Can facial expressions predict beer choices after tasting? A proof of concept study on implicit measurements for a better understanding of choice behavior among beer consumers

Abstract

Relying solely on explicit liking could lead to a misunderstanding of consumers’ real intentions, ultimately resulting in the failure of a new product after its launch on the market. Analyzing facial expressions as an implicit measurement may provide a better understanding of consumers’ preferences at a subconscious level by capturing their objective responses to products after tasting. Therefore, the present proof of concept study investigated facial expressions among beer consumers while tasting beer samples. The first objective was to examine the feasibility of a newly developed measurement protocol for capturing facial expressions for analysis. The second objective was to determine possible indices that may be able to predict the choice of beers after tasting. A total of 151 Japanese beer consumers who took part in two tests (n = 50 and n = 101, respectively) tasted three beer samples. The participants were video-recorded throughout the taste tests, and 10 s of video were extracted for each sample to analyze facial expressions during the tasting using an automated facial expression analyzer. Instead of directly asking about liking, choice behavior was measured after each participant tasted all three beer samples. The results suggested that measuring facial expressions during beer tasting is a feasible method that provides adequate data for effective analysis. The results also indicated the possibility of creating effective indices of facial expressions to predict the choice of beers after tasting, and that the “Lip suck” and “Lip press” expressions contributed negatively and positively to beer choices, respectively.