Abstract

Obesity rates are increasing worldwide, with an alarming number of associated co-morbidities and deaths. Evolutionary psychology explains this development with an inherent preference for fatty and sweet foods. Recent evidence shows that consumers with a low socioeconomic status are more prone to being obese, but also that consumers with few resources respond more to scarcity signals. Based on this background, this paper investigates whether overweight individuals with a low income respond more to scarcity signaling in terms of sales promotions than others.To this end, a large-scale online survey was conducted across four food product categories in the setting of an online supermarket. Results show that overweight or obese individuals with low income levels responded more strongly to scarcity signaling. The findings inform researchers in terms of explaining different responses to sales promotions and support practitioners in aligning sales promotions to target group-specific behavior.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.