Supermarket Purchases Research Articles

Are food and beverage purchases reflective of dietary intake? Validity of supermarket purchases as indicator of diet quality in the Supreme Nudge Trial.

Dietary intake assessment is often complicated by intrinsic bias. This study investigated whether food purchase data could constitute a valid indication of dietary intake, by evaluating the extent to which diet quality as measured by supermarket food purchases is correlated with diet quality as measured by reported dietary intake. We used data from the Supreme Nudge cluster-randomised controlled supermarket trial (n=227). Data were collected at baseline from supermarket purchases (loyalty cards) and a dietary questionnaire (short 40-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ)) to compute two scores reflecting diet quality from purchasing data (purchased diet quality) and FFQs (consumed diet quality). Both scores constituted of 13 food groups and could theoretically range between 0 (low diet quality) to 130 (high diet quality). The relationship between purchased diet quality and consumed diet quality was assessed using correlation coefficients, and the Bland-Altman limits-of-agreement method. Multiple linear regression was fitted between purchased diet quality and consumed diet quality, adjusted for age, sex, waist circumference, educational level, and household size. Consumed and purchased diet qualities were modestly positively correlated (Pearson's ρ = 0·31, 95% CI: 0·18 - 0·42). A positive association from linear regression was found after confouding adjustments (βbaseline = 0·22, 95%CI: 0·10 - 0·34). Purchased diet quality was systematically lower than the consumed diet quality. This study found that diet quality as measured by supermarket purchases provided a reasonable indication of diet quality as reported by short-FFQs, albeit modest.

The effects of nudging and pricing strategies on the availability and purchases of ultra-processed foods: A secondary analysis of the Supreme Nudge trial

Regular consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality. UPF are widely available in supermarkets. Nudging and pricing strategies are promising strategies to promote healthier supermarket purchases and may reduce UPF purchases. We investigated whether supermarket nudging and pricing strategies targeting healthy foods, but not specifically discouraging UPF, would change UPF availability, price, promotion and placement (UPF-APPP) in supermarkets and customer UPF purchases. We used data from the Supreme Nudge parallel cluster-randomized controlled trial, testing the effect of a combined nudging and pricing intervention promoting healthy products. The Dutch Consumer Food Environment Score (D-CFES) was used to audit 12 participating supermarkets in terms of UPF-APPP. We used customer loyalty card data of the first twelve intervention weeks from 321 participants to calculate the proportion of UPF purchases. Descriptive statistics were used to assess differences in D-CFES between supermarkets. Mixed model analyses were used to assess the association between the D-CFES and UPF purchases and the effect of the intervention on UPF purchases. No difference in the D-CFES between intervention and control supermarkets were found. No statistically significant association between the D-CFES and UPF purchases (β = −0.00, 95%CI: −0.02, 0.01) and no significant effect of the intervention on UPF purchases (β = 0.02, 95%CI: −0.07, 0.12) was observed. Given the significant proportion of unhealthy and UPF products in Dutch supermarkets, nudging and pricing strategies aimed at promoting healthy food purchases are not sufficient for reducing UPF–APPP nor purchases, and nationwide regulation may be needed.Trial registration number: Dutch Trial Register ID NL7064, May 30, 2018, https://trialsearch.who.int/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=NTR7302.

Assessing consumer rationality during a pandemic: Panic buying behaviours and its association with online social media discourse

As an unprecedented, shared global experience in crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic witnessed unusual behaviours amongst populations. Large-scale panic buying was observed in numerous countries. Such behaviours can be detrimental to the population's wellbeing and societal functioning. As global pandemics are a relatively rare phenomenon in history, research examining panic buying behaviours during pandemics and actual panic buying behaviours has been scarce. Within the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the prevalence of social media has made it possible to monitor panic buying discourse real-time. The present research aims to study the relationship between online public discourse and its relationship with abnormal surges in buying behaviours. We first examined Singapore residents' supermarket purchase patterns based on daily supermarket sales data during Covid-19 and investigated its relationship with parallel social media information on the internet. Analysis involving these two large-scale social media and supermarket datasets revealed distinct purchasing patterns for various types of products such as staple food items and home electronic products. While significant positive correlation was found between purchasing patterns of staple and long-lasting canned foods and online discourse, this was absent for items such as home appliances and entertainment products. The findings point to the potential role of social media data in predicting future abnormal food demand episodes, with implications on food security and crisis management.

