Consumption Choices Research Articles

Gendered Brand Cues and Sustainability Perceptions: Exploring the Role of Brand Gender in Consumer Sustainability Judgments

While sustainability is a key consideration for many consumers, discerning a brand’s sustainability is too complex for routine consumption choices, often leading people to rely on irrelevant cues. Perhaps one such cue is the perceived gender of products and brands. Building on existing literature which suggests an association between environmentally conscious behavior and femininity (Brough et al., 2016), the present research explores whether gendered brand cues influences consumers’ perceptions of the brand’s sustainability, and in so doing impacts their purchase intentions and attitudes toward the brand. We conducted a preregistered study with 600 participants to investigate the causal impact of brand gender on sustainability perceptions. Using a 2 x 3 between-subjects design, participants were either primed to report their own green consumption values or not and then randomly assigned to one of three conditions: masculine, feminine, or neutral (control). Each participant was presented with a coffee brand where the brand's gender was manipulated through semantic (e.g., brand name) and visual (e.g., packaging) cues. When primed with a sustainability cue, participants who saw the feminine-branded product viewed it as significantly more sustainable than the neutral (control) condition (p=.007) and marginally more sustainable than the masculine-branded product (p=.070). We also found that across all conditions, sustainability perceptions predicted purchase intentions (p<.001) These findings suggest a potential relationship between the gender of a product’s branding and the extent to which the brand is perceived as sustainable. This research not only provides insights for marketers to strategically position products to align with eco-conscious consumer values but also contributes to the broader literature on how consumers form sustainability judgments about products, highlighting the subtle influence of gendered branding in this process.

Business Intelligence in E-Commerce

Now a days online shopping has become popular and E-commerce are a usual concept. However, companies still have little knowledge about their customers. It is important to merge e-commerce with business intelligence, because this would enable to obtain knowledge about e-commerce platforms, customers, discovering purchasing patterns, better financial performance and so on. Now a days it became more important to know the need and preference of customers and provide the required products to them. This paper provides a review on how business intelligence helps in the development of E-commerce and helps the businessmen to take decisions about their products.

Analysing Segmentation and Behavioural Dynamics in Customer Purchase Behavior

Consumer behavior is one of the most vital aspects of business, given the need to make an enterprise competitive in the market by improving marketing efforts and the product range. The project goes further into the actual segmentation and analysis of consumer behavior in relation to purchase through data analytics and machine learning for the identification of significant trends and patterns. The most important outcome of this phase is that a mere 1% of customers are able to fairly estimate delivery timings, hence showing the most room for further advancement. The implementation also takes place of an intelligent product recommendation system that personalizes product recommendations for a greatly enhanced customer experience. The paper provides strategic recommendation for optimal promotion, steering clear of purchase slumps, e.g. on Saturdays. The outcome is tangible insight for businesses by which they can fine- tune strategies adopted to elevate customer satisfaction. Keywords: Consumer Behaviour, Segmentation, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Patterns of Purchase, Marketing strategy

A Study On The Impact Of Digital Marketing On Consumer Buying Behaviour

In customer-oriented marketing environment, the buying pattern of consumer changes at a fast rate. The consumer behaviour is influenced by various factors like price, features, quality, packaging, status, generation, age of the customer, etc. the technological factor influences consumer buying behaviour to a great extent. New innovations in technology have brought challenges and opened up opportunities for existing businesses. Businesses all over the world have been adapting technology related strategies to enable them to maximise customer networks. Technology has revolutionised marketing, moving it from more conventional forms to digital marketing, which uses digital media to communicate marketing material. A significant portion of customer purchasing behaviour is influenced by digital marketing. Digital platforms like blogs, websites and social networks are crucial for boosting a business’s sales and strengthening its clientele. Therefore, its crucial to comprehend how and where these channels affect consumer behaviour. This paper focuses on how consumer purchasing behaviour is impacted by digital ads, social media, blogs and reviews. A survey is made to perform the research and each respondent is given a well-crafted questionnaire. Analysis and interpretation are limited to the data obtained from the questionnaire.

