Consumer Beliefs Research Articles

Fogyasztói hiedelmek, tévhitek és elvárások egyes zöldség és gyümölcs alapú termékkategóriákban

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Awareness and evaluation of natural pet food products in the United States.

Vet Med Today: Timely Topics in Nutrition 1241 H and nutrition-minded consumers have a considerable interest in and demand for natural food products, including natural foods for their pets. Natural pet food is the fastest growing segment of the pet food industry in the United States, compared with the science, grocery, and overall pet specialty segments. Sales of natural pet foods increased from $2.0 billion in 2008 to $3.9 billion in 2012. Interest in natural pet foods and ingredient sourcing was fueled by the 2007 recall of pet food products adulterated with melamine and related derivatives as a result of the inclusion of Chinese-sourced wheat gluten, rice gluten, and corn gluten. Consequently, consumer awareness of pet food safety and the inclusion of specific ingredients in pet foods were heightened, which resulted in increased demand by consumers and pet food manufacturers for traceability of pet food ingredients, specifically with regard to country of origin. The rapid growth in the demand for natural pet foods is also propelled by the unsubstantiated belief of many consumers that diets consisting of meat, whole grains, and fewer by-products offer better nutritional options for their dogs and cats. A preference for recognizable ingredients (eg, fruits and vegetables) listed on the label parallels consumers’ beliefs that these foods are good for the health and well-being of their pets. Understanding what constitutes a natural pet food and how to assess its quality is necessary to enable veterinarians to confidently provide nutritional advice to pet owners. The purpose of the information provided here is to clarify the definition of natural pet foods in the United States and provide guidance for assessing natural pet food products. In addition, qualityand safety-related aspects involved in delivering optimal companion animal nutrition is discussed.

Consumers' perceptions of vape shops in Southern California: an analysis of online Yelp reviews.

BackgroundE-cigarettes are sold at many different types of retail establishments. A new type of shop has emerged, the vape shop, which specializes in sales of varied types of e-cigarettes. Vape shops allow users to sample several types. There are no empirical research articles on vape shops. Information is needed on consumers’ beliefs and behaviors about these shops, the range of products sold, marketing practices, and variation in shop characteristics by ethnic community and potential counter-marketing messages.MethodsThis study is the first to investigate marketing characteristics of vape shops located in different ethnic neighborhoods in Los Angeles, by conducting a Yelp electronic search and content analysis of consumer reports on vape shops they have visited. The primary measure was Yelp reviews (N = 103 vape shops in the Los Angeles, California area), which were retrieved and content coded. We compared the attributes of vape shops representing four ethnic communities: African American, Hispanic/Latino, Korean, and White.ResultsVape shop attributes listed as most important were the selection of flavors or hardware (95%), fair prices (92%), and unique flavors or hardware (89%). Important staff marketing attributes included being friendly (99%), helpful/patient/respectful (97%), and knowledgeable/professional (95%). Over one-half of the shops were rated as clean (52%) and relaxed (61%). Relatively few of the reviews mentioned quitting smoking (32%) or safety of e-cigarettes (15%). The selection of flavors and hardware appeared relatively important in Korean ethnic location vape shops.ConclusionsYelp reviews may influence potential consumers. As such, the present study’s focus on Yelp reviews addressed at least eight of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products’ priorities pertaining to marketing influences on consumer beliefs and behaviors. The findings suggest that there were several vape shop and product attributes that consumers considered important to disseminate to others through postings on Yelp. Lack of health warnings about these products may misrepresent their potential risk. The main influence variables were product variety and price. There was only a little evidence of influence of ethnic neighborhood; for example, regarding importance of flavors and hardware. Shop observational studies are recommended to discern safety factors across different ethnic neighborhoods.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12971-014-0022-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A Dynamic Model of Price Signaling, Consumer Learning, and Price Adjustment