Veggies and PV: Optimization of Building-Integrated Agriculture in an Energy Hub

Building-integrated Agriculture (BIA) is the concept of utilizing façade surfaces for crop production. The potential is to reduce land-use and to increase the utility of built-up area. If outdoor building surfaces were to be used for farming, it results in a competition for sunlight between crops, solar renewable energy (such as photovoltaics, PV), and daylight access to illuminate indoor spaces. We therefore propose a coupled BIA and multi-energy systems model that can represent various energy sources (such as sunlight) and their conversion and storage (such as façade based crop production, PV, or electric batteries) in order to optimally meet demands for building energy and food. It is formulated as a mixed integer linear program (MILP) optimization model that describes the energy flows as an annual hourly time series. The model conducts a bi-objective minimization of monetary cost and carbon emissions, resulting in a Pareto front of optimal solutions. The model meets building energy demands for cooling, heating and electricity by an optimized energy technology portfolio, as well as nutritional demands for leafy vegetables of all occupants by either BIA or supermarket purchases. We apply our model to a residential case study in Singapore, which serves as an example for a high density city with already numerous community-driven and practiced BIA initiatives ongoing. Our results show that when minimizing cost, utilizing PV is more cost efficient on highly exposed surfaces such as the roof than BIA. However, for more shaded façade surfaces, crop production can be a cost and environmentally efficient addition to building design, as the annual vegetables demand of all occupants can be covered entirely by self-grown produce.

In-Store Marketing and Supermarket Purchases: Associations Overall and by Transaction SNAP Status

In-store placement promotions are used widely in supermarkets, but their effects on customer purchases remain largely unknown. This study examined associations of supermarket placement promotions with customer purchases overall and by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit use. Data on in-store promotions (e.g., endcaps, checkout displays) and transactions (n=274,118,338) were obtained from a New England supermarket chain with 179 stores from 2016 to 2017. Product-level analyses examined multivariable-adjusted changes in products' sales when they were promoted (versus not) across all transactions and stratified by whether the transaction was paid for with SNAP benefits. Food group-level analyses examined the extent to which a 20% increase from the mean number of weekly promotions for a food group (e.g., increasing the number of candy promotions from 17.0 to 20.4) was associated with total food group sales. Analyses were conducted in 2022. Across stores, the mean (SD) number of promotions per week was highest for sweet/salty snacks (126.3 [22.6]), baked goods (67.5 [18.4]), and sugar-sweetened beverages (48.6 [13.8]) and lowest for beans (5.0 [2.6]) and fruits (6.6 [3.3]). Product sales were between 16% (low-calorie drinks) and 136% (candy) higher when promoted versus not promoted. In 14 of 15 food groups, associations were stronger among transactions made with SNAP benefits than among those not made with SNAP benefits. The number of in-store promotions was generally not associated with total food group sales. In-store promotions, which were mostly for unhealthy foods, were associated with large product sales increases, particularly among SNAP purchasers. Policies limiting unhealthy in-store promotions and incentivizing healthy promotions should be explored.

Predicting the Frequent Item Sets for Supermarket Data

This Python notebook uses the Apriori algorithm to analyze datasets from various supermarkets, retail organizations, and minimarkets, resulting in a more accurate analysis of customer behaviour and better product prediction and forecasting. The dataset that is used in this model typically involves customer purchases in supermarkets or any other organization. The datasets contain item details as well as the number of transactions purchased by customers. This model can be used by retailers and supermarkets of all sizes in both urban and rural areas. This algorithm implementation enables accurate forecasting and allows products to be sold efficiently and profitably in stores. Supermarkets, for example, can use the resulting data to forecast future sales volume using a variety of machine-learning techniques. It displays the most frequently purchased items or associated items by the user. This prediction is primarily focused on figuring out the rules of the association. It identifies the set of items or attributes that occur together or frequently in the dataset using association rules. If this apriori model meets a minimum threshold value for support and confidence, it produces a set of items known as a frequent itemset. This Python notebook implements a prediction model based on the apriori algorithm, which improves the efficiency of level-wise generation of frequent item sets by utilizing an important property known as the Apriori property, which aids in reducing the search space.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and its Implications for Food Consumer Behavior: A Bibliometric Analysis of Institutionally Affiliated Research in Brazil

