Influence of brand information on consumers’ expectations and liking of powdered drinks in central location tests

Health versus environmental benefits: Does additional information influence consumer acceptance of pulse-based spreads?

Despite the known health benefits and the potential for substituting less environmentally sustainable consumed foods such as meat, the current intake of pulses in developed countries remains less than recommended. Barriers are related to sensory characteristics and lack of knowledge about preparation, while drivers of environmental benefits are intangible. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of additional information about health or environmental benefits of pulses on the acceptance of novel pulse-based products from chickpeas, black beans, and faba beans. Perceptions of these pulse-based spreads in a blind and informed stage were assessed with 202 consumers in urban and suburban areas of Denmark. In general, the familiar chickpea spread followed by the relatively most unfamiliar black bean spread was liked the most. Only for these two products, additional information increased hedonic perception, regardless of the context (health or environmental benefits). If consumers did not like the spread, as found for the faba bean spread, providing additional information did not significantly alter this perception. Participants' preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) in a discrete choice experiment corresponded to hedonic scores, whereas providing additional information increased the WTP. These findings suggest that extrinsic cues such as health or environmental benefits may only be useful in products with an acceptable baseline taste profile. Moreover, black beans might be investigated as a promising source for further product development due to their acceptance by consumers besides being the comparably most unfamiliar pulse type.

Consumer Studies: Beyond Acceptability—A Case Study with Beer

Beer is one of the most consumed alcoholic beverages in the world; its consumption and preference are evolving from traditional industrial beers of low complexity to novel craft beers with diverse flavour profiles. In such a competitive industry and considering the complexity of consumer behaviour, improvement and innovation become necessary. Consequently, consumer science, which is responsible for identifying the motivation behind customer preferences through their attitudes, perception and behaviour, has implemented strategies ranging from simple hedonic measurements to several innovative and emerging methodologies for a deeper understanding of the variables that affect the product experience: sensory, affective and cognitive. In this context, we offer a review inspired by previous research that explores some of the quantitative and qualitative methods used in consumer studies related to beer consumption, ranging from traditional approaches (acceptability, purchase intention, preference, etc.) to techniques that go beyond acceptability and allow a different understanding of aspects of consumer perception and behaviour (segmentation, expectations, emotions, representation, etc.). Also, innovative applications (contexts, immersive technologies and virtual reality, implicit measures, etc.) and current trends related to consumer science (Internet, social media, pairing, product experience, etc.) are addressed.

Carbonated emotions: Consumers' sensory perception and emotional response to carbonated and still fruit juices

The global carbonated beverage market is large, and consumers like the oral irritation (ex. burning or prickling) associated with carbonated beverages. This study's first objective was to identify the effect of carbonation on consumers' liking and sensory perception of fruit juices (apple, cherry, and blueberry). The secondary aim was to evaluate consumers' emotional responses to carbonated fruit juices. The first trial asked consumers (n = 103) to use check-all-that-apply (CATA) and nine-point hedonic scales to evaluate six fruit juices (three carbonated and three non-carbonated). In the second trial, consumers (n = 107) were asked to evaluate the pictures of the same juices using the CATA variant of EsSense25 Profile® and a purchase intent scale. The consumers were also asked to identify what they like and dislike about carbonated beverages using an open-ended comment question. The first trial demonstrated that flavour significantly affected the overall liking scores but also identified that carbonation increased the overall liking of the blueberry and apple juices (p < 0.05). In the emotional response trial, the participants did not separate the samples based on carbonation, but rather separated the blueberry juices from the cherry and apple juices. The penalty lift analysis identified that when positive emotions were selected, the participants' purchase intent increased. Lastly, the consumers identified they like mouthfeel and flavour-enhancing qualities of carbonated beverages and associated them with special events. However, the participants disliked beverages that are too carbonated or flat and associated carbonated beverages with negative physical sensations and health perceptions. Overall, the flavour was more important than if the beverage was carbonated or not and purchase intent scores increased when positive emotions were perceived. Future research should investigate how emotions affect purchase intent, how participant's familiarity affects the emotions they select and evaluate how carbonation affects other beverages.

