Willingness To Purchase Research Articles

Consumers’ attitudes and intentions toward functional beverages: a lesson for producers and retailers

Functional foods and drinks benefit human health beyond adequate nutritional effects. The rising popularity of functional beverages (FBs) is associated, among others, with their convenience and capacity to meet consumer needs. This research study aimed to explore the predictors of consumers’ intentions toward functional beverages FBs and develop guidelines for how producers and retailers could develop adequate strategies regarding the products. The online questionnaire survey examined consumers’ willingness to purchase (WTP) FBs in three categories: (i) yogurts, kefirs; (ii) isotonic, hypertonic, and hypotonic drinks; (iii) smoothie drinks, and fruit/vegetable cocktails. The questionnaire considered consumers’ values, attitudes, and intentions toward FBs. A four-stage hierarchical multiple regression was undertaken. Predictors of WTP products from the selected groups differed. Women were more willing to buy fruit and vegetable-based FBs than men. Reward from using functional foods was the strongest predictor of consumers’ WTP dairy FBs and sports drinks. We suggest conducting an experimental study in the future, which should allow us to best determine cause-and-effect relationships between values and attitudes and WTP FBs. Food habits are essential determinants of consumer intentions toward FBs; hence, we suggest promoting healthy nutrition habits within public–private partnerships. Retailers that offer health foods and employ societal retailing may disclose this information in sustainability reporting. The originality of this study resides in designing a model for assessing consumers’ attitudes and intentions toward FBs belonging to three selected categories. Previous studies were usually focused on the functional food market in Asian countries. We examined consumers’ WTP FBs in a European country.

Willingness to purchase refurbished products sold online: a qualitative inquiry of young consumers from an emerging market

PurposeThe literature provides evidence of consumers’ willingness to purchase (WTP) refurbished products. However, the studies focusing on young consumers’ (18–24 years) purchasing behaviour of refurbished products from online platforms/stores are limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to conduct a qualitative study to identify the key attributes/factors that influence young consumers’ WTP refurbished products.Design/methodology/approachTwo qualitative techniques, focus group discussion (FGD) and depth interviews (DI), are used for data collection. Criterion sampling is used for sample selection. Consequently, 37 participants (20 for FGD and 17 for DI) from India were recruited.FindingsThe study’s findings indicate six broad attributes/factors (purchase attributes, product attributes, credibility, reviews/support, refurbishment process and ecological factors) that influence young consumers’ WTP refurbished products. In each attribute, some characteristics are unique (for example, greater trust in online platforms/stores, preference for video reviews and historical information of the product) to young consumers.Originality/valueThe current study integrates three literature streams: consumer behaviour in the online/offline context, young consumers’ inclination towards an online purchase and WTP refurbished products. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to do it.

Brits and British Muslims and their perceptions of cultured meat: How big is their willingness to purchase?

AbstractConsumer preferences regarding food in general, livestock meat and cultured meat among Muslim populations remains largely unknown, especially in a United Kingdom context. This is a significant gap in our understanding since foods that meet halal requirements have a major economical share of both the British and the global food market. The aim of this study is threefold: (1) gain insight into the perceptions of the broader British community and the Muslim demographic within it regarding food choice determinants, livestock meat, and cultured meat; (2) investigating similarities and differences within and between the two groups; and (3) model the willingness to purchase (WTPu) cultured meat for both populations. The British Muslim and the British non‐Muslim population are very similar in their considerations about food in general, livestock meat and cultured meat. With regard to the willingness to purchase cultured meat, further product development and marketing strategies should focus on the same factor for both populations: the healthiness, safety, and nutritional characteristics of cultured meat.

