This current research contributes to the concept of consumer-based food label equity (CBFLE) by testing the predictive validity of a scale developed by Coderre et al. (2022) in the sustainability and health domains of seafood products. In Study 1 (N = 301; between-within subjects), we found that scores on all subscales, except the (Dis)honesty subscale, were significantly related to willingness to buy fish fillets without a label in comparison with the B Corp sustainability label and a fictitious label. There were no differences between labels. In Study 2 (N = 200; within-subjects), we found similar results for fillets with a health-related label: the American Heart Association Heart-Check. However, scores on the awareness subscale were not significantly associated with willingness to buy fish fillets. Overall, our results suggest that the CBFLE and the scale predict WTB in the context of sustainability and health signalling.
The relative impact of health communication conveyed via quick response codes: A conjoint experiment among young Thai consumers doing grocery shopping
This paper explores the impact of health communication using smartphones and the outcome of healthier purchases when young Thai consumers shop for groceries. A conjoint experiment was arranged whereby participants (n = 214) purchased grocery using information conveyed via quick response (QR) codes. Results show that a healthy food label, and a good consumer rating on the food’s health, evoked the consumers’ tendencies towards interacting with a smartphone in the purchasing situation. In addition, likelihood of buying increased. Further simulations revealed that health communication conveyed via QR codes can be a good investment for brands to increase healthier purchases.
Information, ingestion, and impulsivity: The impact of technology-enabled healthy food labels on online grocery shopping in impulsive and non-impulsive consumers
Introduction: Unhealthy food consumption is a problem for society, companies, and consumers. This study aims to contribute to knowledge regarding such issues by investigating how technology-enabled healthy food labels can impact food choice in an online grocery store context. We conceptualized unhealthy and healthy food choice as a matter of impulsivity problems. Three technology-enabled healthy food labels were derived based on variables that might impact self-control, and their influence on food choice was investigated.
Methods: The empirical study consisted of three parts. In the first part, participants’ impulsivity was measured using an adjusting delay task. Part two investigated the effects of self-monitoring, pre-commitment, and social comparison-based technology-enabled healthy food labels on food choice in a hypothetical online grocery shopping setting using a choice-based conjoint experiment. Lastly, in the third part, three where demographical questions were asked.
Results: The results (n = 405) show that self-monitoring, pre-commitment, and social comparison-based technology-enabled healthy food labels had the most to least impact on food choice in that order. Furthermore, the results indicate that self-monitoring and pre-commitment labels had more impact on the choice for impulsive compared to non-impulsive participants. Similarly, the results indicate that social comparison had more impact on choice for non-impulsive participants. These findings suggest that self-monitoring of previous healthy food choices might be more effective than pre-commitment based on discounts for healthy food products. However, these differences were minor.
Discussion: This finding has managerial implications as grocery stores might increase their revenue by introducing self-monitoring labels in an online grocery shopping setting. Future research should investigate these technology-enabled healthy food labels in natural food purchase settings
Analyzing motivating functions of consumer behavior: Evidence from attention and neural responses to choices and consumption
Academia and business have shown an increased interest in using neurophysiological methods, such as eye-tracking and electroencephalography (EEG), to assess consumer motivation. The current research contributes to this literature by verifying whether these methods can predict the effects of antecedent events as motivating functions of attention, neural responses, choice, and consumption. Antecedent motivational factors are discussed, with a specific focus on deprivation as such a situational factor. Thirty-two participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and control conditions. Water deprivation of 11-12 h was used as an establishing operation to increase the reinforcing effectiveness of water. We designed three experimental sessions to capture the complexity of the relationship between antecedents and consumer behavior. Experimental manipulations in session 1 established the effectiveness of water for the experimental group and abolished it for the control group. Results from session 2 show that participants in the experimental group had significantly higher average fixation duration for the image of water. Their frontal asymmetry did not provide significant evidence of greater left frontal activation toward the water image. Session 3 demonstrated that choice and consumption behavior of the relevant reinforcer was significantly higher for participants in the experimental group. These early findings highlight the potential application of a multi-method approach using neurophysiological tools in consumer research, which provides a comprehensive picture of the functional relationship between motivating events, behavior (attention, neural responses, choice, and consumption), and consequences.