Marketing is the social and managerial process through which individuals obtain what they need and want in creating and exchanging products. The literature on food consumer behavior has been receiving significant interest during the covid-19 pandemic, and studies highlight diverse research on business. This article seeks to examine the covid-19 pandemic and its implications for the food consumer behavior in Brazil. To that end, the Methodi Ordinatio was applied to identify the most relevant studies in the area, which supported the research, analysis, selection and systematic reading of 25 articles identified in Web of Science and Scopus databases. vosviewer and EndNote software were used in this study for the reference management process and clustering themes and researchers. Our findings show the importance of advances in vaccination, an increase in home office work, home food safety practices, and an increase in food purchases in supermarkets. We conclude that the main financial problems faced during this period are unemployment and debt, while the increased use of food delivery apps emerges as an opportunity. Recent studies mention environmental awareness, sustainable consumption, and social responsibility as key topics. As a suggestion for future research, the authors recommend marketing research involving the regulatory role of pro-social consumption and family farming in times of covid-19.

Neutrosophic Fuzzy Association Rule Generation-Based Big Data Mining Analysis Algorithm

As a very common and classic big data (BD) mining algorithm, the association rule data mining (DM) algorithm is often used to determine the internal correlation between different items and set a certain threshold to determine the size of the correlation. However, the traditional association rule algorithm is more suitable for establishing Boolean association rules between different items of different types of data, and hardening the sharp boundaries of the data causes the performance of the association rules to decrease. In order to overcome this shortcoming of classic DM, this article introduces association rules, support and confidence, the Apriori algorithm and fuzzy association rules based on the neutrosophic fuzzy association rule (NFAR). This paper is based on the data set of the supermarket purchase goods database, by drawing a radar chart to describe the correlation between different goods and different item sets support, and confidence calculation based on association rules support. Finally, the association rules are generated. Compared to the results produced by NFAR and ordinary association rules, the accuracy of the NFAR association rules algorithm in small data sets is 88.48%, while the accuracy of traditional association rules algorithm is only 80.87%, nearly 8 percentage points higher. On large data sets, the prediction accuracy of the neutral fuzzy association rules algorithm is 95.68%, while that of the traditional method is only 89.63%. Therefore, the NFAR algorithm can improve the accuracy and effectiveness of DM. This algorithm has great application prospects and development space in big DM and analysis.

Assessment of Calories Purchased After Calorie Labeling of Prepared Foods in a Large Supermarket Chain

Calorie labels for prepared (ie, ready-to-eat) foods are required in large chain food establishments in the US. Large evaluations in restaurants suggest small declines in purchases of prepared foods after labeling, but to the authors' knowledge, no studies have examined how this policy influences supermarket purchases. To estimate changes in calories purchased from prepared foods and potential packaged substitutes compared with control foods after calorie labeling of prepared foods in supermarkets. This controlled interrupted time series compared sales 2 years before labeling implementation (April 2015-April 2017) with sales 7 months after labeling implementation (May 2017-December 2017). Data from 173 supermarkets from a supermarket chain with locations in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont were analyzed from March 2020 to May 2022. Implementation of calorie labeling of prepared foods in April 2017. Purchased items were classified as prepared foods, potential packaged substitutes for prepared foods, or all other (ie, control) foods. The primary outcome was mean weekly calories per transaction purchased from prepared foods, and the secondary outcome was mean weekly calories per transaction purchased from similar packaged items (for substitution analyses). Analyses of prepared and packaged foods were stratified by food category (bakery, entrées and sides, or deli meats and cheeses). Among the included 173 supermarkets, calorie labeling was associated with a mean 5.1% decrease (95% CI, -5.8% to -4.4%) in calories per transaction purchased from prepared bakery items and an 11.0% decrease (95% CI, -11.9% to -10.1%) from prepared deli items, adjusted for changes in control foods; no changes were observed for prepared entrées and sides (change = 0.3%; 95% CI, -2.5% to 3.0%). Labeling was also associated with decreased calories per transaction purchased from packaged bakery items (change = -3.9%; 95% CI, -4.3% to -3.6%), packaged entrées and sides (change = -1.2%; 95% CI, -1.4% to -0.9%), and packaged deli items (change = -2.1%; 95% CI, -2.4% to -1.7%). In this longitudinal study of supermarkets, calorie labeling of prepared foods was associated with small to moderate decreases in calories purchased from prepared bakery and deli items without evidence of substitution to similar packaged foods.

