Consumer Perspective Research Articles

Consumer complaints about food packaging

Today, the public’s perception of food packaging is primarily negative, which is mostly triggered by factors such as the use of (fossil) resources, waste generation, and (marine) littering. Accordingly, the (re)design of packaging is focusing in particular on environmental sustainability (e.g., recyclability). However, it seems that in parallel, consumer experience and satisfaction continue to decline, which is reflected in numerous online complaints about packaging. Building on related European food and packaging legislation, dissatisfaction, and consumer complaint behavior (CCB) literature, this study aims to analyze online consumer complaints and identify underlying causes using the Netnography method. Over 250 complaints were collected, categorized, and evaluated based on images shared online, and as a result 12 design categories were identified that triggered significant dissatisfaction among consumers. These include food packaging that implies a higher quality or quantity of products through text-based information, design elements such as graphics, certain packaging sizes, windows, and sleeves as well as the seemingly excessive use of packaging material. The subsequent discussion shows that the consumer perspective and the legal framework have many points in common and that a different realization of the already existing requirements can avoid dissatisfaction in many cases. As a result, this study provides stakeholders from research, development, and politics with an important basis for significantly increasing consumer satisfaction along with the ecological (re)design of packaging.

Willingness to consume insect-based food in France: Determinants and consumer perspectives

Despite having an appealing nutritional profile and lower environmental impacts compared to traditional meat products, edible insects face challenges in gaining consumer acceptance, especially in western societies. No consumer study on edible insects has been conducted in France. Hence, this study aims to evaluate French consumers’ willingness to adopt insect-based food (IBF) and identify factors influencing entomophagy (the consumption of insects as food). A 46-question online questionnaire was administered to 617 subjects to assess how various explanatory variables impact IBF acceptance through difference tests, correlation analysis, and multiple correspondence analysis. The results revealed that 69% of respondents were introduced to entomophagy, and 53% had consumed IBF before the survey. Environmental sustainability and nutritional value were identified as major motivators for entomophagy, which could inform promotional strategies for IBF in France. Unfamiliarity and disgust emerged as primary barriers to entomophagy. However, the study suggested that these challenges could be overcome by repeated exposure to entomophagy, which reduced food neophobia and food disgust sensitivity, increased familiarity with entomophagy, and improved insect-eating experiences and willingness to consume IBF. Overall, the study highlights the potential for entomophagy in France and emphasizes the need to address consumer perceptions to foster broader acceptance of IBF.

Consumer Informatics and One Health: Shifting the Focus from the Individual to the Globe. Findings from the Yearbook 2023 Section on Education and Consumer Health Informatics.

To summarise the state of the art during the year 2022 in consumer health informatics and education, with a special emphasis on "One Health". We conducted a systematic search of articles published in PubMed. We build queries to merge terms related to "consumer health informatics", "one health", and "digital". We retrieved 94 potential articles for review. These articles were screened according to topic relevance and 12 were selected for consideration of best paper candidates, which were then presented to a panel of international experts for full paper review and scoring. The top five papers were discussed in a consensus meeting. Three papers received the highest score from the expert panel, and these papers were selected to be representative papers on consumer informatics for exploring one health from consumer perspective in the year 2022. Bibliometrics analysis conducted on words found in abstracts of the 12 candidate papers revealed four clusters of articles, where clustering outcomes explained 96.91% of the dispersion. The first cluster composes three papers related to patient engagement in primary care practices, using digital-delivered diabetes prevention programmes, or exploring citizen involvement in co-designing environmental projects (such as air pollution exposure and health). The second cluster represents four papers related to digital health literacy and consumer behavior, such as digital vaccine literacy, and food labelling influences and whether displaying Nutri- and Eco-Score at food product level led to improved consumer choices. The third cluster consists of two papers exploring strategies to involve citizens in various science projects while analyzing the quality of citizen-collected data (e.g., mosquito bites or gastropod community dataset). The last cluster contains three papers related to the relationships between human behavior with their environment and their contribution to citizen science projects (e.g., biological water quality in the Netherlands distribution, composition, abundance of debris across sandy beaches in Australia and its regions, urbanization and reptile biodiversity across Florida). Traditionally, consumer health informatics focuses on providing individuals with tools and resources to actively manage their own health. By incorporating a global health (or one health) perspective, our field is now at a crossroad, demanding us to think beyond the individual and challenging us to instill the thinking that our actions not only have consequences on the individual but also on the population and the environment. Perhaps this is also a reflective time for the consumer informatics field, to consider shifting the focus from the individual to one that is more aligned with one health, helping consumers gain awareness of how their actions impact on the individual, the population and the environment, and providing them with tools to work collectively to help decide how their actions may bring benefits (as well as harms) across these levels.