Comparison of Home Use Tests with Differing Time and Order Controls

Consumer tests are classified in terms of the location of testing as laboratory tests or central location tests (CLTs) and home use tests (HUTs). CLT is generally used in sensory tests due to the ease of test control, whereas HUT has higher validity because of real consumption. However, the lack of test control in HUT is a major issue. In order to investigate the error occurrence and efforts required to minimize errors, three groups of tests were designed differing time and order control and evaluation was conducted using six snacks with texture differences. Errors related to time, order, and consumer or sample number were higher for more controlled conditions, however, most errors were recoverable using identification information except for cases of no response. Additionally, consumers preferred to consume all snacks in the evening at home, which differed from the typical 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. evaluation time in CLT. However, the timing differed for consumers with self-reported snacking time. The research title that included the term 'home' might have influenced the participants' choice of location for evaluation. Overall, there was no significant difference between the results of groups despite different time and order controls, which could increase the applicability of HUT.

Context effect of environmental setting and product information in acceptability testing of tea and cola: A study comparing sensory engagement in a traditional sensory booth and a study commons

Sensory evaluation of food relies heavily on the eating context. The objective of this study was to determine how the context effect, created from differences in environmental setting and product information, affects consumer's acceptability of two types of beverages. Participants of this study rated five ready-to-drink tea products and five diet cola products on a 9-point hedonic scale. Environmental setting differences were created by altering testing locations, and product information differences were created by serving the same samples with or without product name and image. Self-reported sensory engagement was measured in each location. Tea samples showed significantly higher appearance liking ratings in the sensory booth location as well as higher flavor liking ratings when product information was provided. Cola samples did not show a significant effect of testing location but did show a significant product information by sample interaction, where well-established brands received higher ratings when product information was provided. Overall, results were product-specific; testing location does not appear to have a large influence on hedonic scores for certain beverages, and the impact of product information varies largely depending on the product type and brand. The laboratory sensory booth setting provided higher panelist engagement overall. Additional research on the combination of external context and meal, sample, or social context is needed to fully explore the effect of eating context in sensory tests. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Findings from this study can help the food industry comprehend how test location may impact results of acceptability testing of different beverage products, both in terms of hedonic scores and sensory engagement. Results of this study also evidence the influence of sample information on product acceptability and how this influence differs based on the type of beverage and the popularity of the brand tested.

Some insights into the development of food and brand familiarity: The case of soy sauce in the Netherlands

With the increasing globalization, new unfamiliar flavors gradually find their way into local Western cuisines. The mechanisms behind the successful integration of novel flavors into local cuisines are largely unknown. This study investigates the effects of frequency of soy sauce use, levels of food neophobia, and brand specificity on liking of a relatively unknown flavor in the Netherlands, soy sauce. A total of eighty-nine (26 men and 63 women; mean age 47.5 ± 17.7 years) high- and low-frequency users of soy sauce rated liking of five soy sauces separately presented with and without branding information. Liking of four soy sauces with the typical salty and savory flavor increased with increasing frequency of use, and with decreasing levels of food neophobia. Another soy sauce with additives resulting in a distinctive taste was liked irrespective of the frequency of use. Soy sauces, which were recognized correctly or incorrectly as the participants' own familiar brand, received 50% higher or lower liking ratings than other soy sauces, respectively. Furthermore, users of one of the brands preferred the taste of their own brand over that of other brands, whereas users of the other brands did not show such specificity, indicating clear differences in specificity of liking soy sauce among the various user groups. This study provides insights into consumer liking and preference of semi-familiar foods, revealing the contribution of consumer traits and brand familiarity that may influence the spread of unfamiliar foods.