Multi-Objective Design of Profit Volumes and Closeness Ratings Using MBHS Optimizing Based on the PrefixSpan Mining Approach (PSMA) for Product Layout in Supermarkets

Product layout significantly impacts consumer demand for purchases in supermarkets. Product shelf renovation is a crucial process that can increase supermarket efficiency. The development of a sequential pattern mining algorithm for investigating the correlation patterns of product layouts, solving the numerous problems of shelf design, and the development of an algorithm that considers in-store purchase and shelf profit data with the goal of improving supermarket efficiency, and consequently profitability, were the goals of this research. The authors of this research developed two types of algorithms to enhance efficiency and reach the goals. The first was a PrefixSpan algorithm, which was used to optimize sequential pattern mining, known as the PrefixSpan mining approach. The second was a new multi-objective design that considered the objective functions of profit volumes and closeness rating using the mutation-based harmony search (MBHS) optimization algorithm, which was used to evaluate the performance of the first algorithm based on the PrefixSpan algorithm. The experimental results demonstrated that the PrefixSpan algorithm can determine correlation rules more efficiently and accurately ascertain correlation rules better than any other algorithms used in the study. Additionally, the authors found that MBHS with a new multi-objective design can effectively find the product layout in supermarket solutions. Finally, the proposed product layout algorithm was found to lead to higher profit volumes and closeness ratings than traditional shelf layouts, as well as to be more efficient than other algorithms.

The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mass Market Retailing of Wine in Italy.

The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed framework of wine purchases in supermarkets during the COVID-19 pandemic. The unexpected diffusion of the virus and the restrictions imposed in Italy to prevent its spread have significantly affected the food purchasing habits of consumers. By analyzing the scanner data of the wine sales in the Italian mass market retail channel, this study was intended to show whether and how the dynamics triggered by the pandemic have modified the overall value and type of wine purchases, focusing on prices, formats, and promotional sales. In particular, this study explores sales in two separate periods, namely March–April (the “lockdown”, with general compulsory closing and severe restrictions) and June–July 2020 (the “post-lockdown”, in which some limitations were no longer effective). The analysis of wine sales during lockdown and post-lockdown and the study of the variations compared to the sales of the previous years showed some significant changes in purchase behavior. The results could provide managers, researchers, and policy makers with extensive insights into the purchasing patterns of consumers during this unprecedented time and reveal trends that may characterize the structure of the future wine demand.

Evaluation of an intervention to provide brief support and personalized feedback on food shopping to reduce saturated fat intake (PC-SHOP): A randomized controlled trial.

Guidelines recommend reducing saturated fat (SFA) intake to decrease cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, but there is limited evidence on scalable and effective approaches to change dietary intake, given the large proportion of the population exceeding SFA recommendations. We aimed to develop a system to provide monthly personalized feedback and healthier swaps based on nutritional analysis of loyalty card data from the largest United Kingdom grocery store together with brief advice and support from a healthcare professional (HCP) in the primary care practice. Following a hybrid effectiveness-feasibility design, we tested the effects of the intervention on SFA intake and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol as well as the feasibility and acceptability of providing nutritional advice using loyalty card data. The Primary Care Shopping Intervention for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (PC-SHOP) study is a parallel randomized controlled trial with a 3 month follow-up conducted between 21 March 2018 to 16 January2019. Adults ≥18 years with LDL cholesterol >3 mmol/L (n = 113) were recruited from general practitioner (GP) practices in Oxfordshire and randomly allocated to "Brief Support" (BS, n = 48), "Brief Support + Shopping Feedback" (SF, n = 48) or "Control" (n = 17). BS consisted of a 10-minute consultation with an HCP to motivate participants to reduce their SFA intake. Shopping feedback comprised a personalized report on the SFA content of grocery purchases and suggestions for lower SFA swaps. The primary outcome was the between-group difference in change in SFA intake (% total energy intake) at 3 months adjusted for baseline SFA and GP practice using intention-to-treat analysis. Secondary outcomes included %SFA in purchases, LDL cholesterol, and feasibility outcomes. The trial was powered to detect an absolute reduction in SFA of 3% (SD3). Neither participants nor the study team were blinded to group allocation. A total of 106 (94%) participants completed the study: 68% women, 95% white ethnicity, average age 62.4 years (SD 10.8), body mass index (BMI) 27.1 kg/m2 (SD 4.7). There were small decreases in SFA intake at 3 months: control = -0.1% (95% CI -1.8 to 1.7), BS = -0.7% (95% CI -1.8 to 0.3), SF = -0.9% (95% CI -2.0 to 0.2); but no evidence of a significant effect of either intervention compared with control (difference adjusted for GP practice and baseline: BS versus control = -0.33% [95% CI -2.11 to 1.44], p = 0.709; SF versus control = -0.11% [95% CI -1.92 to 1.69], p = 0.901). There were similar trends in %SFA based on supermarket purchases: control = -0.5% (95% CI -2.3 to 1.2), BS = -1.3% (95% CI -2.3 to -0.3), SF = -1.5% (95% CI -2.5 to -0.5) from baseline to follow-up, but these were not significantly different: BS versus control p = 0.379; SF versus control p = 0.411. There were small reductions in LDL from baseline to follow-up (control = -0.14 mmol/L [95% CI -0.48, 0.19), BS: -0.39 mmol/L [95% CI -0.59, -0.19], SF: -0.14 mmol/L [95% CI -0.34, 0.07]), but these were not significantly different: BS versus control p = 0.338; SF versus control p = 0.790. Limitations of this study include the small sample of participants recruited, which limits the power to detect smaller differences, and the low response rate (3%), which may limit the generalisability of these findings. In this study, we have shown it is feasible to deliver brief advice in primary care to encourage reductions in SFA intake and to provide personalized advice to encourage healthier choices using supermarket loyalty card data. There was no evidence of large reductions in SFA, but we are unable to exclude more modest benefits. The feasibility, acceptability, and scalability of these interventions suggest they have potential to encourage small changes in diet, which could be beneficial at the population level. ISRCTN14279335.

