Less light,better bite: How ambient lighting influences taste perceptions

Atmospheric factors within a retail environment provide efficient and effective methods for influencing customer behavior. Drawing on the concept of sensory compensation, this research investigates how ambient lighting influences taste perceptions. Three studies demonstrate that dim lighting enhances taste perceptions. The results of Studies 1a and 1b provide support that low lighting positively influences consumers' perceived taste of single taste dimension foods (e.g., sweet). Study 2 shows the number of taste dimensions (e.g., sweet vs. sweet and salty) stimulated serves as a boundary condition, attenuating the significant effect of dim lighting on taste perceptions.     

Role of gastronomic,externality and feasibility attributes in consumer demand for organic and local foods: The case of honey and apples

Local food systems providing high‐value products are seen as a tool to sustain economic activity on family farms in rural areas. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of gastronomic, externality and feasibility characteristics in consumers' demand for local and for organic foods. An Internet questionnaire survey was conducted in 2010 among Danish consumers. 3211 respondents completed the questionnaire, which included questions about respondents' food‐related values and their specific perception of organic and local varieties of honey and apples. Variables related to consumers' food‐related values and product perception were analysed using principal component analysis, in order to identify overall dimensions (factors) in these variables. Although statements about gastronomic attributes (e.g. taste, appearance, quality) were quite strongly represented in three of these factors, externality and availability concerns also contributed significantly to the overall variation in the variables. Multinomial logit choice modelling was used for describing the relationship between these dimensions and respondents' stated choices regarding organic and local varieties of honey and apples. Results suggest that although both organic and local food supply chains are often associated with special attributes such as gastronomic characteristics and relatively beneficial externality attributes, these attributes are perceived differently for the two types of supply chains. Perceived gastronomic quality is the most important determinant for food choice, but externality and feasibility aspects are also important correlates.     

The Impact of Package Color and the Nutrition Content Labels on the Perception of Food Healthiness and Purchase Intention

Considering the difference between hedonic and utilitarian products, this article presents how the choice of color in food packaging, along with the nutrition content claim (NCC) labeling, can influence the consumer’s perception of food healthiness and purchase intention. The responses of 120 non-color-blind and non-obese college students from two within-subject experiments were analyzed by adopting a mixed model for repeated measurement. The results suggest that utilitarian, but not hedonic, food products in blue-colored packages were perceived to be healthier than those in red-colored packages. The perception of food healthiness, which was sensitive to the package color, also influenced the purchase intention of packaged foods. Moreover, when the NCC label was presented, food in a blue package with health claims in the NCC (e.g., “light” label) was perceived healthier than food in a red package with regular labels. This article also discusses the managerial implications of the findings for packaging and advertising professionals.     

Honey they shrank the food! An integrative study of the impact of food granularity and its operationalization mode on consumption

Larger portions of tempting food spur consumption, yet the question remains whether altering food granularity (i.e., dividing a fixed portion into more, smaller versus fewer, larger partitions) also drives consumption. As current insights on the impact of food granularity on consumption are contradictory, this paper offers clarification by zooming in on the different ways in which food granularity has been operationalized in extant research. One can achieve a finer (vs. coarser) food granularity either by partitioning food into more, smaller morsels (vs. fewer larger morsels), or by grouping similarly sized food morsels together into more, smaller packages (vs. fewer, larger packages). Hence, this article introduces the operationalization mode of food granularity (i.e., partitioning vs. grouping) as a variable moderating the effect of food granularity (i.e., fine vs. coarse) on consumption. Consumers are expected to eat less when tempting foods are partitioned in more, smaller portions (as opposed to fewer, larger portions). However, consumers eat more when such tempting foods are grouped into more, smaller packages (as opposed to fewer, larger packages). Both a meta-analytic review (Study 1) and a lab experiment (Study 2) confirm this anticipated interaction effect. In addition, Study 2 shows that the extent of experienced self-control conflict underlies this combined effect of food granularity and operationalization mode on consumption. This study also shows that (un)restrained eating is an additional moderator of the interaction. These findings highlight that the manner used to divide tempting foods has important implications for consumption, which is relevant in light of the current obesity epidemic.     

