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Abstract After World War II, consumer patterns of food consumption changed dramatically. Initially, it was mobility, economic evolution, and home appliance technologies that induced a shift toward meals eaten outside [...]

Health claims on food packaging can focus on the presence of good (vs. the absence of bad) and the preservation of nature (vs. nutritional improvements). We study the frequency of use of four resulting types of claims ('clean,' 'whole,' 'diet,' and 'enriched') in three categories over the past ten years and contrast it with the preferences and associations of American and French consumers. Focusing on breakfast cereals, we find a strong match in France but a mismatch in the United States, where marketers' claim use is negatively correlated with consumers' claim preferences. The mismatch arises from the underuse of presence-focused and nutrition-based 'enriched' claims (e.g., 'added calcium') and the overuse of absence-focused and nutrition-based 'diet' claims (e.g., 'low fat'). The mismatch is more pronounced among privately-owned companies than among public companies, which tend to claim that their products are healthy in the way that consumers prefer., Author(s): Pierre Chandon [sup.1] , Romain Cadario [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.424837.e, 0000 0004 1791 3287, INSEAD, Boulevard de Constance, , 77300, Fontainebleau, France (2) grid.6906.9, 0000000092621349, Rotterdam School of [...]

When consumers purchase service plans, they often fail to choose the lowest cost alternative because of their general tendency to avoid pay-per-use pricing. The present research examines the role of psychological process in consumer' preference for price plans, focusing on the reasons for lower preference for pay-per-use plans. In addition, this research proposes a novel method to increase the preference for pay-per-use pricing by simply reframing it as a price plan with an initial allowance and gains and losses from the allowance. The results of seven studies demonstrate that the reframed pay-per-use plan is preferred to the regular pay-per-use plan, although the actual costs are the same. The increased preference for the reframed pay-per-use is caused by the change in the salient reference point that influences the perceived gain and loss of the price plan., Author(s): Sejeong Yun [sup.1] , Kwanho Suk [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.15444.30, 0000 0004 0470 5454, Division of East Asian Studies, Yonsei University Mirae Campus, , #343, Jeongui Hall, 1 [...]

Marketers frequently use individual names as part of their brand-naming strategy. This research investigates how the use of a possessive (indicated by an apostrophe s) versus non-possessive form in a brand name (Mrs. Smith's vs. Mrs. Smith) affects consumer brand preferences and choice for less familiar brands. Building on the theory of possessions, this work demonstrates that consumers infer a brand as being under control of an owner implied in a possessive brand name. Eight studies using real-world data and field and lab experiments show that this inference results in enhanced brand purchase intentions and money spent on a brand's product. This research also establishes that the focal effect occurs for consumers less familiar with the brand and for those with high desire to relinquish control. The core effect reverses in co-creation contexts because this process enhances consumers' own desire for control and thus conflicts with the inferred sense of an owner's control over the brand. Additionally, the current work shows that the positive effect of brand-name possessiveness applies only when no brand longevity information is mentioned; the effect is attenuated when brand longevity is communicated, because older brands are generally seen as largely in control of their performance. Beyond informing theory on the effects of a possessive form in brand names, the findings aid marketers in identifying specific marketplace outcomes for possessive-form brand-naming strategies., Author(s): Mansur Khamitov [sup.1] , Marina Puzakova [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411377.7, 0000 0001 0790 959X, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, , 1309 E 10th St, 47405, Bloomington, IN, [...]

Customer journey models consider information search behavior only at the pre-purchase stage, yet consumers search for information after purchasing. This paper updates customer journey models by integrating two different streams of research-customer journey and post-decision information search (PDIS)-and examining information search as a valuable consumer response and managerial element of the journey. Findings from a multimethod approach, in-depth interviews and a longitudinal survey, reveal that consumers can engage in PDIS in the pre- and post-consumption phases for different reasons such as to maximize the utility of a purchase, reduce choice uncertainty or regret, and/or satisfy curiosity about a purchase and pre-purchase information search behavior. The findings also indicate that consumers prefer customer-initiated touchpoints for PDIS behavior. The importance of PDIS is reinforced by its positive relationships with customer engagement, word-of-mouth and repurchase intentions. This article provides important managerial insights for dealing with PDIS in the customer journey., Author(s): Cristiane Pizzutti [sup.1] , Renata Gonçalves [sup.1] , Maura Ferreira [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.8532.c, 0000 0001 2200 7498, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, , 855 Washington [...]

