Abstract
• Psychographic segmentation of Norwegian food consumers. • Three segments with different propensities for functional foods are explored. • Self-controlled consumers have the healthiest eating habits. • Weight- and convenience-oriented consumers #1 target for functional food suppliers. This study aimed to identify, describe, and compare consumer segments based on food- and health-related values and traits and how the segments are related to functional food consumption. A hybrid hierarchical k-means clustering approach was used to identify homogeneous consumer segments based on food innovativeness, food self-control, hedonic eating values, convenience orientation, health importance, and weight management concern. Based on a representative sample in Norway, three consumer segments were identified: the careless , the self-controlled , and the convenience-oriented . The careless were uninterested in food and health matters and did not appreciate novelty or variation in their food choices. The self-controlled were the most receptive to novelty and food innovation and highly engaged in health matters. The convenience-oriented were the most inclined to consume functional foods, had a pronounced convenience orientation, and were concerned about weight gain. How the industry needs to adapt its marketing strategy across consumer segments are discussed.
Highlights
The term functional foods encompasses both natural and industrially processed foods, which “when regularly consumed within a diverse diet at efficacious levels have potentially positive effects on health beyond basic nutrition” (Granato et al, 2020, p. 94)
Sec ond, building upon theories about domain-specific values (Vinson, Scott, & Lamont, 1977), this study extends the previous literature by intro ducing and combining important antecedents such as convenience orientation (Candel, 2001), hedonic eating value (Babin, Darden, & Griffin, 1994; Voss, Spangenberg, & Grohmann, 2003), and health importance (Steptoe, Pollard, & Wardle, 1995; Tudoran, Olsen, & Dopico, 2009) as bases for segmentation
We introduce indi vidual differences in attitudes and behavioral tendencies toward the Journal of Functional Foods 86 (2021) 104736 consumption of functional food (Section 1.1) and describe how such constructs have been previously used as segmentation bases to profile groups of functional food consumers (Section 1.2), before presenting theoretically sound arguments for why the inclusion of the specific traits and values used as segmentation bases in the present study is relevant (Sections 1.3–1.5)
Summary
The term functional foods encompasses both natural and industrially processed foods, which “when regularly consumed within a diverse diet at efficacious levels have potentially positive effects on health beyond basic nutrition” (Granato et al, 2020, p. 94). According to social cognition models, such as the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991) and selfdetermination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985), or the cognitive hier archy model (Homer & Kahle, 1988), values and traits influence behavioral tendencies indirectly through more proximal beliefs, per ceptions, and attitudes in a trait/value–attitude–behavior causal chain (Ajzen, Fishbein, Lohmann, & Albarracín, 2018; Hagger & Chatzisar antis, 2009) Guided by this causal assumption, this study employs a person-centered approach (Howard & Hoffman, 2018) to identify and explore consumer profiles or segments based on theoretically derived personality traits and personal values and to profile the segments by their attitudes, intentions, and consumption of functional food
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