The habitual nature of food purchases at the supermarket: Implications for policy making

Supermarkets have become the most important provider of food products worldwide. However, empirical evidence about how consumers make their food purchase decisions in this environment is still scarce. The present field study aimed to: i) explore how people make their in-store food purchases, and ii) identify the information they search for when making those purchases. Consumers (n = 144) were intercepted when entering the facilities of three supermarkets in two Uruguayan cities. They were asked to wear a mobile eye-tracker while they made their purchases as they normally do. The great majority of the consumers bought at least one food product or beverage (92%) and, on average, examined products from 2.8 sections. In total, they investigated 37 categories within 13 self-service sections, corresponding to 26 categories of ultra-processed products. For 67% of the products, consumers went straight to the product they seemed to be looking for, grabbed it and put it in their shopping basket or cart, without making any comparison among products. A limited information search was observed. On average, consumers spent 22 s examining products within self-service sections and only 6.9 s were elapsed from the moment they grabbed a product until they put it in the shopping cart. These results provide empirical evidence of the habitual nature of supermarket food purchases in a context characterized by wide availability of ultra-processed products. Taken together, the findings suggest that policies and interventions aimed at reducing purchases of ultra-processed products should disrupt habitual decisions at the point of purchase. In this sense, policies targeted at introducing salient changes on food packages hold potential to disrupt food purchases and encourage consumers to establish new and more healthful food purchase habits.

Influences of sensory attribute intensity, emotional responses, and non-sensory factors on purchase intent toward mixed-vegetable juice products under informed tasting condition

Product-related sensory and non-sensory cues have been studied in the past to understand purchase behavior among consumers. However, there has been little research related to integrating emotional responses with such cues to achieve better prediction of consumer purchase behavior. This study aimed to determine the impacts of sensory attribute intensities (SAI), non-sensory factors (NSF), and emotions on purchase intent and consumer choice. Emotional responses were measured using a self-reported emotion questionnaire (EQ), facial expression analysis (FE), and autonomic nervous system responses (ANS). Sixty-nine adults were asked to view product labels, and look at, smell, and drink five commercially-available vegetable juice samples. For each sample, SAI, NSF, EQ, FE, ANS, and purchase intent ratings were measured. Participants were also asked to select the one they would be most likely to buy. Results showed that the five samples differed significantly with respect to SAI, NSF, and emotional responses measured by EQ and FEs. SAI (bitterness intensity) and NSF (brand liking) played an extremely important role in purchase-related behavior of vegetable juice products. Correlation analysis and a PLSR prediction model further revealed that products with higher ratings of purchase intent elicited lower levels of negative emotions and higher levels of positive emotions, as measured by EQ as well as FE. In conclusion, this study shows that NSF in combination with SAI and emotions measured using EQ and FE can modulate consumer purchase intent toward vegetable juice products under informed tasting conditions.

Nutrition, hedonic or environmental? The effect of front-of-pack messages on consumers' perception and purchase intention of a novel food product with multiple attributes

The present study aims to assess the effect of different Front-Of-Pack messages on consumer perception, willingness to buy and willingness to pay for a new food product, with multiple attributes, such as particular nutritional information, sensory characteristics, and a potentially positive environmental impact. Furthermore, this study explores the differences between consumers based on their individual latent traits in order to evaluate how these factors affect the willingness to buy the new product, as well as to outline a profile of target consumers attracted by innovative food products. A consumer survey was conducted on a representative sample of 1250 Italian consumers, using a between-subject design with different Front-Of-Pack messages as stimuli. Messages were related to different attributes: nutrition, environmental impact, hedonic characteristics, and process innovation. Empirical findings show that Front-Of-Pack messages do not directly affect consumer willingness to buy, but they do influence consumer perception of the product. The most effective message is the nutrition one. Consumer willingness to buy is particularly influenced by product perception and by their novelty seeking orientation in consumption. Furthermore, consumers were segmented through hierarchical clustering based on their novelty seeking orientation. The results obtained provide valuable suggestions for the design of new products' labeling and for the outline of the profile of potential target customers for innovative food products.