Healthy choice architecture in the supermarket: Does it work?

Improving dietary quality of supermarket purchases could help reduce obesity and chronic diseases worldwide. In the past decade, there has been increasing academic interest in using behavioral economics strategies, primarily choice architecture, to "nudge" shoppers to make healthier purchases in supermarkets. In a recent study, Young et al. collaborated with a supermarket retailer to test the impact of prominent shelf placement on the sales of healthier breakfast cereals. This well-designed, 12-week product placement intervention did not increase sales of the healthier products. Does this mean healthy supermarket choice architecture does not work? Shelf placement interventions may not be able to overcome customers' strong preferences for their habitual choices and brands, and in-store displays and promotions may further reduce the effect of these interventions. Healthy choice architecture is more likely to be effective if default choices are compatible with shoppers' personal preferences or long-term goals, such as saving money or keeping their children healthy. Combining product placement interventions with other nudges that are salient, such as price incentives or simplified health labels, are more effective. Healthy choice architecture interventions hold promise for improving population dietary behaviors and health, but academic and public health collaboration with food retailers is needed to develop effective strategies that take into account shoppers' preferences, socioeconomic barriers, and health-related knowledge.

Food risk in consumers' eye and their consumption responses: evidence from Hanoi survey

PurposeThis paper analyses Hanoi consumers' evaluation of food risk and response to the perceived risk.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employed the mixed method approach that integrates segmentation analysis on the survey data and information from group discussions.FindingsBased on consumers' risk rating of six food groups and level of food safety worry, the authors identified four distinct consumer segments: low, moderate, high and very-high-risk perception. The authors found the existence of widespread food safety concerns among Hanoi consumers. Living in an urban region was associated with a higher level of food risk perception. Moderate, high and very-high-risk perception segments exhibited a very low level of institutional trust and subjective control over hazards. Response to the perceived risk differed across segments. “Very high-risk perception” was associated with the most risk-averse behaviour, putting more effort into seeking food safety information and engaging more in supermarket purchase. Consumers with a low and moderate perceived food risk participate more in self-supply of food to reduce their food safety concern.Practical implicationsThe paper provides empirical evidence on consumers' evaluation of food risk and their risk-reducing strategies to support the risk communication in Vietnam.Social implicationsEnhancing institutional trust and risk communication including hazard education can improve consumer confidence in food.Originality/valueThis is the first segmentation study on consumer food risk perception in Vietnam.

Associations between Governmental Policies to Improve the Nutritional Quality of Supermarket Purchases and Individual, Retailer, and Community Health Outcomes: An Integrative Review.