Many durable goods firms use price promotion strategies and advertising simultaneously to impact consumer preferences among vertically differentiated product offerings. In this research, we use a large secondary dataset of automotive purchases (N = 323,959) to investigate how advertising spending differentially moderates the positive impact of both customer- and retailer-directed price incentives on consumers' premium level of purchase for vertically differentiated products. We find that higher advertising spending magnifies the positive impact of customer-directed price incentives on consumers' preference for more premium purchases. In contrast, higher advertising spending attenuates the positive impact of retailer-directed price incentives on consumers' preference for more premium purchases. Our work is distinct from previous research, which has almost exclusively focused on the CPG industry and the effects of advertising and price promotions on general demand metrics-instead of consumers' preferences for premium products. Our work has important implications for practitioners and consumer welfare., Author(s): Chadwick J. Miller [sup.1] , Daniel C. Brannon [sup.2] , Jim Salas [sup.3] , Martha Troncoza [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.30064.31, 0000 0001 2157 6568, Carson College of Business, [...]

This research examines the effect that leaving space between products has on consumers' estimation of product size. We theorize and empirically confirm that when space is left between products (i.e., the display is interspaced), consumers are better able to distinguish the product from the environment, which results in more attention being devoted to the product, and, in turn, larger estimation of the product's size. Furthermore, we demonstrate downstream outcomes (i.e., consumer choices, purchase intentions) of the effect of interspatial product display on product size estimates; that is consumers react more favorably to products that are displayed in an interspatial product display when their product usage goals require large-sized products. Meanwhile, non-interspatial product displays are preferred when consumers holding a consumption goal geared to a small product size. Finally, we validate and solidify these novel interspace effects in both advertising and retailing contexts via a series of six studies including five different product types (e.g., shampoo, food, water bottle)., Author(s): Yuli Zhang [sup.1] , Hyokjin Kwak [sup.2] , Marina Puzakova [sup.3] , Charles R. Taylor [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.262550.6, 0000 0001 2231 9854, School of Business, Stockton University, [...]

Discrete choice experiments have emerged as the state-of-the-art method for measuring preferences, but they are mostly used in cross-sectional studies. In seeking to make them applicable for longitudinal studies, our study addresses two common challenges: working with different respondents and handling altering attributes. We propose a sample-based longitudinal discrete choice experiment in combination with a covariate-extended hierarchical Bayes logit estimator that allows one to test the statistical significance of changes. We showcase this method's use in studies about preferences for electric vehicles over six years and empirically observe that preferences develop in an unpredictable, non-monotonous way. We also find that inspecting only the absolute differences in preferences between samples may result in misleading inferences. Moreover, surveying a new sample produced similar results as asking the same sample of respondents over time. Finally, we experimentally test how adding or removing an attribute affects preferences for the other attributes., Author(s): Katharina Keller [sup.1] , Christian Schlereth [sup.2] , Oliver Hinz [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.7839.5, 0000 0004 1936 9721, Goethe University Frankfurt, , Theodor-W.-Adorno Platz 4, 60323, Frankfurt am [...]

This study investigated consumers' preference, attitude, and perception towards cassava bread in Ile-Ife, Osun state. Specifically, this study described the socioeconomic characteristics of bread consumers in the study area, analyzed consumers' awareness, perception, and attitude towards the consumption of cassava flour bread, at 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% cassava flour substitution for wheat, and analyzed consumer preference towards cassava flour bread. Data was collected, with the aid of a pre-tested and well-structured questionnaire, from 100 respondents through a two stage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics and conjoint analysis were used to analyze the data. The result revealed that most of the respondents were already aware of the cassava bread policy. In terms of respondents' perception and attitude towards the policy, findings revealed that 10% cassava bread was perceived as the best, while 40% cassava bread was perceived as the least preferred. However, the perception of about 30% was above fair level. The conjoint analysis estimates showed that the attribute most preferred by the respondents in cassava bread was extremely low price. It further showed that combination of attributes most preferred was extremely low price, excellent texture, excellent appearance, and excellent taste. The study recommends that the producers of cassava bread should ensure that the price is affordable combined with excellent texture, excellent appearance, and excellent taste. Also, the Federal government could move the cassava bread policy from the present 10% to 30%. Nevertheless, further research work should be done on how to improve the 40% cassava bread to be more acceptable to consumers. Key words: preference, attitude, perception, cassava, bread, Ile-Ife, INTRODUCTION Bread is historically the most popular staple food (Connor, 2012). Bread is one of the foods that are extensively consumed in Nigeria. According to Adejugbe et. al. (2012), bread [...]