We examine a model of consumer learning and price signaling where price and quality are optimally chosen by a monopolist. Through numerical solution and simulation of the model we find that price signaling causes the firm to raise its prices, lower its quality, and dampen the degree to which it passes on cost shocks to price. We identify two mechanisms through which signaling affects pass-through. The first is static: holding quality fixed, price signaling increases the curvature of demand relative to the case where quality is known, which ultimately acts to dampen how prices respond to changes in cost. The second is dynamic: a firm that engages in signaling recognizes that changing prices today affects consumer beliefs about the relationship between prices and quality in the future. We also find that signaling can lead to asymmetric pass-through. If the cost of adjusting quality is sufficiently high, then cost increases pass through to a greater extent than cost decreases. We thank Heski Bar-Isaac, Michael Grubb and Tarcisio Da Graca for feedback on earlier drafts. We also thank audiences at the International Industrial Organization Conference 2012, Econometric Society 2014, EARIE 2014, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis for comments. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco or the Federal Reserve System. University of Toronto, Institute for Management and Innovation and Rotman School of Management. email: matthew.osborne@rotman.utoronto.ca Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. email: adam.shapiro@sf.frb.org

An Exploratory, Descriptive Study of Consumer Opinions and Behaviors Regarding Health Products Sales at 4 Chiropractic Practices in a Large, Western Canadian Urban Center

ObjectiveThis study describes the opinions and behaviors of chiropractic patients in a large, western Canadian urban center regarding the sale of health products by doctors of chiropractic. MethodsA brief, descriptive survey consisting of both fixed-choice and open-ended questions was distributed by clinic reception staff at 4 chiropractic offices in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Each practice sold a range of health products, including those relating to musculoskeletal care and nutrition, and served between 275 and 320 clients per week. ResultsAfter a 10-week recruitment interval between January and March 2013, a convenience sample of 103 chiropractic patients was obtained. Most patients supported the sale of health products by doctors of chiropractic (n = 101; 98.1%), and most had made health product purchases from a doctor of chiropractic at some point (n = 73; 70.9%). Products relating to muscular care, exercise/rehabilitation products, and pillows were purchased most often (>40%). Consumers were most supportive of doctors of chiropractic selling products they perceived to be directly related to musculoskeletal care. Some participants believed that there should be limits placed on the range of products sold including the products had to be consistent with the practitioner’s area of expertise and had to have some demonstrated level of effectiveness. Primary reasons for health product purchase included the doctor’s recommendations, convenience, and perception that the product would improve well-being (>50%). ConclusionsThis study found that chiropractic patients were supportive of health product sales by doctors of chiropractic, assuming certain conditions were met. Consumers believed that product sales should be undertaken with integrity and should be consistent with the doctor’s area of expertise. Consumer beliefs appeared to impact their purchasing behaviors.

Optimal Revenue Maximizing Mechanisms in Common-Value Position Auctions

We study the optimal mechanism in position auctions in a common-value setting where only ordinal information about the advertisers is posted and auctioneer revenue depends on consumer belief about ad qualities. We show that when bidder valuations are correlated, existence of a simple non-ironed optimal mechanism requires a stronger condition that the usual increasing virtual valuation assumption. With fixed number of positions, the corresponding optimal decision rule (among all mixed and pure strategies) is to allocate the ad positions to advertisers in decreasing order of quality. More importantly, when the search engine also chooses the number of ads to post, ignoring the consumer belief endogeneity will lead to posting too many ads compared to what maximizes the search engine revenue. We also show that when only one ad position is available, the optimal allocation rule uses a reserve price which is higher than what is implied by Myerson 1981 seminal work. Finally, we characterize the optimal mechanism when cardinal information about advertiser quality is posted, and we provide results on how search engine revenue compares under the two regimes.

Attitudes and Beliefs of Raw Milk Consumers in Northern Colorado

By exploring the attitudes and beliefs of northern Colorado raw cow milk consumers, this study seeks to improve understanding of factors motivating raw milk consumption. We recruited 20 adult participants who recently participated in a cow-share program. Major factors motivating consumer preference for raw milk were alternative dairy cow maintenance practices; the belief that raw milk is a more natural or unprocessed product; perception of greater healthfulness of raw milk, including improved digestion and nutrition; desire for a closer connection to food; and preferred sensory characteristics. Despite recognized health risks, consumers considered their raw milk safe and disagreed with government information on raw milk.

