Carbon information on vegetables: How does it affect the buying process?

Information on the climate impact of a food product has practically not been communicated in Germany, even though it could provide important acknowledgement of producers’ actions in low‐carbon production. So far, carbon labelling has predominantly been discussed without taking into account German consumers’ opinions (proven by empirical data) on this issue, even though involving the consumer in the considerations of a Carbon Label is essential for its success. Especially the question, if information on the product carbon footprint is a considerable factor within the search process of a purchase decision, was of special interest in this work. To answer these questions, we analysed consumers’ information‐seeking behaviour using an information display matrix (IDM) experiment with 232 participants. The IDM is a process tracing technique which allows to track the information search in a buying process. Our results show that basically the place of origin is the most important criterion for the purchase decision, followed by price and production method (conventional/organic). In contrast, the sustainability information (i.e., carbon footprint and water consumption) are at a low level of importance. Comparing two locally produced products with the help of a multinominal logistic regression‐model, it seems that the group of consumers preferring organic products is influenced in the purchase decision by the carbon footprint information. In summary it can be stated that although some people may be basically interested in carbon labelling of fresh food, the purchase decision would probably be hardly influenced by a carbon label on vegetables at present. The majority of people are more concerned about factors like origin and price so that Carbon Labelling would only be a viable option for a small group of consumers.     

我国城镇消费者有机农产品消费行为分析

目前,国际市场对有机农产品需求不断提高,营养、安全与价格在我国消费者购买评价有机农产品时居于重要地位。基于对北京、武汉消费者的调查,本文统计评价了我国消费者对有机农产品的认知水平,并对有机农产品消费行为及其影响决策因素进行了分析,发现我国消费者对有机农产品的整体认知水平偏低,这是导致我国有机农产品购买水平不高的重要因素。     

Pasture-Raised Milk: The Market for a Differentiated Product

Pasture-raised (PR) milk is a specialty product that could feasibly be produced by economically challenged dairy farms. Our goal was to profile the milk market using an internet survey to identify potential future consumers of PR milk. There were 611 U.S. respondents that were divided into three categories as types of milk consumers: those who only purchased conventional milk in the past year (CONV), those who only purchased non-conventional milk (such as organic, PR, or natural milk) in the past year (NONCONV), and those who purchased both conventional and non-conventional milk in the past year (MIXED). MIXED and NONCONV agreed or strongly agreed with PR milk benefits substantially more than CONV. PR milk was also valued by NONCONV and MIXED in purchasing intentions, but not nearly as much as organic milk. In addition, CONV valued PR milk in purchasing intentions more than organic milk. Results suggest that PR milk can be successfully positioned to appeal to MIXED and perhaps some CONV, potentially increasing sales or market share.     

Individual differences in price responsiveness within and across food brands

Various researchers have reported that in routine grocery shopping the quantity consumers buy varies little across shopping occasions. Even in the presence of promotions, the largest part of promotional sales peaks has been attributed to brand switching. Recent investigations, however, indicated that the quantity consumers buy may include complex intra- and inter-consumer and intra- and inter-brand choice patterns. Using panel data from more than 1500 British consumers purchasing four food products during 52 weeks, the present study examined whether such complex patterns occur and assessed their relative contribution to overall quantity elasticity. Results showed that consumers buy larger quantities when paying lower prices, both within and across brands, and that consumers who buy larger quantities tend to pay lower prices, both within and across brands. The results also indicated that intra-brand price variations, especially those associated with consumers switching across package sizes, account for the largest portion of changes in quantity. Methodological differences might explain discrepancies among previous findings such as the duration of the sample used, the number of brands examined, and the conceptualization of a brand as including or excluding different package sizes.     