Appliance labels allow consumers to choose products based on their energy use. In most countries, the widely adopted comparative categorical labels give information on energy use in physical units such as kilowatt-hour. Studies on the impact of monetary cost information on labels have reported different results across appliances within studies, and for the same appliances across studies. Recent studies on refrigerators show that monetary information increases the probability of cost-effectiveness analysis and fosters choice of energy-efficient refrigerators but do not estimate the consumer willingness to pay for higher efficiency category. In a discrete choice experiment, we observe choices of a sample of households divided into groups based on whether they get operating cost information on hypothetical choices. We estimate a mixed logit model with correlated random parameters and estimate the magnitude and distribution of consumer willingness to pay for higher energy efficiency category. We find that energy cost information on labels facilitate comparison of refrigerators based on energy-efficiency and leads to a positive willingness to pay for higher levels of energy efficiency. It also increases the share of respondents having a positive willingness to pay for higher efficiency. We conclude that annual energy cost information on refrigerator labels can improve the effectiveness of labelling policy in India. Keywords: Energy efficiency, Appliance labelling, Willingness to pay, Energy cost information, Discrete choice model, 1. INTRODUCTION Research shows that energy-efficient technologies are cost-effective, yet they face multiple barriers in adoption (Ruderman et al., 1987; Sutherland, 1991), the phenomenon commonly referred to as the 'energy-efficiency [...]

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of power state, level of social exclusion, and the individual characteristic of need for uniqueness on consumption choice between viewing Major League Baseball (distinctive option) and the South Korean baseball league (general option) as well as viewing attitudes toward the general option. Binary logistic regression and 2 (power state: high vs. low) [chi square] (social state: inclusion vs. exclusion) x 3 (NFU: high vs. medium vs. low) ANOVA were used to test the study hypotheses. Results indicated that first, the need for uniqueness (NFU) influenced the distinctive choice. Second, power states affected the distinctive choice of consumers. Third, individual levels of social exclusion did not yield significant results. Additionally, the interaction effect between power state and social state as well as the interaction effect between power state and the three levels of NFU were significant. Keywords: power state, social exclusion, social inclusion, need for uniqueness (NFU), baseball, distinctive choice, The twenty-first century witnessed an acceleration in the globalization of baseball. Baseball has expanded to various parts of the world, and games are being played in many foreign countries outside [...]

Habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq) is cultivated predominantly in the Volta, Central and Ashanti regions of Ghana and commonly utilised in most local dishes. Majority of consumers prefer the dried form of the pepper. However, farmers are usually confronted with the challenge of obtaining low-cost, locally fabricated dryers that can efficiently dry agricultural produce while mitigating quality and safety concerns. In this study, a model of the newly designed chimney solar dryer by the Horticulture Innovation laboratory of the University of California, Davis, in the United States of America, for crop drying in developing countries was constructed and its performance evaluated in comparison to open sun drying. Habanero pepper was used as a test crop. Subsequently, microbial analysis was carried out on the dried products. The mean chimney dryer temperature (46.4[degrees]C) was found to be higher than the ambient temperature (36.2[degrees]C). The relative humidity in the chimney solar dryer and the ambient ranged from 25% to 68% and 26% to 83%, respectively. During the period of the drying experiment, mean maximum solar insolation of 823.18 W/[m.sup.2] was recorded at 11.30 am while a mean minimum solar insolation of 107.84 W/[m.sup.2] was recorded at 4.30 pm. The solar-dried and sun-dried pepper recorded total drying time of 35 h and 55 h respectively. The mean performance coefficient of the chimney solar dryer was determined to be 1.21 which gives an indication of a high dryer performance. The mean yeasts and moulds counts of the solar-dried and sun-dried pepper were 4.30 x [10.sup.4] cfu/g and 2.52 x [10.sup.5] cfu/g, respectively. Also, the Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli counts were Key words: chimney, habanero pepper, open sun drying, performance, quality, solar dryer, INTRODUCTION Postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables in Africa ranges from 30% to 80% [1, 2]. This is largely due to the lack of effective postharvest systems for handling, processing [...]