Influence of Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) on Consumption and Purchasing Patterns of Poultry Products from Three Selected Districts in Sri Lanka

The study reported herein investigated the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on purchasing and consumption patterns of poultry products among the communities in Kandy, Gampaha and Galle districts of Sri Lanka. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data from 629 respondents. The questionnaire explored different socio-economic and health factors affecting on consumption and purchasing frequencies of chicken meat, meat products and eggs before and during the pandemic. The results revealed that the pandemic has made an impact on consumption frequencies of chicken or processed chicken products. Weekly purchasing amount of chicken or processed chicken products has been declined during the pandemic. Many respondents increased their egg consumption during the pandemic. Stocking poultry products during the pandemic has also increased. The study concluded that though the purchasing frequencies and the amount of chicken or processed chicken products have been changed consequently to the pandemic, neither the purchasing method nor purchasing brand has been changed. The pandemic had no influence on buying patterns for eggs but has contributed to increased egg consumption frequency among the public.

Why Survey-Based Subjective Expectations Are Meaningful and Important

For decades, households’ subjective expectations elicited via surveys have been considered meaningless because they often differ substantially from the forecasts of professionals and ex-post realizations. In sharp contrast, the literature we review shows that household characteristics and the ways in which households collect and process economic information help us understand previously considered puzzling facts about their subjective expectations. In turn, subjective expectations contribute to explain heterogeneous consumption, saving, investment, and debt choices as well as different reactions by similar households to the same monetary and fiscal policy measures. Matching microdata on households’ characteristics with the price signals the same households observe, their subjective expectations, and their real-world economic decisions is crucial to establishing these facts. Our growing understanding of households’ subjective expectations inspires several theoretical and empirical research directions and begets the design of innovative and more effective policy instruments.

Ethical Consumption: A Review and Research Agenda

ABSTRACTEthical consumption is a domain of consumer research that focuses on individuals' ethical concerns when making consumption decisions. Owing to its enormous potential as a research domain, ethical consumption has gained increasing importance, especially in view of the impact of consumption choices on the environment and society as a whole. This study consolidates the existing body of information on ethical consumption through a systematic literature review (SLR) employing the SPAR‐4‐SLR methodology in conjunction with the ADO‐TCM framework. An extensive search was conducted using the Scopus and Web of Science databases, carefully selecting 125 publications related to ethical consumption from 2002 to 2023. Next, a comprehensive descriptive analysis was conducted to identify the most substantial gaps in the literature and propose concrete directions for future research. Scholars across academic fields can utilize these findings and guidelines to inform their research, while practitioners can implement ethical consumption behavioral philosophies in their sustainable business practices.

The mediating role of attitude and environmental awareness in the influence of green advertising and eco-labels on green purchasing behaviors

Purpose This study aims to identify whether green advertising and eco-labels influence the purchasing behaviors of organic products or whether the influence of such behaviors is presented through the mediating effect of the attitude and environmental awareness of millennials. Design/methodology/approach This study used a quantitative, correlational and cross-sectional design. A total of 430 millennials participated in the study. The questionnaire consisted of 20 questions, distributed across five variables. It was applied to people outside shopping centers in the city of Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador. The results were subjected to statistical tests to determine the internal consistency of the instrument. The convergent and discriminant validity of the research model was verified through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. SPSS 20 and AMOS 24 were used for statistical analyses. Findings The study identified that attitude and environmental awareness mediate the relationship between green advertising and green purchasing behaviors, as well as the relationship between eco-labels and green purchasing behaviors. Furthermore, it has been proven that green advertising directly influences the green purchasing behaviors of organic products among millennials, whereas eco-labels do not. Originality/value This study is among the initial investigations to delineate the connection between elements of green marketing and the buying patterns of organic goods among millennials in an emerging economy. The study provides answers to earlier scholarly inquiries that proposed examining the correlation among the constituents of the theorized framework.

The Consumer Preference and Buying Pattern of Medicines through E-Pharmacy During COVID-19 in Kathmandu Valley

This study examines the consumer preference and buying pattern of medicines through e- pharmacy during COVID-19 in Kathmandu valley. Consumer buying behaviour is selected as the dependent variable. Similarly, patient safety, price, consumer loyalty, consumer satisfaction and purchase intention are selected as the independent variables. This study is based on primary data with 145 observations. The correlation coefficients and regression models are estimated to test the significance and importance of different factors influencing e- pharmacy during COVID-19 in Kathmandu valley. The study showed that patient safety has a positive impact on consumer buying behaviour. It means that increase in patient safety leads to increase in consumer buying behaviour. Similarly, consumer loyalty has a positive impact on consumer buying behaviour. It indicates that increase in consumer loyalty leads to increase in consumer buying behaviour. Moreover, consumer satisfaction has a positive impact on consumer buying behaviour. It means that increase in consumer satisfaction leads to increase in consumer buying behaviour. Likewise, price has a positive impact on consumer buying behaviour. It shows that increase in price leads to increase in consumer buying behaviour. Similarly, price has positive impact on consumer buying behaviour. It shows that higher the price, higher would be the consumer buying behaviour. Further, purchase intention has a positive impact on consumer buying behaviour. It shows that higher the purchase intention, higher would be the consumer buying behaviour.