Applying the theory of reasoned action to examine consumers' attitude and willingness to purchase organic foods

AbstractThe organic food market has emerged as a growing trend among consumers. The present study examines the relationship between Health Consciousness (HC), Organic Food Knowledge (OFK), Subjective Norms (SN), Price Perception (PP), Environmental Concern (EC), Attitude (ATT), Willingness to Purchase (WP), and Actual Buying Behaviour (ABB) towards organic food. Furthermore, the study explores the mediating effects of ATT and WP in the relationship between the aforesaid variables and ABB. The data was collected from 240 respondents using convenience sampling approach. The Structure Equation Modelling (SEM) using ADANCO 2.2 is used to test the hypotheses of the conceptual model proposed in the present study. The study found that the variables HC, OFK, SN, EC, ATT, WP significantly affect the ABB. Also, it is observed that EC is the strongest predictor of ATT, WP, and ABB in organic food purchase, whereas PP is the least influencing factor. Further, HC positively influences ATT and WP but shows a negative association with ABB. The antecedents HC, OFK, SN, PP, EC has shown a significant indirect effect on ABB among respondents through ATT and WP. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

What drives willingness to purchase and stated buying behavior toward organic food? A Stimulus–Organism–Behavior–Consequence (SOBC) perspective

The consumption of organic food is gaining ground globally due to consumers’ concerns for personal health and food safety. Several countries, such as Japan, are turning their focus to promoting organic food consumption, but research is scarce on Japan’s organic food market. Additionally, despite consumers’ positive predisposition, retail sales in Japan for organic food are low, and there is a need to understand the reason for this disparity. The present study addressed this need by examining factors that may drive consumers’ willingness to purchase (WTP) and stated buying behavior (SBB) toward organic food through the Stimulus–Organism–Behavior–Consequence (SOBC) paradigm. The developed model was tested using cross-sectional data collected from 928 Japanese consumers. Study findings suggest that food safety concerns (FSC) and health consciousness are positively related to openness to change, and ethical self-identity. Further, openness to change and ethical self-identity are positively associated with WTP, while SBB is positively associated with WTP. In addition to this, buying frequency positively moderated the association of self-identity with WTP and WTP with SBB. The study offers critical implications for researchers, marketers and retailers.

Beef consumers’ perceptions and relationships with acceptation assessed by photography

This study aimed to evaluate consumers’ perception of beef appearance in two photographic camera configurations and the images’ relationships with the willingness to purchase (WTP) and consumer characterisation. Photographic surveys were used to evaluate the visual perception of beef colour, visible fat, and overall appearance. This information was then related to WTP and consumer segmentation. A cumulative model for perception, logistic regression for WTP, and cluster were used for data analysis. The automatic configuration reaches the highest probability in visible fat (p < .05) and overall appearance (p < .05) but not for colour (p > .05) compared to the manual configuration. Consumers’ WTP was affected by visible fat and overall appearance (p < .05) regardless of camera configuration (p > .05). The highest WTP probability (>.8) was scored on a hedonic scale for visual fat and overall appearance. The cluster analysis showed consumers’ preferences related to beef fat, colour, and WTP. This research could provide important information to the beef-chain system to anticipate beef consumer preferences. Additionally, the evaluation of beef consumers’ perception through image could be a practical tool to identify clusters and specific beef preferences to custom-make a beef with high acceptance probability. HIGHLIGHTS Pictures anticipate the consumer’s perception. Beef consumers focussed on visible fat and overall appearance to answer the purchase decision. Beef fat, appearance, and colour differentiate consumer’s preferences.

The effect of risk perception on the willingness to purchase hazard insurance—A case study in the Three Gorges Reservoir region, China

Natural hazard insurance is widely recognized as an implement for reducing risk to adverse environmental change such as mountain hazards. Rural households' willingness to purchase (WTP) for mountain hazard insurance may be affected by their risk perception. Notably, individuals generally behave following prospect theory under uncertain threats of mountain hazards. This paper uses the survey data (N = 348) from four counties with the most severe mountain hazards in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, China. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is utilized to verify 13 hypotheses which are proposed based on the prospect theory. The results show that: (1) Risk perception can be divided into five dimensions, namely, Probability factor (perceptions of the likelihood of hazard occurrence); Controlled factor (confidence in human efforts to survive hazard); Fear factor (worry or nervousness of suffering disaster); Experience factor (hazards experiences); and Unknown factor (ignorance associated with disaster). (2) The unknown factor, controlled factor, probability factor, and experience factor have a significant influence on WTP. However, the fear factor does not affect WTP. (3) The five risk perception dimensions have a significant direct impact on each other. These results support the hypothesis that people have limited abilities to process information and help understand better the influence of risk perception on the insurance purchasing decision.

