Modeling Group Preferences Using a Decompositional Preference Approach

This article examines an extension of the decompositional, conjoint, or stated-preference approach to model group decisions. In the conventional approach, only one member is chosen to be the group's representative and provide answers for the group as a whole. In this study, all group members are brought together and asked to jointly complete a conjoint preference experiment. The hypothesis is tested that this joint group approach predicts group behavior better than the conventional approach with representatives. The paper presents the estimated part-worth utilities of the group model and compares preference structures of individual group members and groups. Finally, group preference models are tested to determine whether they outperform representative-based preference models in terms of the ability to correctly predict the group preferences for new alternatives. These analyses are performed in the context of residential preferences of co-ops, which are groups of young people, usually not partners, who live together in owner-occupied houses.     

The extent of marketability and consumer preferences for traditional leafy vegetables – a case study at selected markets in Ghana

This paper reports on a survey conducted at two major marketing centres in Ghana; Tamale in the dry savannah zone and Kumasi in the forest zone. One hundred traders were interviewed using a semi‐structured questionnaire and focus groups discussions held on traders’ perceptions and consumer preferences, relative importance and indigenous nutritional knowledge of traditional leafy vegetables (TLVs). The survey established that, with the exception of Xanthosoma mafafa (cocoyam leaves), inter‐market distribution of TLVs is limited because of their perishable nature, narrow utilization base and lack of storage techniques. Socio‐culturally related factors limiting the distribution of TLVs include regional diversity and ethnic differences in the dietary patterns of the Ghanaian populace, inadequate knowledge about the methods of preparations as well as nutritional and medicinal values of TLVs. The most preferred TLVs as reflected in the consumers’ buying behaviour and traders’ perceptions are Xanthosoma mafafa (cocoyam leaves), Corchorus spp.(Ayoyo), Amaranthus spp (Alefu) and Hibicus sabdariffa (Bra). The order of preference in the forest zone is Xanthosoma mafafa (cocoyam leaves) > Corchorus spp.(Ayoyo) > Amaranthus spp (Alefu) > Hibicus sabdariffa (Bra), while the reverse order pertains in the savannah zone.     

Application of hedonic price modeling to consumer packaged goods using store scanner data

This paper contributes to the marketing research literature by proposing an application of hedonic modeling to consumer packaged goods using store scanner data. While other studies have applied hedonic price modeling to CPG, the interpretation of their results might have been flawed. This paper, by proposing an extension of the traditional approach to account for sales quantity, makes the hedonic modeling results based on CPG scanner data acquire their intended interpretation. Hedonic modeling provides an additional alternative in the toolkit of the applied marketing researcher to assist revealing markets' relative preferences. To illustrate the use of hedonic modeling in CPG, the paper focuses on Premium Carbonated Soft Drinks. It uses a full year of weekly store scanner data from grocery stores sampled across the U.S.     

Consumer Attitudes and Preferences Concerning Shopping On-Line

Abstract

The emergence of e-commerce is having a substantial impact on consumer purchasing behavior. Yet, the rate of consumers' acceptance of e-commerce has been slower than many predicted. Using the view of consumption as an institution, this study examines consumers' preferences for shopping on-line. Analysis of data collected from focus groups and surveys suggests consumers perceive relative advantages and disadvantages of shopping on-line vs. shopping in traditional stores. In addition, the results suggest consumers have substantive reservations about shopping on-line which may be adversely affecting the acceptance rate of this new channel. Study limitations and suggestions for future research are also presented.     

Modelling purchasing decisions of seafood products: a case study of Mumbai,India

This study investigated the factors affecting the purchase decisions of seafood consumers in selected urban areas of Mumbai, India. The primary data were analysed using binary choice modelling techniques. It was found that taste, religion, size of household and age of family member were significant factors at a 95% confidence level. The Indian seafood industry may find this baseline study useful to encourage further consumer‐based research to promote the growth of the domestic seafood market.     

Local Versus Visitor Perceptions of Farmers’ Markets

There has been an increasing focus on the local food movement and farmers’ markets that supply this food. Most studies have focused on profiling the consumer or motivations for purchasing local food; however, few have focused on the differences in those who frequent such tourism offerings. The purpose of this research study, therefore, was to examine differences between visitors and residents regarding motivations and preferences for buying local and organic food at farmers’ markets. There has been an increasing focus on the local food market due to food security awareness, consumer responsibility, and food trends such as the 100-mile diet and preference of local and organic. Using 322 completed surveys, responses were analyzed to examine significant differences. The results show a difference in motivations of visitors and locals in regard to their frequenting of farmers markets, as well as the frequency of their use. Increasingly within tourism there has been a focus on the local or authentic tourism experience; therefore, understanding the differences in visitor preferences may help both destinations and the markets themselves to cater to different preferences among their clientele.     