Factors Influencing Consumers' Perceptions of Food: A Study of Apple Juice Using Sensory and Visual Attention Methods

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of intrinsic product characteristics and extrinsic packaging-related factors on the food quality perception. Sensory and visual attention methods were used to study how consumers perceive the quality of commercial apple juices from four product categories: clear juices from concentrate, cloudy juices from concentrate, pasteurized cloudy juices not from concentrate, and fresh juices. Laboratory tests included the assessment of sensory liking in blind and informed conditions and expected liking based on packages only. The results showed that brand and package information have a large impact on consumers' sensory perceptions and generate high sensory expectations. An innovative visual attention tracking technique was used in online experiments to identify packages and label areas on individual packages, which attracted consumer attention. During an online shelf test, consumers mostly focused on not from concentrate juices from local producers, which were perceived as more natural, healthy, and expensive than juices reconstituted from concentrate. When individual labels were analyzed, consumers predominantly focused on nutritional data, brand name, and information about the type of product. The present results confirm a large impact of information and visual stimuli related to packaging on product perception.

Blueberry pomace as a source of antioxidant fibre in cookies: Consumer’s expectations and critical attributes for developing a new product

Valorisation of an agroindustry by-product, through its uses as an ingredient, in the development of a product may be an opportunity for industries to reduce wastes; generating a valuable product rich in bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, as happens with every new product, food manufacturers follow the market trend ensuring that any new product or idea meets consumer’s expectations. The aim of this work is to study the expectation and the acceptability of consumers towards fibre-enriched cookies using blueberry pomace as a functional ingredient. A label for the blueberry cookies, created for this purpose, was evaluated by consumers who rated their expected liking when observing this label. Fibre-enriched cookies were formulated using blueberry pomace powder as source ingredient for antioxidant dietary fibre. A cookie without fibre was evaluated as a reference. Cookies were evaluated by a group of consumers who rated their degree of liking when tasting the sample under blind and informed conditions. Results showed that the consumer expectations were not fulfilled when assessing the product. Acceptability scores of blueberry pomace, fibre-enriched cookies show that most consumers are not willing to compromise hedonic aspects of cookies for their healthful attributes. Focus group was used to explore the characteristics a healthy cookie should have. Formulation of cookies must be optimised taking into account the acceptability of consumers.

The role of production process and information on quality expectations and perceptions of sparkling wines

BACKGROUND

This study, by combining sensory and experimental economics techniques, aims to analyse to what extent the production process, and the information about it, may affect consumer preferences. Sparkling wines produced by Champenoise and Charmat methods were the object of the study. A quantitative descriptive sensory analysis with a trained panel and non-hypothetical auctions combined with hedonic ratings involving young wine consumers (N = 100), under different information scenarios (Blind, Info and Info Taste), were performed.

RESULTS

The findings show that the production process impacts both the sensory profile of sparkling wines and consumer expectations. In particular, the hedonic ratings revealed that when tasting the products, both with no information on the production process (Blind) and with such information (Info Taste), the consumers preferred the Charmat wines. On the contrary, when detailed information on the production methods was given without tasting (Info), consumers liked the two Champenoise wines more.

CONCLUSION

It can be concluded that sensory and non-sensory attributes of sparkling wines affect consumers' preferences. Specifically, the study suggests that production process information strongly impacts liking expectations, while not affecting informed liking. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

A comparison of two low-calorie sweeteners and sugar in dark chocolate on sensory attributes and emotional conceptualisations

Reducing sugar consumption is an important aspect in the prevention of and fight against obesity. A broader understanding of consumers' perceptions of low-calorie sweeteners is needed. This study examined two low-calorie sweeteners, tagatose and stevia, in comparison to sugar in dark chocolate. A total of 219 consumers participated in this study and rated overall liking and sensory attributes. Participants also listed their emotional conceptualisations upon consumption and were assessed on emotional eating behaviour and health and taste attitudes. The chocolate with tagatose was perceived as more similar to the chocolate with sugar than with stevia on overall liking, texture, bitterness, duration of aftertaste and intensity of aftertaste. Furthermore, chocolate with sugar and chocolate with tagatose both elicited positive emotional conceptualisations whereas chocolate with stevia elicited negative emotional conceptualisations. In conclusion, dark chocolate with tagatose did not significantly differ from sugar in overall liking, most sensory attributes and emotional conceptualisation.