Pleasure and the Control of Food Intake: An Embodied Cognition Approach to Consumer Self‐Regulation

Consumers try to avoid temptation when exposed to appetizing foods by diverting their attention away from their senses (e.g., sight, smell, mouthfeel) and bodily states (e.g., state of arousal, salivation) in order to focus on their longer term goals (e.g., eating healthily, achieving an ideal body weight). However, when not including sensations in their decision‐making processes, consumers risk depleting their self‐regulatory resources, potentially leading to unhealthy food choices. Conversely, based on the concept of “embodied self‐regulation,” the suggestion is made that considering bodily states may help consumers regulate their food choices more effectively. A new model is proposed that facilitates understanding observed consumer behavior and the success or failure of self‐control in food intake. It is argued that bodily states and sensory information should be considered when modeling consumer behavior and developing health‐related advocacy and communication campaigns. The model proposed here leads to new perspectives on consumer consumption behavior and health policy research and strategies.     

Segmentation of German Consumers Based on Perceived Dimensions of Luxury Food

Recent trends in the German food sector have shifted and segmented consumer consumption motives toward indulgence, quality, and sustainability. Simultaneously, in Western countries there has been a change in luxury consumption motives, shifting emphasis to hedonism, self-actualization, and quality instead of prestige. These parallel developments give rise to the question of how food is related to luxury. This study investigates the perceived dimensions of luxury food and outlines a number of segmented consumer groups based on these dimensions. By means of principal component and cluster analyes, seven dimensions were revealed, which generated four consumer segments. Six of the perceived dimensions of luxury food correspond to those that are found within general luxury goods and services. Sustainability and authenticity form a further dimension, mirroring new luxury values. In the cluster analysis, two segments can be identified as target groups for classic premium foods, whereby one group is predominated by new luxury values and the other is expected to buy lower-quality food.     

The Effects of Nutrition Label Comparison Baselines on Consumers' Food Choices

Recent legislative changes in the European Union have mandated nutrition labeling for the majority of pre‐packaged foods. This research compared effects of several nutrition labeling formats on consumers' food choices (i.e., the nutrition table, GDA 100 g/ml, and GDA portion). We primarily focused on whether nutrition label information was standardized to a fixed or varying comparison baseline. Fixed baselines (e.g., 100 g/ml) allow consumers to make direct, relative comparisons of products, while varying baselines (e.g., portion size) often require consumers to undertake complex mathematical calculations. Findings suggest that consumers' food choices are likely to be healthier when nutrition label information is presented on a fixed baseline. Gender was found to moderate these effects such that women made healthier choices—but only when the nutrition label baseline was fixed. Thus, the type of comparison baseline is an important characteristic of nutrition labels for public policymakers, public health officials, and academic researchers to consider.     

Controlled and uncontrolled communication stimuli and organic food purchases: The mediating role of perceived communication clarity,perceived health benefits,and trust

Despite a growing demand worldwide, organic food remains a niche category, with consumers only purchasing it some of the time. This study examines the mediating effects of consumers’ perceived clarity of organic food-related communication, trust for, and perceived health benefits of organic foods in the relationship between controlled and uncontrolled communication stimuli and organic food purchases. We test our hypotheses on a sample of 1011 Australian organic food consumers using Structural Equation Modeling. We find that all mediators except perceived communication clarity perform as hypothesized, with the latter not mediating the relationship between uncontrolled communications and perceived health benefits of organic foods. The results suggest that marketers should ensure clarity in controlled organic food communications, signal health benefits of organic food and build consumer trust to generate organic purchases.     

Impact of Multiple Perceived Value on Consumers' Brand Preference and Purchase Intention: A Case of Snack Foods

This study explores product value with reference to brand development. The question of which perceived product value acts dominantly has received very little attention, in particular, whether multiple product value may importantly enhance consumers' brand preference/purchase. This research investigates relationships between multiple perceived snack foods' product value, brand preference and purchase intention. Findings show significantly positive effects of brand preference on purchase intention, and brand preference as a mediator between multiple perceived product value and purchase intention. Findings also reveal multiple value perceptions of snack foods, (e.g., functional-price/value for the money and performance/quality, emotional, and social dimensions) be significant in the formation of brand preference, whereas only functional-price/value for the money and emotional value relate to purchase intention directly.     