Supermarkets are natural and important settings for implementing environmental interventions to improve healthy eating, and governmental policies could help improve the nutritional quality of purchases in this setting. This review aimed to: (1) identify governmental policies in the United States (U.S.), including regulatory and legislative actions of federal, tribal, state, and local governments, designed to promote healthy choices in supermarkets; and (2) synthesize evidence of these policies’ effects on retailers, consumers, and community health. We searched five policy databases and developed a list of seven policy actions that meet our inclusion criteria: calorie labeling of prepared foods in supermarkets; increasing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits; financial incentives for the purchase of fruit and vegetables; sweetened beverage taxes; revisions to the USDA Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food package; financial assistance for supermarkets to open in underserved areas; and allowing online purchases with SNAP. We searched PubMed, Econlit, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Business Source Ultimate to identify peer-reviewed, academic, English-language literature published at any time until January 2020; 147 studies were included in the review. Sweetened beverage taxes, revisions to the WIC food package, and financial incentives for fruits and vegetables were associated with improvements in dietary behaviors (food purchases and/or consumption). Providing financial incentives to supermarkets to open in underserved areas and increases in SNAP benefits were not associated with changes in food purchasing or diet quality but may improve food security. More research is needed to understand the effects of calorie labeling in supermarkets and online SNAP purchasing.

Feasibility of Using Food Assortment Scoring Tools (FAST) to Assess Supermarket Purchases

Abstract Objectives Real-world pricing interventions may increase healthy food purchases and decrease unhealthy food purchases, but simple tools for assessing the quality of food purchases are lacking. This study's primary aim is to assess the feasibility of using Food Assortment Scoring Tool (FAST) to calculate the healthfulness of individual food purchases at a community grocery store. Methods As part of a pricing intervention trial, purchasing data are being collected in a community grocery store in Baltimore, MD, using the store's point of sale system. To pilot the feasibility of utilizing FAST to assess the healthfulness of customer purchases, we analyzed 100 transactions of 7 participating loyalty card holders from September 7th, 2018 to December 3rd, 2019. FAST consists of 13 food categories. The total weight of foods in each category is calculated, divided by total weight of the entire food purchased, then multiplied by its healthfulness parameter and all are summed together. The overall FAST score ranges from 0–100 with 100 being the healthiest. Results The study team had challenges categorizing certain products sold at the supermarket, such as those with temporary barcodes to implement temporary reduced prices for quick sales. However, the process was preferable to assigning Healthy Eating Index scores to transactions. The average FAST score for individual purchases was 56.51 +/− 15.29. Beverages made up the largest average gross weight share at 40.35%. The food category with the smallest gross weight share was whole grains (0.10%). Conclusions FAST is an effective, simple tool to calculate the healthfulness of food purchases at a supermarket. We will extend our analysis of FAST scores to all 100 loyalty card customers participating in the study and report on the impact of the pricing intervention on purchasing patterns. Grocery stores and researchers implementing food retailer-based interventions should consider using FAST scores to evaluate the healthiness of consumer purchases. Funding Sources This research is supported by the Johns Hopkins Department of International Health Small Grant and a Healthy Eating Research (HER) Commissioned Analysis.

Can unhealthy food purchases at checkout counters be discouraged by introducing healthier snacks? A real-life experiment in supermarkets in deprived urban areas in the Netherlands

BackgroundThe checkout area in supermarkets is an unavoidable point of purchase where impulsive food purchases are likely to be made. However, the product assortment at the checkout counters is predominantly unhealthy. The aim of this real life experiment was to investigate if unhealthy food purchases at checkout counters in supermarkets in deprived urban areas in the Netherlands can be discouraged by the introduction of the Healthy Checkout Counter (HCC). In addition, we examined customers’ perceptions towards the HCC.MethodsThe HCC was an initiative of a leading supermarket chain in the Netherlands that consisted of displays with a selection of healthier snacks that were placed at the checkouts. We used a real life quasi-experimental design with 15 intervention and 9 control supermarkets. We also performed a cross-sectional customer evaluation in 3 intervention supermarkets using oral surveys to investigate customers' perceptions towards the HCC (n=134). The purchases of unhealthy and healthier snacks at checkouts were measured with sales data. ResultsDuring the intervention period, customers purchased on average 1.7 (SD: 0.08) unhealthy snacks per 100 customers in the intervention supermarket and 1.4 (SD: 0.10) in the control supermarket. Linear regression analyses revealed no statistically significant difference in the change during the control and intervention period of sales of unhealthy snacks between the control and intervention supermarkets (B = − 0.008, 95% CI = − 0.15 to 0.14). The average number of healthier snacks purchased was 0.2 (SD: 0.3) items per 100 customers in the intervention supermarkets during the intervention period. Of the intervention customers, 41% noticed the HCC and 80% of them were satisfied or very satisfied with the intervention.ConclusionsThis real life experiment in supermarkets showed that the placement of healthier snacks at checkouts did not lead to the substitution of unhealthy snack purchases with healthier alternatives. Although supermarket customers positively evaluated the HCC, future studies are needed to investigate other strategies to encourage healthier food purchases in supermarkets.