Age and gender differences in the influence of extrinsic product information on acceptability for RTD green tea beverages

BACKGROUND

The introduction of ready-to-drink (RTD) green tea beverage has allowed diverse consumers to consume green teas and related products. Green tea that has been traditionally consumed for its delicate flavor characteristics is also widely consumed for its recognition as a healthy product. Because it is reported that age difference exists in consideration of health-related information, the objective of the study was to investigate how sensory and non-sensory factors, in particular health-related information, price and packaging, would affect the flavor acceptability of green tea beverages, depending on consumers' age and gender.

RESULTS

Regardless of the product information, old consumers preferred products that provided an indication of health beneficial effect. On the other hand, young consumers tended to be influenced by extrinsic product information such as packaging, brand/manufacturer and/or price, though these consumers were not so much influenced by health beneficial information as were the old consumers.

CONCLUSION

The findings of the study implied that the influence of non-sensory information such as health beneficial information in flavor liking differed depending mostly on consumers' age, and little on gender, for RTD green tea beverages.

Effect of sustainability information on consumers' liking of freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

BACKGROUND

This research aimed to investigate whether consumer acceptance is affected by information on sustainable practices on the product label. Hedonic evaluations of freshwater prawns were performed by 80 consumers under three aspects: the blind condition - consumers taste samples without information; expected - without tasting samples, consumers evaluated the message 'Freshwater prawns were grown using sustainable practices, reducing environmental impacts caused by traditional breeding'; informed - in which prawns were tasted and the card evaluated.

RESULTS

For the entire consumer group, it was observed that the message about sustainability on packaging increased freshwater prawn acceptability (8.25, expected condition (E) versus 6.75, blind condition (B)). High scores were observed under all three test conditions, ranging from 6 (like slightly) to 9 (like extremely), on a 9-point scale.

CONCLUSION

It can be concluded that the use of sustainable information can influence consumers' perception and increase their preference toward freshwater prawns, and even increase the sensory attributes of the product.

Consumer perceptions of satiating and meal replacement bars, built up from cues in packaging information, health claims and nutritional claims

Previous research has shown that consumers' sensory and hedonic perceptions could be greatly influenced by the messages highlighted on the front of the packaging, particularly nutrition and health claims for reduced-calorie or functional foods. In food products designed for hunger control, mentioning satiating effects or meal replacement could potentially influence the expected satiety or other perceptions, including those associated with a filling effect. This study investigated the effect of packaging information on consumer perceptions of eleven commercial chocolate-flavoured satiating and meal replacement bars. Projective mapping (Napping®) with a descriptive step was used to profile the expectations elicited by the eleven bars, based on their extrinsic characteristics (without tasting them), with two different groups of consumers in two different scenarios: mapping the samples' packaging and mapping cards with an identical design showing the most important information displayed on the packaging (product name, nutrition information panel and nutrition and health messages or claims). The terms and comments obtained in the two scenarios were analysed and perceptual spaces were generated from the sample location and attributes obtained in the Napping® exercises, using multi factor analysis (MFA). The results showed that when evaluating the real packaging, the consumers mainly focused on the meal replacement- or satiation-related messages and on the images to build up their perception, attaching less or no importance to the nutritional information that was also displayed on the box. When examining the packaging, sensory expectations - which probably emerged from the images of the bars - were also a very important factor in placing the samples in the perceptual space. When looking only at the cards, the consumers' grouping and attribute generation focused in great detail on the nutritional information. The calorie content also became a much more important factor in their perceptions of the bars. Interestingly for the product category analysed, messages about "satiating" and "meal replacement" effects were clearly distinct and negatively correlated in the consumers' minds.