“Autonomous,yet Connected”: An esthetic principle explaining our appreciation of product designs

Esthetic principles describe the levels or combination of design dimensions that are esthetically appreciated. Current principles focus on dimensions connected to product design itself (e.g., unity and variety) or dimensions that refer to a product design's relationship to other product designs (e.g., typicality and novelty). However, product design also has a social significance—they help consumers shape their identity—and this social dimension has hitherto been overlooked in research on esthetic appreciation. In this paper, we propose and investigate the social esthetic principle “Autonomous, yet Connected.” In four studies, we show that a product's design leads to the highest esthetic appreciation if it strikes an optimal balance between nurturing the two seemingly opposite needs for connectedness and autonomy. Further, we show how conditions of safety and risk moderate the effects of the principle, which suggests our principle may have evolutionary grounding.     

Finns and functional foods: socio‐demographics,health efforts,notions of technology and the acceptability of health‐promoting foods

Eating is increasingly characterized by concerns over health and well‐being. New types of foods designed to promote health or to reduce the risk of diseases, known as functional foods, have been entering the market since the 1990s. This article focuses on the appropriation of functional foods among Finnish consumers from the perspective of acceptability. We analyse the relationship between consumers’ views of functional foods and their socio‐demographic backgrounds, health efforts and notions of food, health and technology. The article is based on a survey of a representative sample of Finnish consumers (n = 1210). The data were collected by using computer‐assisted telephone interviews and analysed by factor analysis and analysis of variance. The factor analysis resulted in four dimensions of acceptability: (1) experiences of functional foods; (2) views on product quality and safety; (3) societal concerns over current developments; and (4) views on regulation and research. According to the results, the differences in consumer views of functional foods were to some extent linked with age and education but better explained by the differing roles of food and health in people’s lives and the acceptability of modern food technologies. Efforts to lower blood cholesterol and/or blood pressure, the use of dietary supplements, regarding healthy eating as very important and having an optimistic outlook on the use of technology in food production were all related to more optimistic views of functional foods. Finns seem to have a relatively trusting position on functional foods. Familiarity of functional foods in Finland, absence of serious food scandals, the health‐oriented Finnish culture and the generally high level of societal trust may account for this optimism.     

I might try it: Marketing actions to reduce consumer disgust toward insect-based food

Despite the potential health- and sustainability-related benefits of insect-based food products, many consumers do not perceive them as an alternative to conventional foods. This research provides a systematic approach to explain consumer reactions to insect-based food products conducting a series of multi-method studies involving implicit, self-reported, and actual behavioral responses to real insect-based food products (provided by a partner company). The authors investigate how product type (i.e., whether the insect-based food is utilitarian or hedonic in nature) and packaging characteristics (i.e., whether the image of a real or stylized insect is present on the front packaging or not) interact with consumer-related characteristics (i.e., health consciousness and food neophobia) to affect feelings of disgust, which in turn influence willingness to try insect-based food products. A distinctive feature of this research is that a partner company used the findings to change its marketing tactics and observed an improvement in its market performance. Our research has clear implications for marketing managers trying to overcome consumer resistance to eating insect-based foods, as well as retail managers considering marketing such food products.     

