How do consumers use emoji in a food‐related context? Insights for the design and interpretation of emoji questionnaires

Abstract

AbstractThe present research contributed to the growing body of research regarding the use of emoji in sensory and consumer research by filling an acknowledged knowledge gap. Its specific aim was to explore the meaning of emoji in a food‐related context. The empirical approach involved 357 consumers who were tasked with writing a social media post or text message relating to a situation involving eating/drinking which was to be centered around a specific emoji. A total of 21 facial emoji were included in the research. As expected, emoji were used to convey different meanings, including degree of liking/disliking, emotional associations, gestures and expressions. The emoji were also used as part of messages describing negative and positive disconfirmation of expectations, which points to the importance of measuring expectations in a food‐related context. Two emoji were identified as unsuitable for future research due to their nonconsensual meaning ( and ).Practical ApplicationsEmoji have significant potential as a research tool, stretching beyond cross‐cultural research or studies involving children, to general applications in food‐related consumer research. This is further enhanced by their versatility which includes use in emotion questionnaires, open‐ended questions and web‐scraped content. The present research provides recommendations for the design of emoji questionnaires, as well as insights on emoji meanings in a food‐related context. Results also highlight the relevance of negative and positive disconfirmation of expectations in shaping emotional associations with eating/drinking experiences, and, as such, serve as a reminder to include these important determinants of consumer behavior in future emotion‐focused research.