Introduction: There is a significant need to understand the factors that contribute to parents' consumer preferences for behavioral health services in pediatric primary care; however, no validated measure of such preferences exists. We developed the BIPS (Behavioral Information Preferences Scale), a measure of parents' preferences for delivery of behavioral guidance in pediatric primary care and assessed its psychometric properties. Method: An initial item pool consisted of 3 sections: Behavior topics, intervention approach, and delivery methods. In addition to the BIPS, parents of young children (N = 396) completed measures of child behavior problems and parenting self-efficacy. We conducted principle component analyses and examined correlations of the resulting factors. Results: The behavior topics section resulted in a two-factor solution (conduct/emotions and healthy habits), as did the intervention approach section (behavior change and psychoeducation), whereas the delivery methods yielded three factors (usual care, auxiliary care, and media resources). Patterns of association with parent reported child behavior problems and parenting self-efficacy were indicative of construct validity for the behavior topics and media resources sections. Discussion: The BIPS holds potential for informing the design and dissemination of primary care parenting interventions. Keywords: parenting, family centered care, integrated care, child behavior, measure development, Early childhood is a critical period for preventing later psychological and behavioral problems (O'Connell, Boat, & Warner, 2009). Nearly all young children are seen repeatedly for health supervision in a [...]

This paper compares the commitment and switching propensities of single-homing users, who only consume services from a single provider, and multi-homing users, who consume similar services from multiple providers at the same time. The study surveys 217 users of public file-hosting services, a popular but controversial cloud-based service. The study reveals significant differences between single-homing and multihoming users. For single-homing users, propensity to leave is motivated by trust. For multihoming users, propensity to leave is motivated by commitment. However, the results also indicate that both single-homing and multihoming users perceive similar relationship components (e.g. shared values, mutual understanding, relationship costs and benefits), despite their homing preferences. The findings provide theoretical insight into how different types of users approach online service relationships. The findings have implications for highly separated online service providers., INTRODUCTION User switching is an important problem facing online service providers. Service users across a range of service types may switch their service use between providers and channels as their [...]

The importance of the sanitary conditions of a hotel has been recognized but its importance to travelers might be underestimated. The purpose of this study is to measure the effect of cleanliness on consumer risk perceptions and its influence on attitudes and behavioral intentions. This study used experimental scenario questionnaires (two sanitary conditions: clean versus unclean) and found that health risk perceptions of consumers were affected by cleanliness. The risk perceptions also affected consumer attitudes, which then influenced behavioral intentions., Introduction Recent pandemic outbreaks, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), influenza A (H1N1), and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have affected consumer behavior globally. During the SARS [...]

Magwinya, a cereal fried dough, is a popular traditional snack widely consumed across various ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa, but little is known about its production and consumption in a scholarly context. It is against this background that the survey was carried out. This study examined production process, ingredient formulation, sales, characteristics and consumption of magwinya in Thohoyandou (South Africa), with the aim of developing a healthier form of magwinya. Out of the 30 magwinya production sites visited and 650 consumer questionnaires distributed, data were obtained from 29 sites and 634 consumers: a response rate of 97% and 98%, respectively was realized. Results revealed details on formulation, ingredients, processing methods, sales, consumption patterns and consumer preference of magwinya; and proposed considerations for development of a healthier magwinya. Cake wheat flour (55%) was the main ingredient used. Production process was non-automated as evidenced by manual mixing and fermentation processes (93%), coupled with low usage of electronic equipment (14%). With a daily turnover between ZAR500-ZAR3000 ($35 - $210), there is a need to improve magwinya production through an automated production line, especially for large-scale producers of this product. The daily turnover indicated that magwinya production is a lucrative business contributing immensely to the livelihoods of, and financially empowering the producers, who were females (100%). Consumer data revealed magwinya to be a moderately liked food (46%) consumed at least twice a week (32%), as either a snack or main meal; with taste as the most favoured characteristic (79%). About 93% of consumers fell within Key words: Magwinya, vetkoek, magwinya production, South African cereal fried dough, low-fat magwinya, fried cereal snack, INTRODUCTION Surveys have been carried out on food processing [1] and food purchasing/consumption practices in relation to nutrition and health [2-7]. Data obtained from food consumption surveys can be an [...]