Campaign education and communication to the potential consumers of brewers’ spent grain (BSG)-added food products as sustainable foods

Byproduct of the brewery industry, brewers’ spent grain (BSG), has been reported for enhancing the nutritional value of food products thus potentially as a future sustainable food ingredient. As it is a byproduct, society as potential consumers tend to consider BSG as waste. Consequently, commercialization of BSG-added food products would be responded negatively by potential consumers. Campaign education seems to be important in order to familiarize such products to the society thus change the consumers perspective and finally increase the consumers acceptability. This study, which was conducted by an online survey platform (surveymonkey.com), aims to educate the society about the positive value of BSG for human health and its valorisation to the environment which generates sustainable food and to observe their opinion and expectation regarding such products. Majority of participants (57.38%) never knew BSG before. After BSG was introduced, most of the provided information about BSG is new for the majority of participants and they are convinced that consuming BSG-added food products would be beneficial for their health and help a sustainable environment. Furthermore, if such products are claimed as healthy foods, 81.97% of the participants are willing to buy. Besides the mindset of consumers, several issues might need to be considered in commercializing BSG-added food products including food regulation and safety as well as specific health conditions. Further study is still needed in order to educate society in a wider and to be specific in certain groups of community.

Adoption of Voluntary Measures for Reducing Electricity Consumption in the REPowerEU Plan Context: A Romanian Consumer Perspective

Adoption of Voluntary Measures for Reducing Electricity Consumption in the REPowerEU Plan Context: A Romanian Consumer Perspective

소비자의 정보 프라이버시 염려와 보호행동

With the emphasis on balancing the use of personal information with privacy protection, there has been a lot of academic discussion on the factors that influence privacy concerns and the consequences of those concerns. However, there are relatively few studies that examine the impact of various individual factors of customer on privacy concerns and behaviors from the perspective of consumers, who are the subjects of personal information. Furthermore, the role of privacy knowledge level has not been sufficiently discussed. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationship between information privacy concerns and protective behavior based on the APCO model and the theory of motivation to protect. To this end, we examined differences in information privacy concerns and privacy protection behaviors according to personal factors such as gender, age, legal knowledge of privacy laws, education, and income, and tested whether there is a moderating effect between concerns and protection behaviors. The results showed that information privacy concerns were higher among women and those with high legal knowledge, and privacy protection behaviors were higher among those with low age, high legal knowledge, high education, and high income. We also found that legal knowledge had a moderating effect that strengthened the relationship between concerns and protection behaviors. In other words, research results shows that the interaction between personal factors plays an important role in consumers' privacy-protective behavior. This study contributes to the understanding of existing findings on the impact of personal factors on privacy concerns and protective behaviors and extends existing theories.

Designing a wholly online, multidisciplinary Master of Cancer Sciences degree

BackgroundImproving oncology-specific knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals is critical for improving the outcomes of people with cancer. Many current postgraduate education offerings may be inaccessible to busy professionals, contain minimal consumer input or do not focus on the multidisciplinary nature of cancer care. In response to these needs, a Master of Cancer Sciences degree was developed. Our aim is to describe the development of the Master of Cancer Sciences.MethodsWe describe the development of the Master of Cancer Sciences, including its theoretical and its pedagogical underpinnings.ResultsOur approach to curriculum design was guided by Kern’s Six-Step Approach to Medical Curriculum and underpinned by the Seven Principles of Online Learning. These approaches were further underpinned by the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning which informed our approach to audio and visual information design. The pedagogy is interactive, experiential, interprofessional and importantly, includes consumers as educators. In practice, learning activities include peer feedback, multidisciplinary team meeting simulations, group work and clinical role plays. The online environment was visually shaped through infographics, high-quality educational videos and gamification.ConclusionWe have designed a Master of Cancer Sciences that is one of the first wholly online, cancer-specific Masters’ programs. Its industry-led curriculum using evidence-based pedagogical choices utilises a range of novel digital formats and integrates the consumer perspective to provide a holistic overview of the field. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of learning outcomes is ongoing.