Effects of packaging design on sensory liking and willingness to purchase: A study using novel chocolate packaging

Packaging is the first impression consumers have of food products which determines likelihood of purchasing. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of chocolate packaging design on sensory liking and willingness to purchase (WTP) of consumers (n = 75) under three conditions:(1) blind [product], (2) packaging, and (3) informed [product and packaging]. The same chocolate tasted in (1) was wrapped in six different packaging concepts (bold, fun, every day, special, healthy, premium) developed based on TNS NeedScope™ model for (3). There were significant differences in liking towards taste based on packaging. Liking scores for (3) reduced when expectations created by packaging were not met. Regression analysis explained, taste had strongest association (r = 0.73) towards WTP. Cochran's Q and McNemar tests showed significant differences in frequencies of emotion-based terms between packaging and informed conditions. These findings can be used in product design to evaluate product attributes by enhancing emotional attachment towards chocolate.

FOOD APPLICATIONS OF A RICE BRAN OIL STRUCTURED LIPID IN FRIED SWEET POTATO CHIPS AND AN ENERGY BAR

ABSTRACT A rice bran oil structured lipid (RBOSL) was synthesized from rice bran oil (RBO) and caprylic acid with Lipozyme RM IM as biocatalyst. Sweet potato chips (SPCs) were fried separately in RBOSL and RBO. Energy bars (EBs) were formulated with RBOSL or RBO. Triangle tests (TT) were conducted for SPCs and EBs to determine the panelists' ability to differentiate between SPCs and EBs prepared with RBO or RBOSL. Willingness to purchase (WTP) sensory analysis was also conducted. Fatty acid content, γ‐oryzanol, viscosity, free fatty acid (FFA) and p‐anisidine values for RBO and RBOSL were determined before and after frying. SPC color and oil uptake were also determined. TT results for SPCs showed no significant difference in SPCs fried in RBO and RBOSL (P &gt; 0.05). TT results for EBs indicated a significant difference between RBO and RBOSL formulations (P ≤ 0.05). WTP (5‐point scale) sensory analyses of SPCs and EBs showed that the most frequent response was probably would buy.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSConsumer panels indicated a willingness to purchase both sweet potato chips and energy bars prepared with rice bran oil structured lipid (RBOSL). Improvements in the standardization and preparation procedures and changes in formulation would probably improve acceptability. These consumer panel results showed that products prepared with structured lipids, with improved nutritional or health‐promoting properties, may have viable commercial potential in foods. RBOSL that is liquid at room temperature can potentially be used in frying and baking applications.

Consumer animosity in the global value chain: The effect of international production shifts on willingness to purchase hybrid products

The escalation of international offshoring and outsourcing in recent years has resulted in a proliferation of “hybrid products” for the typical multinational enterprise, with multiple country affiliations for branding, design, manufacture, assembly and parts sourcing. However, little has been written regarding the impact of consumer animosity on such hybrid activities, or the role of universal values in a hybrid production animosity model. In this paper we extend the consumer animosity literature to a firm's global integration activities for hybrid products. We posit that consumers’ willingness to purchase (WTP) a complex hybrid product is negatively affected by partial production shifts to an animosity-evoking country, and that self-reported animosity toward the country predicts lower WTP above and beyond consumer ethnocentrism and perceived product quality. In addition, we hypothesize a negative relationship between conservation values and WTP hybrid foreign products, and a positive relationship between openness values and WTP hybrid foreign products. A study of 319 US consumers revealed consistent support for these hypotheses, with the exception of the conservation values – WTP relationship. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed.