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Background/objectives: This study investigates consumer perceptions and acceptance of ionizing radiation (IoR) as a perishable food stabilisation technology. Consumers' preferences influence the success of emerging food technologies. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of consumers' behavioural responses and their development over time is essential., Methods: This research employs a mixed-methods approach, surveying 313 young adults in New Zealand on their views of both irradiated (IoR) and genetically modified (GM) highly perishable foods. This study explored both participants' attitudes towards these two technologies and also their willingness to consume these foods., Results: The qualitative research revealed a preponderance of "affective" associations over "cognitive" associations with regard to both IoR and GM technologies. The quantitative research indicated that where consumers were given time to reflect, evaluations of GM improved, while those of IoR did not ( p < 0.01). There was a gender divide, with females being more positively inclined towards GM and males towards IoR ( p < 0.01). Both technologies were significantly disfavoured compared to non-treated products ( p < 0.01). There was a significant discrimination when the two technologies were presented as concepts and as products. GM was more favourably received as a concept than as a product ( p < 0.01), while IoR was disfavoured in either form. The two food neophobia scales that were tested showed a divergence in performance, with the more affectively based scale showing a higher level of correlation with behaviour., Conclusions: This research reveals that a largely affective (visceral) distrust of both IoR and GM exists within this young food consumer sample. As it is affective in nature, this position will be very resistant to education efforts, particularly if they are "cognitively" based. However, a significant softening of these affective attitudes towards GM products indicates that such efforts may be effective, given time and investment.

Front-of-pack (FoP) nutrition labels are a widely deployed tool in public good marketing. This article reports on a field experimental test of the impact of one of these systems, the Australasian Health Star Rating system (HSR), on consumer choice in the breakfast cereals category in New Zealand. This study forms part of a time-series replication stream of research on this topic. The research applied a 2 × 2 factorial design with multiple replications to retail food consumers exiting from supermarkets in New Zealand. The first part of the time series, undertaken shortly after the HSR's initiation in 2014, indicated that the HSR was ineffective. Between 2014 and 2016, commercial brands in the category within New Zealand massively promoted the HSR as a basis for consumer choice. The research presented in this article forms part of the second part of the series, undertaken in 2016, using an identical experimental methodology to the 2014 study. The results indicate that the HSR may be beginning to influence consumer choice as it was predicted to, but the impact of the system is still small, and statistically sub-significant, relative to other consumer decision inputs presented on the package.

Objective: The present research was an experimental test that aimed to quantify the impact of two dominant front-of-pack (FOP) nutritional label formats on consumer evaluations of food products that carried them. The two FOP label types tested were the traffic light label and the Percentage Daily Intake., Design: A 4×5 partially replicated Latin square design was used that allowed the impact of the FOP labels to be isolated from the effects of the product and the consumers who were performing the evaluations., Setting: The experiment was conducted on campus at the University of Otago, New Zealand., Subjects: The participants were 250 university students selected at random who met qualifying criteria of independent living and regular purchase of the products used in the research. They were not aware of the purpose of the research., Results: The presence of FOP labels led to significant and positive changes in consumer purchase intentions towards the products that carried them. These changes were not affected by the nature of FOP labels used, their size or the product nutritional status (good/bad) that they were reporting., Conclusions: The result is consistent with the participants paying attention to the FOP label and then using it as an adimensional cue indicating product desirability. As such, it represents a complete functional failure of both of these FOP label types in this specific instance. This result supports calls for further research on the performance of these FOP labels before any move to compulsory deployment is made.

Pro-environmental practices are an essential component of consumer culture in this century. Consumers are endeavouring to be eco-friendlier than ever, yet extant research suggests that consumers who are sensitive to rapidly changing fashion trends are mostly unwilling to repair out-of-fashion clothes, and consequently, unsustainably dispose of their unwanted garments. The scarcity of empirical research on the mediating effects of fashion-sensitive consumers' pro-environmental practices on their clothing repair behaviour is thus the fundamental motivation for this research. The primary research data in this study were collected using a cross-sectional online survey of 1013 adult consumers from four Anglosphere countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States of America. A total of 515 female, and 498 male, fashion-sensitive consumers from these countries indicated that general pro-environmental practices have a positive effect on their clothing repair behaviour. Specifically, older male consumers with higher education levels are more likely to engage in clothing repair behaviour than are female consumers. Canadian consumers are the most likely, by country, to engage in clothing repair behaviour, based on the mediating effect of their pro-environmental practices. Conceptually, this research sheds light on the association between pro-environmental practices of fashion-sensitive consumers and their clothing repair behaviour. Pragmatically, the findings of this research provide insights for social marketers in developing effective clothing repair strategies for fashion-sensitive consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the details of consumer response to lab grown 'cultured meat (CM)', compared to meat derived from insects, plants and animals. A sample of 254 New Zealanders were interviewed. A word association exercise revealed that consumer reaction to CM was dominated by affective, rather than cognitive factors. The linkages between a general food neophobia scale, a specific CM evaluation scale and purchase intent were studied. The general neophobia scale performed poorly as a predictor, while the 19-point CM evaluation scale performed well. Reducing this scale to its seven affective components, and then to just the two key affective components did not significantly reduce the scale's predictive performance. Overall, the results of this research reveal very significant differences in preference for meat products based upon their origins. Insect protein was strongly disfavoured over all alternatives, while cultured meat was significantly disfavoured compared to more established alternatives. The implications of this for the commercialisation of CM are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fashion industry has recently heeded the call for sustainability and ethically sound production. There has been, however, a reluctant uptake of these products with many consumers and a seeming conflict with existing 'fast fashion' desires in this area. This study explores the attitudes of fashion consumers toward sustainable products, ethical fashion purchasing and their subsequent behaviour. The research applies the developmental theory model to a fashion context, finding fashion consumers can be categorized into one of three groups: 'Self' consumers, concerned with hedonistic needs, 'Social' consumers, concerned with social image and 'Sacrifice' consumers who strive to reduce their impact on the world. These different groups view fast fashion in conflicting ways and subsequent implications for marketing sustainably produced fashion products to each group are, thus, significantly different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Consumption behaviour has long been linked to identity and notions of the self, where materialistic behaviours and attitudes are seen as determinants of self-image. Previous literature has focused on mothers' consumption in general, but not specifically in regard to identity construction through purchasing for an infant. There is a dearth of academic research understanding mothers' consumption behaviour that links identity construction with infant clothing, where the child is part of the mothers' extended self and display of self-identity. This qualitative, exploratory study provides insight into how mothers construct and express their identity through the extended self, contributing to consumer culture theory. The study examines the purchasing motivations of 14 mothers, utilizing depth interviews and projective association techniques. The findings indicate three predominant drivers underlying mothers' consumption, namely prioritizing the child, self-representation and conspicuous branding. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumption behaviour has long been linked to identity and notions of the self, with these concepts becoming ever more relevant in a global culture of consumption where materialistic behaviours and attitudes are seen as determinants of self-image. Against this landscape of consumption, Generation Y is oft criticized as the 'want it now' generation, focused on hedonic acquisition of possessions and brands. This group was born into a society that reinforces the self through having and have been encouraged to consume since childhood. Debt is increasing in the youth market, with most teenagers now having access to credit cards and university graduates entering the workplace with high levels of consumer as well as educational debt. This study examines the consumption behaviour of two sets of young adult consumers: recent home leavers and those who have lived away from home for a longer period of time, examining their experience with debt in a framework of self-identity. Core themes to emerge from this research are centred on the place of debt in establishing identity and self-worth in transitional life phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private label products have increased in quality and range in recent years and now make up 17% of grocery sales in New Zealand. These changes mean that private label goods are no longer seen as a 'budget' alternative to branded goods, but a legitimate choice for consumers in the supermarket environment. Consumer motivations for private label grocery purchases are examined in this article, with findings suggesting that product category is the most important factor in determining choice between a private label and a branded good, with different levels of purchase risk attributed to different categories of product. The study documents a two-level decision process for consumers of grocery products - pre-purchase and in-store, finding that rational drivers tend to promote pre-purchase preferences and emotional drivers are more active in the store environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The magazine industry is currently experiencing a period of significant growth, resulting in increased competition in the marketplace. As a consequence of these changes many magazine producers are being forced to look for fresh and innovative ways to attract and retain readers. By broadening our understanding of how brand community relates to the consumption of products such as magazines, this paper aims to highlight the way in which the community concept offers opportunities to further bridge the gap between a product and the needs of the consumer. Design/methodology/approach - The study follows a qualitative approach, using a two-stage research design consisting of semi-structured intercept interviews and focus group inquiry. Findings - The research generated a number of findings in regards to magazine loyalty, brand attachment, reader connections, community formation and the use of traditional brand community support tools in the magazine industry context. Research limitations/implications - Overall, magazine consumption is found to be conducive to brand community formation, and a number of recommendations and guidelines for fostering and supporting magazine brand communities can thus be given. Originality/value - This paper extends existing brand community knowledge and current research by investigating the factors driving the formation of brand community in a specific context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]