Footwear as product‐service systems: Toward sustainable alternative consumption scenarios

AbstractThe existing footwear ecosystem is not environmentally friendly and thus poses a threat to sustainability. In this article, our objective is to take a product‐service systems approach to propose alternative footwear consumption scenarios from a sustainability viewpoint and investigate the perspective of Indian consumers toward the proposed scenarios. To this end, we initially conducted a comprehensive literature review to explore alternative consumption scenarios in the realm of fashion products. This step led to the development of 10 alternative footwear consumption scenarios that focus on maintenance and repair, takeback, assembly, customization, personalization, advice and consultancy, rent, sequential share, swap, and functionality. Next, we adopted the focus group interview methodology to investigate the perception of Indian consumers toward the 10 alternative footwear consumption scenarios, which can inform the footwear industry's product development, marketing strategies, and sustainability initiatives. Our results indicate that while the participants found the consumption scenarios to be interesting and practical, they feel that the proposed scenarios may prove to be more feasible for comparatively expensive footwear products because of the associated logistics costs. Furthermore, the participants pointed out a few cultural as well as hygiene‐related issues that may hinder the adoption of certain alternative footwear consumption scenarios.

South African consumers’ knowledge of genetically modified (GM) food products and influences that affect the purchasing decision of GM foods

Prevailing food insecurity has necessitated the leveraging of alternative food products if the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2), referring to zero hunger for the worldwide population, is to be achieved. Although the production of genetically modified (GM) plant-based crops has been adopted in South Africa (SA), and available for human consumption, a dearth of research exists in respect of SA consumers’ knowledge of, and the influences that affect the purchase of GM food products. An exploratory survey study design included 326 consumers, purposefully selected through snowball sampling from Mooi river, in KwaZulu-Natal province, SA. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to identify underlying drivers for the knowledge and influences on the purchase decisions of GM food products. It was found that although respondents were aware of GM food products and understood the meaning of “genetically modified”, they lacked general knowledge about GM food products, reflected in the minimal scope of their knowledge and uncertainty of GM components present in food products as identified through an EFA. Consideration for purchasing would include the potential to increase food supplies, the reduced usage of pesticides, carcinogenic effects, allergenicity, harmful effect on the environment, longer shelf life and the unnatural development of GM food products. Through EFA, consumption and production implications, consumer advantages, product identification elements, and agricultural pesticide practices were underlying drivers of the influencers of consumers’ GM food product purchasing decisions. Food insecurity could persist if GM consumer education is not re-introduced in SA to address consumer apathy and sense of disengagement towards GM food products. This is attributed to the limited consumer knowledge about GM food products. This study has contributed towards a better understanding of the current consumer perspective on GM food products and what it will take to turn the GM food product aversion into informed consumer decisions and practices. Future research in SA is needed to determine the demographic profile of consumers and how that will influence GM food product purchases in the wake of addressing food security. Key words: food insecurity, food security, GM agriculture, consumer education

Insights into the Nitrogen Footprint of food consumption in Spain: Age and gender impacts on product choices and sustainability