Segmentation Correlates for Small Grocery Chain Preference

Abstract

Five benefit segments are identified for grocery patrons. They include: (1) “Customer Service Seeker,” (2) “Specials' Seeker,” (3) “Take-Home Foods and Modern Store Seeker,” (4) “Low Price Seeker,” and (5) “Small Store Seeker.” The key findings are: (1) large grocery chain patrons compared to small chain patrons stress more the importance of low prices while (2) the small chain patrons compared to large chain patrons stress more the importance of service quality attributes and other non-price criteria. Managerial recommendations are also presented for small grocery chain owners.     

Knowledge and Perceptions of Superannuation in Australia

Least squares and binary logit models are used to predict knowledge and perceptions of superannuation (private pensions) in Australia on the basis of demographic, socioeconomic and financial characteristics. The data is drawn from the ANZ Survey of Adult Financial Literacy in Australia and relates to 2,516 superannuation fund members. Knowledge of superannuation is defined, amongst other things, in terms of understanding superannuation fees, charges and statements, recognising the voluntary and compulsory nature of additional employee and employer contributions, and being aware of the lower taxation of superannuation compared to other investments. Factors examined include gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, educational level, and family structure, along with household income, savings, and debt. In terms of specific superannuation knowledge, substantially more than half of respondents knew that employers are obliged to make contributions on behalf of employees and that employees can make additional voluntary payments above these payments. Slightly more than half knew that superannuation is taxed at a lower rate than other investments. However, only one-third of fund members knew how to read and understand their statements or the approximate rate of contribution employers were required to make on their behalf, or had worked out how much they needed to save for retirement. Overall, about 60% of respondents could correctly answer only 50% or less of the questions posed. The evidence also suggests that knowledge of superannuation is unevenly spread across respondents. Such knowledge is generally lowest for females, those from a non-English speaking background, those with low levels of education and persons aged less than thirty. Knowledge is generally better for professionals, those aged over 40 or nearing retirement and the university educated. The models best predict the compulsory nature of employer contributions, the voluntary nature of employee contributions, and knowledge that the government will not make up any gap arising from a failure to undertake retirement planning.     

Why Do We Buy Traditional Foods?

Consumer behavior toward traditional specialties varies according to the cultural context of consumption. It thus becomes crucial to develop marketing strategies that target segments with different levels of familiarity with food. Our article purposes to analyze the purchase drivers of traditional foods known to consumers because of their reiterated consumption. The importance of the product’s attributes, the purchasing motivations, and the information channels are studied by applying the CUB model, which utilizes a probabilistic structure that simulates the individual’s psychological mechanism in adopting a choice of preference. The case study is that of extra-virgin olive oil in Italy, where this product is a fundamental element of the culinary tradition. The results show that in the ambit of traditional specialties, in contexts of elevated familiarity, the traditional information channels of marketing are less effective and call for strategies based on a more direct connection between consumer and producer.     

Using Active Empathetic Listening to Build Relationships With Major-Gift Donors

Building a relationship with a major gift donor is an important form of fundraising for nonprofits. Fundraisers become relationship managers tasked with building trust and developing mutual goals with the donor through effective communication. The importance of effective listening on the fundraisers part is explored in this paper by overlaying Active Empathic Listening (AEL) on the Major Donor Model. AEL is discussed as a method that if used by fundraisers will help them in their efforts to connect in a meaningful way with major donors by enabling the fundraiser to work with more accurate information regarding the donor’s motivations, interest and desires as well as instill a sense of trust and genuineness between both parties.     

Random regret minimization for consumer choice modeling: Assessment of empirical evidence

This paper introduces to the field of marketing a regret-based discrete choice model for the analysis of multi-attribute consumer choices from multinomial choice sets. This random regret minimization (RRM) model, which has recently been introduced in the field of transport, forms a regret-based counterpart of the canonical random utility maximization (RUM) paradigm. This paper assesses empirical results based on 43 comparisons reported in peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, with the aim of finding out to what extent, when, and how RRM can form a viable addition to the consumer choice modeler's toolkit. The paper shows that RRM and hybrid RRM–RUM models outperform RUM counterparts in a majority of cases, in terms of model fit and predictive ability. Although differences in performance are quite small, the two paradigms often result in markedly different managerial implications due to considerable differences in, for example, market share forecasts.     

Are Iranian consumers poised to “buy American” in a hostile bilateral environment?

The current bilateral relationship between the United States and Iran is fraught with intense political and military tension revolving around the nuclear issue in Iran. Open hostility between the two governments has recently spilled over into national, regional, and global forums. Despite this turmoil, the Iranian consumer is actively engaged in the global marketplace, buying goods from around the world. Our research spotlights Iranian consumers’ attitudes toward importing and buying foreign-made products, with a special focus on American-made products. Our 2006 survey of 902 Iranian consumers suggests that Iranians are very open, but not exclusively so, to the purchase of foreign-made and American-made products. We also found the political-military bilateral tension or animosity between the Iranian and American governments has not transferred to the Iranian consumer. The Iranian consumers’ openness to foreign-made (including American-made) goods, coupled with low consumer animosity vis-à-vis the United States from Iranian consumers, provides an opportunity for American and Western multinational companies to actively compete for and engage with the Iranian consumer in the Iranian marketplace.     