Social norm nudges in shopping trolleys to promote vegetable purchases: A quasi-experimental study in a supermarket in a deprived urban area in the Netherlands

BackgroundSupermarkets are a key point of purchase for groceries and can therefore have a considerable influence on eating behaviours. Evidence suggests that descriptive social norm nudges in shopping trolleys can be effective in stimulating vegetable purchases in supermarkets. ObjectiveWe investigated the effect of a combination of two nudging strategies in shopping trolleys – a social norm about vegetable purchases and a designated place to put vegetables – on the amount of vegetables purchased in a supermarket in a deprived urban area in the Netherlands. DesignA quasi-experimental study was conducted with two conditions: 1) intervention days on which the shopping trolleys in the supermarket had a green nudge inlay indicating a place for vegetables and a social norm message and 2) control days on which the regular shopping trolleys (no inlay or social norm) were used in the supermarket. During both the intervention and control days, vegetable purchases were measured by means of the cash receipts collected from customers at the checkouts. In addition, individual and purchase characteristics were assessed by means of short surveys. ResultsIn total, 244 customers participated in the study. Ordinal logistic regression analyses showed that customers on the intervention days (n = 123) were in a higher tertile for grams of vegetables purchased compared to the customers on the control days (OR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.03–2.69, p = 0.03), especially those who bought groceries for less than three days (OR: 3.24, 95% CI: 1.43–7.35, p = 0.003). Sensitivity analyses also showed that intervention customers who noticed the green inlay were even more likely to purchase more vegetables (OR: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.06–3.25, p = 0.02). ConclusionsThis quasi-experimental study showed that a nudge inlay in shopping trolleys communicating a social norm on vegetable purchases and indicating a distinct place to put vegetables in the trolley increased vegetable purchases among supermarket customers.

Supermarket Purchases Over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefit Month: A Comparison Between Participants and Nonparticipants

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides financial assistance for food and beverage purchases to approximately 1 in 7 Americans, with benefits distributed once monthly. Most Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are spent early in the month, leading to decreased caloric intake later in the month. The effects of this early benefit depletion on the types of foods and beverages purchased over the course of the month is unclear. Using individually tracked sales data from 950 participants enrolled in 2 supermarket-based RCTs in Maine (October 2015-April 2016 and October 2016-June 2017), purchases of selected food categories by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants (n=248) versus nonparticipants (n=702) in the first 2 weeks compared with the last 2 weeks of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit month were examined. Analyses were completed in 2019. For Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants, adjusted mean food spending decreased 37% from the first 2 weeks to the last 2 weeks of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit month (p<0.0001) compared with a 3% decrease (p=0.02) for nonparticipants. The decline in spending by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants occurred in all examined categories: vegetables (-25%), fruits (-27%), sugar-sweetened beverages (-30%), red meat (-37%), convenience foods (-40%), and poultry (-48%). Difference-in-difference estimators comparing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants with nonparticipants were statistically significant (p<0.05) for all examined categories. In the second half of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit month, individuals reduced purchases of all examined categories. More research is needed to understand the impact of these fluctuations in spending patterns on the dietary quality of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants.

The Impact of the purchase channel on unplanned purchases

This exploratory research aimed to observe if the purchase channel used (online versus physical store) could influence the number and the type of unplanned purchases in a supermarket purchase situation. 64 participants were asked to simulate a supermarket purchase using a shopping list and a predefined budget. Participants were divided into two conditions: online shopping and physical store shopping simulation.Findings show that consumers purchase more unplanned items (and spent more money on unplanned purchases) when they buy in physical stores, as well as items on promotion. They also tend to spend more time in the decision-making process when compared to participants shopping online. In addition, online consumers spend more money on items that were on their shopping list.Our findings are important to the literature, demonstrating that consumer reactions towards shopping differ according to the channel. Advertisers and web designers can also benefit from these findings by making better decisions regarding online advertising, specifically in the retail domain. Suggestions for future research are provided in the end.