Assessing the Role of Nationalistic Feelings in Consumers' Willingness to Take Action Against Foreign Products: An Exploratory Study in Brazil

ABSTRACT

This study draws on the social dominance theory and the intergroup relations theory to explore the impact of nationalistic feelings on consumers' willingness to take action against foreign products. This exploratory study was conducted in Brazil, using two countries as treatment conditions: Paraguay and the USA. Consistent with expectations, the mere existence of a commercial conflict involving the home country and a foreign nation seems to be sufficient to raise nationalistic feelings (a “them” against “us” feeling). The results also show that consumers' willingness to take action against products of the adversary country prompted by these nationalistic feelings might be mediated by their perception of group (nation) economic power (dominance).

RESUMEN. Este estudio se basa en la teoría del dominio social y la teoría de las relaciones intergrupales para explorar el impacto que los sentimientos nacionalistas ejercen sobre la buena voluntar de los consumidores de actuar contra los productos extranjeros. Este estudio exploratorio fue realizado en el Brasil, usando dos países como condiciones de tratamiento: Paraguay y los Estados Unidos. De conformidad con las expectativas, la mera existencia de un conflicto comercial involucrando el país de origen y la nación extranjera parece ser suficiente para despertar sentimientos nacionalistas (un sentimiento de “ellos” contra “nosotros”). Los resultados también muestran la buena voluntad de los consumidores de tomar alguna acción contra los productos provenientes del país adversario, disparados por este sentimiento nacionalista que puede ser mediado por su percepción del poder (dominio) económico del grupo (nación).

RESUMO. Este estudo utiliza a teoria do domínio social e das relações entre grupos, para explorar o impacto do sentimento nacionalista na vontade do consumidor de rejeitar produtos estrangeiros. Este estudo exploratório foi realizado no Brasil, utilizando dois países como base de consulta: o Paraguai e os Estados Unidos. De acordo com as expectativas, a mera existência de um conflito comercial, envolvendo o país de residência e um país estrangeiro, parece ser suficiente para elevar os sentimentos nacionalistas (um sentimento “deles” contra um “nosso”). Os resultados também demonstram que a vontade do consumidor de rejeitar os produtos do país adversário, estimulada por tais sentimentos nacionalistas, pode ser influenciada pela sua percepção de poder (domínio) do grupo (nação) econômico.     

Food Values Applied to Livestock Products

Food values have been proposed in previous research as a method of identifying stable constructs of consumer preference. We conducted an online survey of 1950 US respondents using best–worst scaling applying the concept of food values to four specific meat and dairy products: ground beef, beef steak, chicken breast, and milk. We test the applicability of general food values to specific products, while further discovering the nature of heterogeneity of values by defining classes of respondents. Our findings suggest that the general food values previously proposed apply well to specific products of the livestock industry. We also found that the differences between consumer classes were driven primarily by price sensitivity, with many of the most important and least important values remaining the same.     

‘Consumers’ Evaluation of Unethical Marketing Behaviors: The Role of Customer Commitment’

While there is a significant amount of research investigating managerial ethical judgments, a limited amount examines consumer judgments of unethical corporate behavior and its impact on the marketplace. This study examines how consumers’ commitment to a company impacts not only their ethical judgment of corporate behavior but also the outcomes of that judgment. The authors test hypotheses with data from 334 consumers and find that consumers’ level of commitment attenuates the level of perceived fairness. More specifically, highly committed consumers may forgive companies for behaviors when perceived harm is low, but become progressively dissatisfied as the level of perceived harm increases. Results of the study point to the importance of considering ethical behavior from a consumer perspective. If corporate actions are perceived as unethical, the company stands to lose favor with their most committed customers. Considering that more time, effort and investment is required to gain a new customer as to retain an old, this study shows that engaging in behavior perceived as unethical by consumers risks alienating the most committed customers.     