Navigating the challenges: exploring the association between COVID-19 lockdowns and eating behavior in university students: a systematic review and investigation of factors impacting ed levels.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the mental and physical well-being of individuals globally, with university students being particularly susceptible to mental health issues. Factors such as the transition to adulthood, economic hardships, and academic responsibilities, compounded by pandemic-related disruptions like lockdowns and remote learning, have elevated stress levels and altered daily routines. The pandemic has given rise to post-traumatic stress symptoms in certain individuals, including university students which may contribute to the emergence of emotional eating or adopting unhealthy eating patterns as a coping mechanism, leading to excessive consumption or unhealthy dietary choices. This review aims to investigate the influence of COVID-19 restrictions on eating disorders among university students and identifying the contributing factors. Out of 59 identified articles, 10 met the inclusion criteria, involving 23,542 participants (70.2 % women, 29.35 % men, 0.42 % gender fluid/undisclosed). The lockdown led to increased prevalence and severity of eating disorders among university students, particularly in women. The review highlights a notable increase in eating disorders among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health issues, reduced physical activity, and economic stress were significant contributors to this trend, with women being disproportionately affected. To mitigate the impact of future pandemics or similar disruptions, universities should implement early screening, provide mental health counseling, virtual support groups, nutritional guidance, and opportunities for physical activity. Encouraging students to seek professional help is crucial for managing mental health and eating habits in such scenarios.

Trends and Awareness of Nutritional and Health Aspects of Dahi Consumption: A Consumer Analysis in Anand and Vidyanagar, Gujarat, India

This study investigates the consumption patterns and consumer awareness of dahi in Anand and Vidyanagar cities. India, as a major dairy producer, relies heavily on fermented milk products like dahi, which plays a crucial role in the national diet and dairy industry. This research aims to analyze current trends in dahi consumption and assess awareness levels regarding its nutritional and health benefits. Through a survey of 100 respondents, the study reveals demographic characteristics, dahi consumption habits, and awareness levels regarding health benefit of dahi. The results show a high prevalence of dahi consumption (94%) with a preference for packed dahi (56%) and frequent consumption (49% consuming a few times a week, 36% daily). However, consumer awareness about nutritional content and health benefits of dahi was relatively low, with only 41% aware of its probiotic benefits and 33% aware of its potential role in weight management. The study employs descriptive statistics to analyze the data, finding that females predominantly make dahi purchase decisions (83%) and that joint families (60%) are more common among consumers. The findings underscore the need for increased consumer education on the nutritional and health benefits of dahi to enhance informed consumption choices. These insights can guide policymakers and industry stakeholders in designing effective educational campaigns and interventions to promote dahi consumption, ultimately supporting healthier dietary practices and boosting the dairy sector's growth.

Incentivizing Healthy Food Choices Using Add-On Bundling: A Field Experiment

Problem definition: How can retailers incentivize customers to make healthier food choices? Price, convenience, and taste are known to be among the main drivers behind such choices. Unfortunately, healthier food options are often expensive and not adequately promoted. However, we are observing recent efforts to nudge customers toward healthier food. Methodology/results: In this paper, we conducted a field experiment with a global convenience store chain to better understand how different add-on bundle promotions influence healthy food choices. We considered three types of add-on bundles sequentially: (i) an unhealthy bundle (when customers purchased a coffee, they could add a pastry for $1), (ii) a healthy bundle (offering a healthy snack, such as fruit, vegetable, or protein, as a coffee add-on for $1), and (iii) a choice bundle (the option of either a pastry or a healthy snack as an add-on to coffee for $1). In addition to our field experiment, we conducted an online laboratory study to strengthen the validity of our results. Managerial implications: We found that offering healthy snacks as part of an add-on bundle significantly increased healthy purchases (and decreased unhealthy purchases). Surprisingly, this finding continued to hold for the choice bundle, that is, even when unhealthy snacks were concurrently on promotion. However, we did not observe a long-term stickiness effect, meaning that customers returned to their original (unhealthy) purchase patterns once the healthy or choice bundle was discontinued. Finally, we show that offering an add-on choice bundle is also beneficial for retailers, who can earn higher revenue and profit. Funding: This research was supported by the James McGill Scholar Award Fund, the Scale AI Chair Program, IIVADO (Institut de valorisation des données) Fundamental Research Project Grant, and two Discovery Grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.0336 .