The reactive nitrogen released to the environment caused by food consumption can be quantified through the Nitrogen Footprint (NF). Spain has been traditionally regarded to follow the worldwide recognized healthy Mediterranean diet. However, dietary changes among the population have started to shift from the traditional Spanish food consumption. Based on the established method for quantifying the NF from the consumer perspective, this study aimed to estimate the NF from food consumption in Spain, distinguishing between different age groups and gender. The results show that the food NF in Spain was 12.78 kg of N/cap/year and 601 Gg N/year in total. The main food contributors to the overall food NF in Spain were cereals, beef, and pork, while the food products oilseeds and oil, fruits, and legumes presented a lower contribution to the Spanish food NF. Additionally, differences in the food NF among the Spanish population were also observed. Younger age groups (<10 years) and the elderly (>65 years) presented lower food NF per capita than the rest of the population. In relation to gender, it was observed that women have a food NF slightly lower than men. It was seen that food production NF contributes 91 % to the overall food NF in Spain compared to the total food consumption NF. Key strategies based on improving the N use efficiency of crops and livestock, recycling and avoiding food waste, and implementing more sustainable eating patterns can be applied to reduce the food NF in Spain.

Avengers, assemble! A network-based contingency analysis of spillover effects in multi-brand alliances

Brand alliances are becoming increasingly complex, as marketers have begun to combine not only two but multiple brands to foster spillover effects. A particularly complex brand-alliance strategy is team brands, which combine various brands under a team-brand name. Using data from the Marvel brand universe, we examine contingency factors of sales spillover effects between team brands (e.g., Avengers) and their constituent brands (e.g., Hulk). We investigate the moderating role of key network characteristics, describing the team-brand networks and the constituent brands’ roles within these networks from both a firm perspective (brand-brand networks reflecting managers’ decisions about which constituent brands to combine) and a consumer perspective (brand-association networks reflecting consumers’ team-brand associations). The results show that network characteristics strongly affect spillovers and, more importantly, that their effect depends on both the direction (spillover from constituent brands to team brands or vice versa) and the network (brand-brand vs. brand-association network).

Mental health consumer perspectives of a person-centred multidisciplinary care planning meeting on a rehabilitation inpatient unit.

Mental health consumers are seeking genuine involvement in the planning regarding their treatment and care; however for many consumers in inpatient mental health settings, there is not the opportunity to participate. Current research evaluating person-centred multidisciplinary care planning initiatives in inpatient settings from the consumer perspective is limited. The aim of this study was to explore the consumer perspective of a person-centred multidisciplinary care planning meeting implemented in an Australian inpatient mental health rehabilitation unit. This study used a focused ethnographic design with data collection including fieldnotes, observations of meetings and interviews. Ten individuals participated in the study, with two participating in meeting observations and eight participating in structured interviews. Participants were consumers with a mental health diagnosis admitted to a mental health rehabilitation unit for assistance with achieving their goals for community living. Findings were analysed utilizing thematic analysis. Findings showed that consumers' experiences of the care planning meetings were positive. Themes included; 'It's about you', 'Making decisions and expressing opinions', 'Staff involvement in care planning' and 'Supporting consumer recovery'. These findings add the consumer perspective to the existing evidence base and support the implementation of person-centred multidisciplinary care planning meetings in inpatient mental health settings.

Towards a Conceptualization of Corporate Accountability: A Consumer Perspective

Corporate accountability remains a significant construct in normative business management theory, yet it remains ambiguous in practice. This research operationalizes a three-factor perceived corporate accountability scale from the consumers’ perspective based on the extant literature then validates this scale among three consumer samples. Perceived corporate accountability consists of three factors: proactive expectancy, reactive expectancy, and accountability enforcement. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed.

How does femvertising work in a patriarchal context? An unwavering consumer perspective

PurposeGiven the extensive evidence of femvertising's positive effects in Western cultures, this paper aims to investigate how femvertising may influence customers' perceptions and brand-related outcomes in a patriarchal context such as Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachQualitative methodology was employed in this study, which was based on in-depth interviews involving 17 consumers (including both male and females). Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.FindingsResults indicated that male and female consumers revealed varied and sometimes contradictory perspectives on the perception, understanding and behaviour towards femvertised adverts, which are governed by patriarchal gendered norms.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the body of knowledge by exploring the consumer perception towards femvertising in a patriarchal context, where gender disparity is evident. It also draws attention to the underlying cultural elements contributing towards the formation of those perceptions.

