of pricing strategy; establish the influence of place strategy;
examine the influence of promotion strategy; and examine the moderating effect of
Government policy on Bixa Orellana value chain on sales performance of Bixa Orellana
among Small Scale farmers in Kwale County, Kenya. The study was underpinned by the
Consumer Utility Theory, Theory of Pricing, AIDA model and Distribution Channel
Theory. The study adopted a positivism research paradigm and a descriptive survey
research design. The target population for the study was 2,419 registered small scale
Bixa farmers in Kwale County. The sample size was 106 farmers who were selected
using simple random sampling technique. The research instruments were a Questionnaire
and an Interview schedule. Reliability of the Questionaire was tested and confirmed as
0.831 using Cronbach Alpha while validity was confirmed using expert opinion. Both
Data analysis which was done with the aid of SPSS version 21.0 software. Descriptive
statistical analysis involved; calculation of means, standard deviations and percentages;
inferential statistical analysis involved simple and multiple regression analysis; and
thematic analysis was used for interviews. From simple regression analyses, the study
found out that except for placement strategy, product, price and promotion strategies had
significant influence on the sales performance of Bixa Orellana among small scale
farmers in Kwale County. However, multiple regression analysis results indicated that
among the 4Ps only promotion strategy had a significant statistical influence on sales
performance of Bixa Orellana among small scale farmers in Kwale County, Kenya. The
moderating effect of Government policy on Value chain of Bixa Orellana was found to
be statistically insignificant, and not affecting the relationship between marketing mix
strategies and sales performance of Bixa Orellana. The study concuded that product and
pricing had a positive but insignificant influence on sales performance of Bixa Orellana
while placement and promotion strategies had negative insignificant and significant
influences on sales performance of Bixa Orellana, respectively. The study recommends
that; small scale farmers should adopt the appropriate 4Ps marketing mix strategies in
order to improve sales performance of Bixa Ollerana with a deeper focus on pricing and
promotion strategies. It also recommends that Kenya government through its agencies
should formulate and implement policies that will contribute towards enhancing
production and marketing of the crop in the country. This study is expected to serve as a
theoretical model for future studies in the area. It has also contributed towards unveiling
the influence of marketing mix strategies on sales performance of Bixa Orellana among
small scale farmers and has made policy recommendations towards production and
marketing of the crop in the country. | en_US |