Understanding consumer choices for Ontario produce

AbstractResearch has demonstrated growing public interest in local food and that this interest is driven by a number of factors including supporting local farmers, reducing the distance food travels, sustaining the environment, and food safety and quality. However, there has been very little research relating factors to actual purchase behavior. This study begins to fill that gap by relating consumer beliefs and values toward local foods with activities that support local foods as well as the actual purchase behavior for 22 fresh produce items. Data were collected through an Ontario-wide, web-based survey that is part of a longitudinal panel regarding food issues. Results from 1879 completed surveys indicated consumers had positive perceptions of local food and felt responsible for buying local, but also experienced barriers when trying to do so. Positive perceptions toward local food and a greater sense of personal responsibility to buy local were positively associated and higher barriers negatively associated with the likelihood of engaging in activities related to supporting local food as well as buying fresh produce items that were produced in Ontario. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context that consumers seem to have an overall orientation or schema to buying local in general, rather than a highly specific schema directed to one or a few particular products.

A Theoretical Framework: The Role of Trust and Perceived Risks in Purchased Decision

The aim of this paper is identify and explore the conceptual framework of the relationship among country of origin, familiarity, and world-mindedness toward purchased decision through trust and perceived risk mediating role. The identification result obtains conceptual framework of variable relationship that influences imported product purchased decision. The identification result indicates that when the business consumer perception on the country of origin, familiarity, and world-mindedness is positive, then it will improve consumer belief in making a purchased decision. Trust and perceived risk has reciprocal relationship. Purchased decision, to some extent, is influenced by trust first and then considers the perceived risk possibility. On the other hand, farmers consider purchase risk so that they have to gather product information as many as possible then evaluate the product to build product quality belief during the purchased decision process. Originality delivers integrated conceptual framework to explain the relationship of purchased decision with country of origin, familiarity, and world-mindedness as mediated by the role of trust and perceived risk.

The impact of inference generation on belief formation

This study investigates the effects of generating inferences (or failure thereof) with incomplete advertising messages on consumer's belief formation. A factorial design is used to systematically investigate the roles of product knowledge, message structure, and inference prompting in this process. The results show that inference generation or failure affects not only the belief per se, but also the confidence in the belief and that strength of learned beliefs about the product tends to be congruent. Specifically, high knowledge consumers' inferred beliefs are stronger, held with higher confidence, and more congruent with their existing beliefs than those of low knowledge consumers. Interaction effects are also observed between product knowledge and message structure for low knowledge consumers. High knowledge consumers are not affected by message structure or inference prompting condition. Implications of these findings for inference-persuasion research, advertising effectiveness, and future research are discussed.

Equity Return Predictability, Time Varying Volatility and Learning About the Permanence of Shocks

I consider a consumption based asset pricing model where the consumer does not know if shocks to dividends are stationary (temporary) or non-stationary (permanent). The agent uses a Bayesian learning algorithm with a bias towards recent observations to assign probability to each process. While the true process is stationary, the consumer's beliefs change as he misinterprets a drift in dividends from their steady state value as an increased likelihood that the dividend process is non-stationary. Belief changes result in large swings in asset prices which are subsequently reversed. The model then is consistent with a broad array of asset pricing puzzles. It predicts the negative correlation between current returns and future returns and the PE ratio and future returns. Consistent with the data, I also find that consumption growth negatively correlates with future returns and the PE ratio and consumption growth forecast future consumption growth. The model amplifies return volatility over the benchmark rational expectations case and exactly matches the standard deviation of consumption. Finally, the model generates time varying volatility consistent with the data on quarterly equity returns.

Key drivers of consumer loyalty to Facebook fan pages

Purpose – With the rapid expansion of social networking sites, researchers and practitioners are challenged to understand drivers of customer loyalty in fan pages. The purpose of this paper is to identify the main drivers of Facebook fan page loyalty in order to promote the creation of affective links and long-term relationships with users. Design/methodology/approach – The impact of trust, fan page content dependency, attitude and consumer beliefs on loyalty to fan pages was tested through structural equation modelling techniques. The sample consisted of 691 Spanish Facebook users. Findings – Data analysis shows that attitude appears as a key variable in increasing loyalty to fan pages. The empirical study also found a significant positive influence of perceived usefulness, attitude, trust and dependency on loyalty in fan pages, and an indirect influence of perceived ease of use mediated by perceived usefulness and attitude. Practical implications – This research enables managers to know what aspects to highlight in their communication strategies to increase fan page use and positive word-of-mouth. Research findings show managers that Facebook fan page content should provide valuable information, be fun and foster user interactions in order to improve user attitude and loyalty. Practical recommendations to reinforce consumer trust on Facebook fan pages are also provided. Originality/value – There are still too few studies that analyse the effects of trust and fan page dependency on fan page users’ loyalty. This work aims to combine the influence of dependency on fan pages, trust, attitude and Technology Acceptance Model beliefs in order to construct an improved model for fan page loyalty formation.