Using consumer perceived ethicality as a guideline for corporate social responsibility strategy: A commentary essay

“Consumer Perceived Ethicality” presents a framework of perceived consumer ethicality as summarized from in-depth interviews with 20 citizens of the United Kingdom and Germany. The framework identifies six broad domains and 36 sub-items (6 for each domain) that serve as examples of consumer-generated “unethical corporate behaviors.” This commentary highlights the contributions, discusses the limitations and presents an alternative perspective on the study of consumer perceived ethicality.     

Healthy Food: Determinants of Price Knowledge of Functional Dairy Products

Agri-food business pricing practices assume that consumers know about prices and that price is an impediment to healthy food purchase and consumption. The present article assesses functional dairy food shoppers’ price knowledge accuracy and its determinants. The data were gathered from 207 face-to-face interviews with shoppers at the point of sale and were analyzed with binary logistic regression testing a number of set hypotheses. Results show that healthy food price knowledge is higher than for conventional food but still low, and consumers tend to underestimate the price paid. Price knowledge accuracy increases with high purchase frequency, promotional products, hedonistic consumption, and for enhanced function products. Results provide a basis for higher sustainable pricing strategies. Consumers’ inability to distinguish misleading pricing strategies calls for regulators to ensure fair and ethical market practices, especially for healthy food.     

Factors influencing the consumers’ behavioural intention to use online food delivery service: Empirical evidence from Taiwan

Understanding consumer preferences is crucial in helping online food delivery services (OFDS) increase operating revenue and competitiveness while achieving sustainable development. Prior studies on OFDS employed qualitative research and methods for statistical analysis, but few researchers have discussed the importance of the primary factors influencing consumers' selection and intention of OFDS from multiple-attribute decision-making (MADM) perspective. Based on a consumer's perspective, the MADM techniques were utilised in this study to build an assessment model for consumers' selection of OFDS. First, to determine the relative weight of each evaluation criterion and dimension, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was utilised. Subsequently, the complex proportional assessment of alternatives (COPRAS) was utilised to analyse the feasible solutions. Lastly, the modified VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) was employed to discuss the performance gap between each evaluation dimension and criterion. The three methods helped identify the primary evaluation criteria and determine the rankings of feasible solutions and related performance gaps. The methods were used to conduct an empirical analysis of the data. Several conclusions and suggestions have been provided based on the findings. The findings are anticipated to serve as a reference for OFDS operators to learn from, allowing them to better understand consumers' demands and provide better service. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications are explored.     

Using word of mouth data from social media to identify asymmetric competition in food retailing

Competition between food retailers is often assumed to be asymmetrical, whereby one retailer may compete with another retailer but not vice versa. Little is known about how (a)symmetric competition among retailers currently is. One way to investigate this is to use word of mouth data. A mixed methods analysis of customer comments on social media confirms the existence of asymmetric competition among German food retailers, mainly between supermarkets and discounters. Overall, consumers compare competitors frequently on the basis of their assortments, the price-performance ratio as well as quality and freshness. The results have implications for competition policy and strategic management.     

Social Capital and Consumer Value Co-Created Within an Online Health Community

Many health providers sponsor online communities that enable health consumers to connect and share experiences. This qualitative study draws upon both social capital and consumer behavior theories to demonstrate that consumers participating in the creation of social capital co-create value for themselves and each other. This netnographic study contributes and operationalizes theoretical frameworks for identifying social capital and consumer value within online communities. Results identify 14 social-capital-building practices and further reveal that these practices represent two distinct themes: practices that create a caring environment and practices that assist others. Findings indicate that members of online health communities gain affective, functional, social, and rational benefits such as empathy, self-esteem, status, connectedness, and efficiency. As a managerial and practical contribution, this study establishes online communities as an important component of patients’ healthcare networks not only for exchanging information and support but also as settings for accessing social capital.     

The Retailing Literature as a Basis for Franchising Research: Using Intellectual Structure to Advance Theory

This study evaluates the foundational intellectual structure of franchising research over the last four decades. Based on 1718 articles from a sample of 40 journals, we use co-citation analysis, employed in both multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis, to evaluate 67,073 citations and determine the theoretical underpinnings of franchising research. As the results indicate, the retailing literature has had an integral influence on studies related to franchising. To advance this research domain, we develop a three-dimensional typology (franchise structure, consumer exchange, and strategic intention) based on established and emergent franchise-related topics. The typology indicates six suggested topics for examination to advance franchising research based on the domain's accomplishments to date.