The Effects of Sensory and Nonsensory Factors on Consumer Acceptability and Purchase Intention of Commercial Toothpaste

Abstract

The number of toothpastes on the market has increased not only with respect to flavors (a sensory factor) but also to nonsensory factors such as function, price and brand. The objectives of this study were to examine the consumer liking and purchase intention of toothpaste in the presence and absence of product information and to relate them to the sensory attributes identified in a previous study. Eight commercial toothpastes were selected as samples of the diverse flavors and manufacturers. In total, 160 consumers who were balanced for age and gender were recruited. The consumer test was conducted under both blind (N = 80) and informed (N = 80) conditions. Overall, the preferred sensory attributes were sweet, peppermint, menthol and cooling; however, sensory attributes driving flavor acceptability differed according to gender. Purchase intention appeared to be affected not only by flavor but also by price, brand and labeling. Practical Applications This study applied a procedure developed in a previous study evaluating toothpaste flavor that involved diluting the toothpaste. The tasting of diluted toothpaste by consumers enabled a quick and easy evaluation without oral numbness that can result from repeated toothbrushing, which might have affected consumer acceptability. The findings demonstrated the importance of the presence of information in the consumer test. This study is beneficial in the context of conducting the consumer acceptability study for commercial toothpaste first, and that this study aimed to examine the multilateral factors that affect consumer acceptability and purchase intention of toothpaste with segmented consumers.