Peran Moderasi Literasi Halal Terhadap Adopsi Makanan Kemasan Halal untuk Konsumsi Berkelanjutan di Kalangan Generasi Muslim Zilenial Kecamatan Ulaweng

This study examines the moderating role of halal literacy in the adoption of halal packaged foods among Generation Z Millennials to promote sustainable consumption. The research expands the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by incorporating the variable of halal literacy, a novel contribution to the literature. A quantitative approach was employed through a survey involving Generation Z Millennials selected via simple random sampling. Moderation regression analysis was conducted to assess how halal literacy influences the relationship between attitudes, subjective norms, behavior control, and the intention and adoption behavior of halal packaged foods. Findings indicate that halal literacy significantly strengthens the positive influence of attitudes towards halal packaged foods, enhances supportive subjective norms for adoption, and facilitates better behavioral control in selecting halal products. These results offer critical insights for developing effective educational and marketing strategies to enhance halal literacy among Generation Z Millennials, supporting sustainable consumption choices and promoting broader societal well-being.

Investigating the potential domino effect of a dazzling fiscal-period on CSR performance: a luxury brand scenario

A consensus and buying pattern regarding luxury brands has endured a paradigm shift from being envied to being questioned or entirely overlooked. The pandemic has led to a fair share of economic implications. Brands are forced to watch their product range fully, except for reserving a portion of merchandise optimistic for brand jingoism. The study aims to quantify the impacts of financial metrics utilized to gain goodwill amidst an average consumer’s mindset. A composite Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) score represents the extent of a luxury brand’s efforts in contributing to social and environmental concerns. The CSR score is hypothesized against these brands’ financial and brand-value metrics. A Few Research questions are proposed on the same. A Panel-level analysis is undertaken to quantify the dependence and obtain insights. Relevant data is collected, with metrics identified from financial statements. The impacts of financial metrics and the firm’s age on the CSR score are determined. While the Profit Margin, firm size, Tobin’s Q, and Firm Age contribute positively to the CSR score, the firm’s Return on Assets has a surprising negative influence. The impact of net income accrued is negligible, as inferred.

Meat Color, Marbling, and the Evaluation of Defects in Beef and Pork at the Point of Purchase

Intentions to purchase meat and repeat purchasing patterns will depend on the consumer’s perception of intrinsic and extrinsic quality cues. In order to discover consumers’ insights into the quality of pork and beef, the main objective of this study was to investigate meat color, marbling, and types of fresh meat defects. A total of 50 samples of meat were analyzed for three quality characteristics on different levels. This study applied a statistical calculation of a loss function invented by Taguchi. The results showed the values of variations in meat color and marbling that present the limits of consumers’ tolerance. Based on the obtained results, it was determined that the tolerable level of color variations of beef is 3.61, while for pork, this limit is 2.00. The most preferred marbling percentages were 21% and 5.74% for beef and pork, respectively. On the other hand, the negative effect of defects was the strongest for “dark cutting” for beef and “blood spotting” for pork loins.

Priority-based scheduling in residential energy management systems integrated with renewable sources using adaptive Salp swarm algorithm