Research on Sustainable Design of Consumers’ Influence Factors of Huaihe Willow Weaving Based on AHP

Technology advancements and modern lifestyle changes have posed a threat to the preservation and development of traditional skills. This research focuses on the sustainable development of Huaihe willow weaving techniques, an intangible cultural heritage of China, with a specific focus on economic and environmental sustainability. The initial step involved analyzing the purchasing intentions of 350 consumers in the Yangtze River Delta region through a questionnaire survey. Based on this analysis, four theoretical hypotheses were formulated. Subsequently, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model consisting of four standard layers and 20 factor layers was constructed. By utilizing judgment matrices, the relative weight values of the standard and factor layers were calculated. Notably, B4 (sustainable innovation) holds the highest weightage at 49%, followed by B2 (product innovation) and B3 (process innovation), each accounting for 20%. B1 (authentic innovation) has a weightage of 11%. This study delves into the interrelation among the crucial factors influencing design innovation in Huaihe willow weaving. Lastly, based on the outcomes of the AHP model, four sustainable design improvement strategies for the development of new Huaihe willow weaving products in the Yangtze River Delta region are proposed. This research sheds light on the sustainable effects of design innovation in the willow weaving traditional craft on commercial and economic progress, from the perspective of consumers. Additionally, it offers experimental data and strategic support for local willow weaving enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region, aiding in the development of new products.

Developing brand meaning theory: the interplay of tangible attributes and intangible associations in relation to local food brands

PurposeThis study aims to explore brand meaning from a consumer perspective, identifying tangible attributes and intangible associations and their arrangement in brand meaning frameworks. Previous literature has focused on brand meaning flowing from intangible associations, and new insights are offered into the tangible attributes’ contribution to brand meaning.Design/methodology/approachA phenomenological approach was adopted, and meanings were gathered from lived experiences with consumers of local food brands. Quasi-ethnographic methods were used, including accompanied shopping trips to food fairs and local farm shops, kitchen visits and in-depth interviews in and around the county of Dorset in the south-west of England.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that tangible attributes have sensorial and functional brand meanings and are mentally processed. Both hierarchical and flatter patterned approaches are present when connecting attributes and associations. The hierarchical approach reflects both short and long laddering approaches; the flatter alternative offers an interwoven, patterned presentation.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a small in-depth study of local food brands, and the findings cannot be generalised across other brand categories.Practical implicationsLocal food brand practitioners can promote relevant sensorial (e.g. taste) and functional (e.g. animal welfare) attributes. These can be woven into appropriate intangible associations, creating producer stories to be communicated through their websites and social media campaigns.Originality/valueA revised brand meaning theoretical framework updates previous approaches and develops brand meaning theory. The study demonstrates that tangible attributes have meaning and hierarchical connections across tangible attributes, and intangible associations should not always be assumed. An additional patterned approach is present that weaves attributes and associations in a holistic, non-hierarchical way.

Exploring the factors influencing public support willingness for banning gasoline vehicle sales policy: A grounded theory approach

Banning gasoline vehicle sales policy (BGVSP) is considered a potentially important drivers for achieving carbon peak. This study, therefore, analyzed public support for such policies from the perspective of consumers. Using a grounded-theory approach, we developed a public-support model for BGVSP, on that basis, revealed the effects of the key elements and the theoretical logic. The results revealed: 1) Individual and psychological factors are important internal motivations, while the external driving factors include contextual factors and product factors. 2) The depth of individual perception is key to filling gaps in attitudes and behavior, and it plays an important role in improving public support. 3) The external contextual factors that affect consumer support mainly include external incentives, social influences, and urban contextual variables, which also play a moderating role in the integration model. The results show that the prohibition policy is easy to bring negative emotions, thereby causing public resistance, so the design of BGVSP should be based on the understanding of individual cognition, attitude and emotions. This paper constructs a model of the motivation of public support for China's localized BGVSP, and clarifies the core influencing factors and mechanisms, which provides fresh ideas for the realization of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

Influence of QRIS Payment Customer Satisfaction Towards Customer Loyalty And Continuity