Country of Origin Effects on Consumer Beahvior

This piece of research paper deals with country of origin effects on consumer behavior. It is a review of all the research that has taken place over so many years in this area. It provides an answer that country of origin does effect consumer beliefs, attitudes and perceptions. Country image effects and the tendency of consumers to be ethnocentric leads to certain biases for certain products of certain countries which neutralize as consumers become more familiar with the products and involved in the purchases. Differences in the demographic profiles of consumers also lead to varying degrees of country of origin effects. This study is an important piece of information for marketers who often are in dilemma about the choice of which strategy to be adopted because the world, even though globalized, is still carrying boundaries of its cultural, political and economic environments.

Consumer beliefs regarding farmed versus wild fish

Aquaculture is a food-producing activity, alternative to traditional extractive fishing, which still acts as a reference for most consumers. The main objective of the present paper was to study which consumer beliefs, regarding farmed versus wild fish, hinder the potential development of the aquaculture sector. To achieve this purpose the study was organized into two complementary steps: a qualitative approach (focus groups) aimed at assessing consumer perception about wild and farmed fish and to identify the salient beliefs that differentiate them; and a quantitative approach (survey by means of a questionnaire) to validate the results obtained in the focus group discussions over a representative sample of participants (n = 919). Results showed that participants perceive clear differences between farmed and wild fish. Although no significant differences between both kinds of fish were detected on safety, in general farmed fish was perceived to be less affected by marine pollution, heavy metals and parasites. In the contrary, wild fish was considered to have healthier feeding, to contain fewer antibiotics and to be fresher, healthier, less handled and more natural. Beliefs related to quality were in favour of wild fish, while those related to availability and price were in favour of farmed fish. Significant differences were observed in the perception of both kinds of fish depending on the consumers’ objective knowledge about fish, on the level of education, age and gender and on the three segments of consumers identified: “Traditional/Conservative”, “Connoisseur”, “Open to aquaculture”. The results provided could play an important role when planning and designing efficient marketing strategies for promoting farmed fish by adapting the information provided to the perception of each segment of consumers identified by the present study

Moderating effect of website types in the relationship between trust and consumers’ intention to use online shopping

Doing business in the virtual environment, trust is considered as an essential condition for the willingness of consumers to make a transaction with Internet seller. Many earlier empirical studies explored that website characteristic (web design, web quality, e-vendor reputation and etc.) is also considered as a significant factor affecting consumers’ trust and their decision to make a purchasing on the Internet. It is shown that Web quality not only has a positive impact on consumer beliefs of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, but also affects consumer perception of E-vendor’s image and prestige. The main objective of this study is to examine the role of website types as a moderating factor in the relationships between consumers’ trust and their intention to use online shopping. By using Amos 20.0 with the Maximum Likelihood estimate technique for analyzing data collected via 597 online shoppers, the results indicated that there is a moderating effect of website types in the relationship between trust and consumers’ intention to shop via the Internet (that is, there are differences of the role of trust and its influence on consumers’ intention to use online shopping among domestic website buying group, foreign website buying group and both of websites buying one as well). Findings of this study have importantly contributed on the theoretical as well as practical perspectives. Also, this study has pointed some implications for manager and researcher in the future. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Table Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

Evaluating consumer response associated with sponsorship of major sporting events in Australia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the key determinants of positive consumer behaviour associated with sports sponsorship. Using the consumer decision-making process and classical conditioning principles as an underpinning framework, it examines consumer perceptions of a sponsor, sponsored property and sponsorship activity relative to their intention of purchasing a sponsor's product or service. The purchase intention of consumers is analysed as an outcome of five significant constructs: event factors, sponsor factors, sponsorship factors, a pre-purchase response and the transfer of image values. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from approximately 700 respondents using a validated survey instrument. Factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to analyse survey data. The conceptual model and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling. Findings – The findings revealed that personal beliefs of consumers, sponsor-event fit and image transfer have a strong bearing on their post-event response, which further leads to a strong image transfer value. This is central to predicting a consumer's intention to purchase. Research limitations/implications – Both sponsors and sponsored properties must invest resources towards market research to facilitate the development and adherence of appropriate fit and congruence objectives. Most importantly, a holistic, consumer-centric approach to sponsorship examination offers marketers a guide to effective sponsorship planning and execution and a sound return for their investment. Originality/value – Despite its potential importance hardly any research has previously been conducted in relation to the return on investment associated with sponsorship of major sporting events in Australia.