Will Consumers Pay for Voluntary Testing for BSE? Double-Bound CVM Evidence from Canada

The 2003 discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-infected cattle in North America led to efforts to ensure the safety of beef produced in that region, and to some discussion regarding testing live cattle for the BSE prion. This article investigates consumer acceptance and valuation of beef from live cattle that have been voluntarily tested for BSE. Using data from an Internet-based survey of Canadians, double-bound estimates of willingness-to-pay (WTP) are measured. Consumption behaviour and perception covariates were significant predictors of expected WTP, while socio-economic and demographic effects had no measurable impact. Expected WTP was not statistically significant, but ranged from 8% for respondents with a high-purchase intention to ?3.5% for those with low/moderate-purchase intention. Further analysis on subsamples of the data showed expected WTP ranges from ?5% to 5% for those with low/moderate-purchase intention and from 5% to 22% for those with a high-purchase intension.     

中国城乡居民消费持续低迷的心理因素分析

消费心理是消费需求的具体表现 ,又是消费行为的内在因素 ,同时居民消费行为将对经济运行产生一定的影响。城乡居民消费持续低迷固然是由多方面的原因造成的 ,其中心理因素发挥着重要的不容忽视的作用。了解、分析消费者心理 ,对正确地引导居民消费是十分必要的。     

The Effect of Internet Expertise on Offline Expectations

ABSTRACT

Because the Internet enhances consumer control over online marketing transactions, more expert web users are hypothesized to generalize this web expertise to their expectations of offline service encounters. This hypothesis is supported for consumers with moderate web expertise as compared to those with little web expertise. However, web users with high levels of expertise have lower expectations of offline encounters than those with moderate expertise. The lower expectations of the most expert web users are likely to be due to a lower level of involvement with offline service encounter, a greater awareness and use of online information by the most expert, and possibly a greater propensity to distinguish between online and offline encounters.     

Are nutrition labels useful for the purchase of a familiar food? Evidence from Chinese consumers�� purchase of rice

Nutrition labeling has been accepted by Chinese consumers as an information source to learn about food quality and safety. This paper uses Chinese consumers’ rice purchase as an example to study how consumers use food nutrition labels to make purchase decision of a familiar food product. The goal is to understand how consumers seek information from the labels to make purchase when extensive experience with the food has been developed. Survey data from 400 random respondents in Beijing were analyzed using an empirical framework and a Mont Carlo integral econometrics model. We find that more than 50% of the consumers in Beijing have heard of food nutrition labels in general, 36.50% carefully use label information even if they are familiar with the food, and nearly 70% consider mandatory food nutrition labels as beneficial. Those who are more knowledgeable about rice nutrition labels are more likely to use the labels when purchasing rice, no matter how familiar they are with the product. Frequent users of nutrition labels are more likely to consider food mandatory nutrition labels as beneficial. This study suggests that consumers still use the label information to reassure the quality and safety of food despite a history of consumption.     

社会化媒体中消费者生成广告的影响因素模型及作用路径

如今社会化媒体中随处可见消费者对品牌信息的评论、转发以及创作与品牌相关内容的行为,这样的行为对品牌传播产生了极大影响,它相对于传统品牌传播方式更有效。那么社会化媒体中消费者生成广告行为受到何种因素的影响,这些因素之间存在何种内在逻辑关系？本研究采用立意抽样的方式,选择活跃于社会化媒体（微博、微信、美拍）中的消费者作为研究对象,使用扎根理论的开放式编码、主轴编码与选择性编码对访谈材料进行分析,最后结合选择性编码与“故事线”的方式构建了CGA-EESM影响因素模型。该模型显示：环境、经验、刺激与动机是消费者生成广告行为的四个关键影响因素,它们之间存在错综复杂的作用路径。     

基于消费行为审核分析安全农产品的营销管理问题

在农产品安全问题受到大家广泛关注后,一些学者对我国安全农产品的消费行为进行了一些尝试性的研究。本文在对现有研究进行总结的基础上,根据营销决策必须以消费行为审核为基础的原理,对我国安全农产品营销及营销问题进行了分析,并提出了相应的对策建议。