The official standardized payment system in Indonesia, Quick Response Indonesian Standard (QRIS), was introduced on August 17, 2019. QRIS is anticipated to facilitate QR payment systems, which allow for scanning a single QR code from various digital payment services as long as they are registered with QRIS. The researcher conducted exploratory research to better grasp the consumer perspective on utilizing QRIS due to the increased usage of QRIS over time. It has been discovered that employing QRIS still has its limitations. With that, a more thorough investigation is conducted into the relationship between customer pleasure and loyalty. Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Flow, Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty, and Adoption Continuity are the variables put to the test. The Generation Z population in Indonesia actively utilizing QRIS in the Bandung and Jabodetabek region serves as the study's sample. Data from 205 samples, categorized as Generation Z, were collected and subjected to descriptive and PLS-SEM analyses. According to the study, perceived usefulness and flow favorably affect satisfaction. Also favorably affecting perceived flow is perceived usefulness. Adoption Continuity is positively impacted by satisfaction and perceived utility. Customer loyalty and adoption continuity both benefit from satisfaction. The results of this study are anticipated to have implications for future research as a valuable point of reference for researchers developing new research studies in the field of marketing, as well as for business owners who already offer or will offer QRIS as a payment method to ensure a smooth payment flow for their customers.

Residential Environmental Protection Commodity Consumption Model and Trend Forecast Based on Consumer Preference

With the development of the social economy, people’s living standards continue to improve, and the consumer demand for environmentally friendly products also increases. At the same time, many businesses have an inaccurate grasp of consumers’ consumption concept of environmentally friendly products, and there are many problems of imbalance between supply and demand. In order to improve consumers’ consumption concepts of environmentally friendly goods and maintain a balance between supply and demand in the market for environmentally friendly goods, this article takes energy-saving appliances as an example to analyze their product consumption models and trend predictions. Based on quantifying changes in residents’ consumption, two consumption models are proposed to address consumption concepts and supply and demand issues and to analyze residents’ consumption of environmentally friendly goods. The conjoint analysis method is to score and sort the products according to the willingness of consumers to a certain product, and finally analyze consumers’ preference for environmentally friendly products according to consumption behavior. The article divides the discrete choice model into four small models. Different analyses are carried out according to the consumption in different states, and from the perspective of consumers, the consumption preferences of consumers when purchasing commodities are analyzed to determine the main factors that affect consumers’ purchase of environmentally friendly commodities. In the experimental part of the article, two consumption models are used to analyze consumers’ consumption preference for environmental protection products, the prediction accuracy of consumption preference, and consumption desire. The experimental results found that consumers of different age groups have increased their desire to purchase environmentally friendly products under the stimulation of the consumption model. Under the stimulation of the discrete choice model, the consumption of residents under the age of 18 increased by 23% compared with the original. Compared with the conjoint analysis method, the discrete choice model is 12% more effective in stimulating consumption desire, and the stimulation effect is better.

Unveiling Bharalu River's Pollution Crisis through a Choice Experiment

In recent years, there has been a growing global concern regarding environmental degradation, pollution, and climate change, which significantly impact the development of both developing and developed nations. This growing concern has piqued the interest of economists in the field of environmental economics, which focuses on understanding how economic activities of producers and consumers affect our environment. Environmental economists aim to explain policies and initiatives that can improve the quality of life for present and future generations. Environmental issues hold particular significance for developing countries, where widespread poverty exists and there is an urgent need for accelerated economic growth. One crucial aspect of environmental degradation is declining water quality, which can have various impacts on the economy. These impacts can be observed in the health sector, where labor productivity can be affected, as well as in agriculture, where both the quality and quantity of food production may decrease. Furthermore, sectors such as tourism, real estate, aquaculture/fisheries, and others that rely on environmental quality and ecosystem services can also suffer negative consequences. The Bharalu River in Guwahati, Assam, is a prime example of an essential water resource that has undergone gradual degradation over the years, transforming into an urban municipal drain. Once a river flowing with pristine water and teeming with biodiversity, it has now experienced heavy industrialization and urbanization along its course, resulting in alarming pollution levels. This study aims to analyse the economic impact of Bharalu River's pollution from the perspective of consumers. It employs a discrete choice experiment to determine people's willingness to support the ecological restoration of the river and discusses the associated issues and challenges involved in the restoration efforts.