With the remarkable growth and implementation of communication technology, sensors, and measurement equipment in the Smart Grid (SG) environment, demand side management (DSM) and demand response (DRs) can be easily implementable in residential energy systems integrated with renewable energy sources (RES). Looking at this perspective, this paper suggests an intelligent and dynamic load-priority-based scheduling optimal smart residential energy management system (REMS). The objectives to achieve through priority-based scheduling in the case of a residential energy management system are multi-focussed in terms of peak load reduction, consumer choice of consumption according to priority basis, and cost-effectiveness towards electricity price savings. The issues related to uncertainties with RES due to environmental dependency must be incorporated into the DSM. A single objective discrete formulation based on the Adaptive Salp Swarm Algorithm (ASSA) has been done on modelling and optimizing the crucial system parameters for scheduling, ideally the operation of residential appliances, along with the sources and prioritized-based loads available. System constraints, consumer priorities, energy source availability, uncertainties, and objectives are considered in the formulation to justify the approach that is feasible in real-time conditions. To enhance the search capabilities of SSA, the control parameters vary optimally in both the exploration and exploitation stages of searching. Comparative results with genetic algorithms (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and conventional SSA are presented in different cases, such as (1) traditional homes without REMS, (ii) smart homes with REMS (iii) smart homes using REMS with RES.

Review of Consumer Purchasing Patterns for Milk Products in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India

Milk and milk products play a vital role in fast moving consumer goods (FMCG). Milk products have very low shelf life and are prone to deterges, if proper care is not taken while pasteurizing, processing, packaging and handling. Hence, consumers desire local brand milk products than national brands or others, due to its more availability, less preservatives and longer shelf time. It is a well-known fact that most of the consumers still prefer traditional ways for the consumption of milk and milk products. So, the awareness about packed milk products is lower in these days as these products are mostly restricted with urban consumers. Whereas, many consumers feel packed milk products are not safe to consume. So, the main focus of this review was to analyze the buying behavior of consumers towards Aroma milk products. The review was to done to determine the perception and attitude of consumers towards buying Aroma milk products which helped to understand the value of the product in consumer’s point of view.

Apriori Algorithm to Predict Availability of Beauty Products

This study introduces the Apriori algorithm in beauty product availability prediction system as a solution to enhance stock prediction accuracy and mitigate inventory risks in the beauty industry. By applying data mining technology, specifically the Apriori algorithm, Kazana Kosmetik aims to gain insights into consumer purchasing patterns to optimize operations. The research analyzes transaction data to identify key buying patterns and improve stock management strategies. The results reveal seven main purchasing patterns with an average confidence value of 0.414, offering valuable guidance for Kazana Kosmetik in inventory control and marketing tactics. By leveraging data mining techniques, companies like Kazana Kosmetik can streamline sales strategies and enhance customer satisfaction. This research underscores the effectiveness of the Apriori algorithm in predicting beauty product availability and its potential to revolutionize operational efficiency in the cosmetics market.

Analisis Pola Pembelian Pelanggan Menggunakan Algoritma Squeezer, Apriori dan FP-Growth Pada Toko Bangunan

To compete with other stores, store owners need to design various strategies, one of which is understanding customer purchase patterns. This article examines the Squeezer algorithm and compares the performance of the Apriori and FP-Growth algorithms in forming customer purchase association patterns that can be used as a reference for store owners in planning sales strategies. The data mining process was carried out using Association Rules and Clustering methods. A total of 1256 sales transaction data samples were analyzed to understand the association patterns produced by each method. Based on the test results with a minimum support of 0.2 and a confidence of 0.6, the Apriori algorithm produced 194 association rules with a total rule strength of 1.16. Meanwhile, the FP-Growth algorithm produced 52 association rules with the same total rule strength of 1.16. The Clustering Method resulted in 7 clusters with a similarity value of 0.06322. After comparison, the FP-Growth algorithm proved to have better performance in generating association rules compared to the Apriori algorithm.

Self‐improvement or hedonic enjoyment? Effect of romantic experiences on consumer product preferences

AbstractRomantic experiences are positive emotional experiences that significantly affect people's lives and consumption behaviors. Extant research merely conceptualizes romantic experiences as intimate relationships between lovers and investigates their impact on the consumption of specific products (e.g., sweets, movies, and tourist destinations). In this study, we extend the concept of romantic experience beyond romantic love and demonstrate how romantic experience influences consumers' preferences for self‐improvement products based on the broaden‐and‐build theory through four experiments. Specifically, we show that romantic experiences (vs. neutral experiences) increase consumers' preference for self‐improvement products, even in areas unrelated to the initial romantic stimuli (Study 1). This greater inclination toward self‐improvement products is mediated by a heightened sense of meaning in life (Studies 2 and 3). Moreover, the focal effect is moderated by self‐construal (Study 4). These findings complement those of previous studies on how romantic experiences influence consumption choices.