An Explorative Study on the Impact of Antecedent Mood States on Consumers’ Evaluation of Hotels Online
Many travelers plan their trip using online
booking platforms. These often have recommendations for
things to do and explore in the target destination. The
suggestions could have either positive or negative
connotations. This study aimed to investigate if such
recommendations can trigger certain mood states that
impact consumers’ evaluation of hotels online. Web-based
mood induction procedures were used to see whether moods
as antecedent states had any impact on consumers’
evaluations of hotel bookings. The results of the conjoint
analysis demonstrate that the impact of location and hotel
reviews can change based on consumers’ mood. The impact
of mood can help online managers in developing more
effective hotel marketing and advertising strategies. This paper is published at the IEEE International Engineering and Enginering Management (IEEM) conference 2021.
Call for Industrial PhD Fellowship in Omni-channel and Business Analytics
EUROSKO is looking for one outstanding candidate for a 4-year doctoral project in the industry in cooperation with Kristiania University College in the fields of Omnichannel/Business Analytics. The successful candidate is expected to start the appointment with EUROSKO autumn 2021. The candidate will be members of the Behavior & Technology Lab (BTLab) at Kristiania University College and will be expected to conduct research of high-quality level under the supervision of Prof. Asle Fagerstrøm.
Price consciousness as basis for Thai and Finnish young adults’ mobile shopping in retail stores
An increasing number of global consumers use their smartphones to shop for goods. This short paper published in Procedia Computer Science aims to explore if a price-conscious decision-making style has a relationship with young adult consumers’ tendency to perform mobile shopping in retail stores. The study is conducted as a survey with a sample that includes two different nationalities. The results suggest interesting positive relationships between price consciousness and mobile shopping activities in retail stores. Furthermore, the results indicate that there are differences between the two markets studied. Price consciousness seems to have a stronger association with mobile shopping for the investigated Thai respondents than for the Finnish respondents.
Motivating Events at the Point of Online Purchase: An Online Business-to-Business Retail Experiment
The point of online purchase includes the location and conditions in which an online transaction takes place. The term usually comprises the presentation of the products available for purchase by consumers as well as the means of completing the transaction. Knowledge about how the online setting and the specific situation influence consumers at the point of online purchase setting may increase the success of online marketing activities. An online experiment was arranged for the analysis of motivating events at the point of the online purchase situation. The results show that the treatment group had a conversion rate of approximately 39% for up-sell offers. Also, results show an increased revenue of 87.94% for the treatment group compared to the control group. Results of the experiment are discussed in relation to the concepts of rule and rule-governed behavior at the point of online purchase. This study is published in Procedia Computer Science.
Special Section on “Health, Technology, & Behavior Science”
Valdimar Sigurdsson (Reykjavik University) and Asle Fagerstrøm (Kristiania University College) are guest editors for a special section on “Health, Technology, & Behavior Science” in Perspectives on Behavior Science. The aim of this section is to provide reviews and empirical research that integrates the latest technological innovations and behavior science. The contributors in this special section demonstrate that behavior science can aid an understanding of why people do or do not engage in a healthy lifestyle and help identify what is needed to design a successful health behavior intervention through the use of technology
The relative importance of healthy food labels when shopping for groceries online
Healthy food labels are a widely used form of intervention that nudges consumers towards healthier choices. This study is published in Procedia Computer Science and investigates the relative importance of healthy food labels on the consumers’ online choice of grocery. A conjoint study (n=111) shows that price, brand, and country of origin had a relatively higher impact on choice than health food labels. However, it is important to note that consumers are not completely indifferent to the presence of a healthy food label and it increases chances of a product being chosen online. The results also demonstrate gender differences, as healthy food labels had a stronger impact on female consumers.