Survey Reveals Urban Consumers' Attitudes and Beliefs Regarding the Use of Wax on Apples

AbstractThis research explored consumers' awareness, attitudes and beliefs regarding the use of wax on apples, using a survey consisting of five demographic questions, 14 apple wax questions and five apple wax information statements. Consumers responded to queries regarding the use and nature of wax coatings, as well as any health and environmental concerns. They identified their preferred apple treatment (unwaxed, waxed, either) four times throughout the survey, after being presented with information. Consumers' responses were evaluated according to their demographics (age, gender and ethnicity). Statistical analyses (frequency plots, analysis of variance) were used to evaluate data from the two largest ethnic subgroups of consumers (European, Asian) (n = 781). On average, consumers lacked knowledge and information about apple waxing. Interestingly, 84% of consumers initially stated they preferred unwaxed apples. While some 40% of consumers changed their preferences once additional information was provided, another 42.3% of consumers did not.Practical ApplicationsThis research successfully documented the attitudes and beliefs of urban consumers toward the use of wax on apples. It suggested some consumers might be more willing to accept waxed apples, if additional information (brochure or leaflet) was available, while others would not. As such, the research provided industry with objective information to assess the appropriateness of their marketing/retailing practices in order to meet the needs of their consumers.

An empirical study to analyse consumer decision-making and their purchase intention towards products promoted via Internet marketing

In the modern era, consumers are having access to a lot of information. Many companies have found the importance of collaboration and creativity. Due to immense competition, companies need to find out the unspoken and unmet needs of the consumer. So it is very important for companies to build strong and influential brands. Consumption of any product is not accidental, but a manifestation of a consumer–buying behaviour and consumer's belief (psychological, economical, social, cultural, and geological). Social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and YouTube have seen the growth of users. Various organisations have started exploring the power of such a large user membership to influence the online buyers. There are so many reference groups which influence consumer–buying behaviour. This paper explores the role of technology advancement and social media in the process of flow of information and its impact on consumer collective wisdom.

How to produce the belief in clean sports which sells

Organisers of sport competitions sell a product, consisting of athletes’ performance and integrity of competition. These components are consumed simultaneously. Consumer demand for elite sport is at its highest when athletes perform at a high level and when consumers can believe in the athletes’ compliance with the rules. Anti-doping tests are needed because doping cannot be observed directly by consumers but only through the results of doping tests. However, if tests catch too many guilty deviators, consumer belief in the athletes’ compliance diminishes. Organisers of sporting events must decide on the intensity of testing in order to stabilise consumer demand. Intensive testing has the potential to deter athletes from using illicit substances or methods, thus leading to a low rate of detected athletes. A low rate of tests will deter fewer athletes from doping, but will also lead to a low number of detected athletes. Both strategies support consumer belief in compliance with the rules but have differing impact on athletes’ performance. Using a formal model and conducting a numerical simulation, we show that the present rate of about 2% adverse analytical findings is optimal for maximising the economic value of the competition for consumers, organisers, and athletes. Additionally, we show that the maximum utility of a low test rate can be changed if some specific but implausible criteria are met.

DECIDING TO CHANGE: AN EVENT SEQUENCE ANALYSIS OF TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION BEHAVIOR IN CONSUMERS

Existing, staged models of consumer adoption behavior offer little in the way of theoretical justification, and their empirical validity is in doubt. A qualitative empirical study provides another view by exploring the behavioral decision process by which transportation consumers adopt alternatives to single occupancy vehicles. The study finds that adoption behavior consists of interplay between three conscious, cognitively distinct processes: selecting, evaluating and maintaining. All three processes are characterized in detail in this study. What emerges from the study's data is the first theory to explain the "how" of technology adoption in terms of endogenous mental processes. The study lays the foundation for a more comprehensive causal theory of the adoption process that will provide a step-by-step explanation of how events or life experiences cause a consumer's beliefs about a technology to change over time. It also identifies evaluating, selecting and maintaining as fundamental "microlaws" of innovation: regular rules that describe the generating processes of emergent innovations.