Consumers’ perceptions of food waste: A pilot study of U.S. students

Participants in this pilot study are asked to rank their perceptions of food waste by choosing between pairs of four types of foods of equal weight: chicken, cheese, bread and peas. We examine whether these perceptions are consistent for proportionally different weights and whether they are linked to the perceived cost of the items. The subjects (n = 106) who are students are randomly assigned to one of three information treatments: a control, a food waste video or the text of the food waste video. We find that the subjects have very accurate perceptions of the environmental impacts of food waste and the relative wastefulness of different food groups. These perceptions are not related to cooking skills or frequency. We find that the perceptions are consistent for proportionally different weights of food: 25 and 50 g. We also find that the perceptions are linked to participants’ assessments of the relative prices of the foods. However, while the participants have somewhat accurate estimates of the relative prices, they vastly overestimate the actual prices of foods. This implies that more accurate information about the true prices could actually decrease their perceptions of the wastefulness of throwing out food. Given that the participants had highly accurate perceptions of the environmental impacts of food waste and the relative wastefulness of animal vs. plant products, we found no significant increase in overall accuracy of perceptions due to information treatment, except for bread, for those who saw the food waste video.     

Exploring the social value of organic food: a qualitative study in France

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether organic foods are used to signal social identity, class or status, i.e. if they have social value. Our analysis is based on two sociological approaches: Bourdieu's theory of social reproduction and symbolic interactionism. This paper analyses three research questions: (1) does organic food have social symbolism?; (2) does the social value of organic food depend on the venue where it is obtained?; (3) are other symbols associated with the social value of organic food? To answer these questions, we gather qualitative data from organic food shoppers' perceptions of the social value of organic food, using a qualitative study, with four group interviews in Montpellier (France) with a total of 20 participants. Results indicate that organic food has a social value for the participants in our group interviews. This social value depends on the venue (community‐supported agriculture, market or supermarket) where organic foods are purchased and also on whether consumers or producers exhibit additional green behaviours to validate their commitment to sustainability. Our results imply that a quantitative study on social value of organic food would be useful to investigate these findings in a larger sample since these findings have several marketing and advertising implications.     

Extrinsic and intrinsic motivators for usage continuance of hedonic mobile apps

This study explores intrinsic (i.e., perceived enjoyment, perceived involvement) and extrinsic motivator (i.e., perceived usefulness, convenience, perceived ease of use) for usage continuance of hedonic mobile applications (apps). Satisfaction serves as an important link between motivators and continued willingness to use, therefore its effect was analysed through mediation. Data was collected through an online survey and a total of 720 valid responses were received. Results showed that intrinsic motivators had a significant effect on continued willingness to use (CWU) and extrinsic motivators on satisfaction for hedonic mobile apps. Extrinsic motivators strongly mediate the relationship between intrinsic motivators and satisfaction. Factors related to viewing patterns (i.e., viewing frequency, viewing time) and demographic factors (i.e., age, education) moderated relationships in the model. This study provides significant theoretical and practical implications for researchers in the domain of mobile applications. The study introduces convenience as a determinant of satisfaction and validates the existence of duality for dimensions of motivators.     

Impact of Sociodemographic Factors on Perceived Importance of Nutrition in Food Shopping

This study examines how the perception of a household main meal planner about the importance of nutrition in food shopping is related to the person's sociodemographic characteristics. Results of this study suggest that black, female, higher educated, and nonworking main meal planners generally perceive nutrition as more important in food shopping than do others. Findings also suggest that nutrition is more important to main meal planners who reside in cities and in the South. The results have important implications for government nutrition programs. The perceived importance of nutrition is also crucial to the success of consumer information programs that promote health and market nutritious foods.     

Distortion of price discount perceptions through the left-digit effect

Through two experiments, we examined the consumers’ process of comparison of regular and sale price information in advertisements. This is an extension of studies of the left-digit effect with different price levels and multiple digits conducted using Taiwanese data. First, we find that in a comparison of regular and sale prices, specifically three-digit integers with different leftmost digits, consumers perceive the price discount to be larger when the left digit is small (e.g., 1 or 4) than when it is large (e.g., 7). The lower the two prices being compared, the more likely it is that the left-digit effect will exist. Second, the perceived discount is likely to diminish when the number of digits is increased to produce a four-digit integer. In other words, the number of digits can affect perceptions of the numerical difference when comparing two prices. Thus, the effect of a left-digit change to produce a nine-ending price would be weaker for higher-priced products. The findings indicate the existence of a novel boundary to the left-digit effect.