Consumer behavior
Lecture 1 – General introduction
Core paper: Consumer acceptance of novel foods
(Fischer, 2022)
Major approaches to consumer acceptance (section 18.3)
Consumer acceptance is studied through several complementary and sometimes
contradictory frameworks
- Conscious deliberation: these models assume consumers consciously
analyze product attributes. Key models include the Theory of Planned
Behavior, which focuses on attitudes, social norms and perceived control,
and the Technology Acceptance Model, emphasizing perceived
usefulness and ease of use. While these are dominant, they often suffer
from an ‘intention-behavior gap’ where self-reported intentions do not
match actual purchases.
- Unconscious/nondeliberate choice: this approach utilizes the ‘dual
system’ theory, where system 1 handles most decisions to save mental
effort. It considers implicit attitudes, affect heuristics (like
disgust/naturalness) and habits. While ‘sexy’ and technologically
advances, these measures can be noisy and expensive to implement
compared to traditional surveys.
- Behavior-central models: rather than focusing on internal thoughts,
these models look at behavior in context. Nudging alters the ‘choice
architecture’ to steer consumers toward specific options without forbidding
others. Lead-user approaches involve consumers in co-creating
innovations to ensure they meet actual needs. Diffusion of innovations
models how products spread through society from ‘innovators’ to
‘laggards’, though it is often more descriptive than predictive.
- Motivation and categorization: motivation models look at tendencies
like neophobia (fear of new food) vs neophilia. Construal Level
Theory suggests consumers judge immediate/concrete benefits (low
construal) differently than abstract/distant risks (high construal).
Categorization approaches examine how consumers make sense of
novel products by relating them to existing categories, often seeking a
balance between being ‘Most Advanced yet Acceptable’.
- Communication: this area studies how information is processed via the
Elaboration Likelihood Model (central vs peripheral routes) and the
impact of framing and Word-Of-Mouth in both offline and online social
media environments.
Methodologies in consumer research (section 18.4)
Research follows an empirical cycle consisting of observation, induction,
deduction, testing and evaluation. The choice of method depends on the research
goal:
- Qualitative methods: these are used for explanatory purposes to
identify unknown phenomena and diverse opinions. They typically use
, purposive sampling and continue until ‘saturation’ (no new insights
found)
- Quantitative methods: these aim to quantify attitudes or to test
specific hypotheses. For general population surveys, representativeness
is crucial. For experiments, a homogenous sample is often preferred to
reduce ‘noise’ and increase the sensitivity of the test
Measurement tools
- Self-report questionnaires: these are inexpensive and easy to deploy
but are prone to biases like social desirability and anchoring
- Implicit measures: these include speeded categorization tasks or
physiological measures (heart rate). They are useful for controversial
topics but are labor-intensive and often align with explicit surveys for
mundane topics.
- Overt behavior: uses transaction data (scanner data) or wearables to
track actual consumption. While highly realistic, transaction data often
lacks individual-level detail unless linked to loyalty programs.
Lecture
All research starts with a knowledge gap: I want to market sustainable products,
but I really don’t know why consumers like or dislike my idea
- Step 1: from real life problem to knowledge problem
o Requires translation of the real life statements to concepts
o Requires selection of concepts (i.e. what not to solve)
- Benefit: access to a lot of literature that tells you more about the concepts
- Cost: exclude many things that do matter
From problem to concepts
- I want to predict behavior towards an object
- Typical options:
o Attitude
Easy to measure, theory heavy
Abstract, little predictive value
Easily combined to psychological models
o Intention
Easy to measure
Limited predictive value
Can be combined with psychological models
o Choice
Somewhat easy to measure
Somewhat predictive value
Somewhat combinable with models
o Willingness to buy
Somewhat easy to measure
Fair predictive value
Somewhat combinable with models
o Actual behavior
Very hard to measure, especially for non-introduced products
Very realistic
, Hard to combine with models
Learning point – recognize concepts in texts
Recognize choices have been made that link to specific literatures
- What is the structure of attitudes of consumers towards sustainability?
consumer psychology
- Why do consumers prefer specific products? judgment and decision-
making
- How much do price differences influence consumer choice?
economics/marketing
- How do different products compare in the perception of consumers?
cognitive/perception psychology
- What different consumer profiles influence product liking in what way?
consumer sociology / marketing
- How high is the willingness to buy seaweed snacks? economic
psychology
Realization: the mentioned concepts give you a lot of implicit information about:
- The discipline / school of the investigator
- What to investigate and what not
Learn to recognize such choices when reading papers
Translation steps / operationalization
Real world issue Knowledge gap, research question in concepts research
methods to assess the concept
Measuring a concept means
- Again making choices
- Not measuring a lot that does matter
- Prioritizing that what fits your research question
- Realizing that you miss on more than that you can measure
- In other words: choose your losses and limitations
Methods
- Choice for experimental design – what information you give consumers
(independent variables and moderators)
o Translate concept into situation that you (more or less) control
Product attributes in comparative choice task
Future scenario for stated preference
Virtual supermarket as shopping context
Field study for realistic behavior
Fatigue or distraction to block complex thoughts
- Choice for measures – what information consumers give you back
(dependent variables)
o Open statements
o Rating scales
o Willingness to buy
o Unconscious responses (response time, heart rate)
, Why so many concepts and methods?
- If you have one (favorite) theory and one (favorite) methodology, every
research problem will receive the same approach
o The more different theories you know
o The more different methodologies you master
o The better you’ll use the tools that are needed for the job
Philosophy of science in action
- Pragmatist approach: tailor the concepts and methods to best fit the
real-world situation and aims of the project in hand
- Versus more ideologically driven approaches (such as positivism,
interpretivism, post-modernism, etc.)
The importance of theory based concepts
The need for theoretical concepts and models:
- Because nothing is as practical as a good theory
o To give you access to prior work from other applications (not
reinventing the wheel)
o To help you select the appropriate methodology (and apply it at
expert level)
o To help you with the interpretation of results (fitting or countering
previous findings)
- To put your results in the bigger picture, as numbers alone do not convince
o And to call other’s bluff when they try
- To recognize when you’re ‘taken for a ride’ in a policy or strategy meeting
- To counter vague ‘it is common knowledge’ arguments by being precise in
what knowledge you use
Types of research questions
- Open questions – exploring the world – observation
- Finding regularities – induction, hypothesis creation
- Make predictions and test those – deduction-testing
- Evaluate and explain the findings
Consumer insights
- Typically at observing the real world
- Less focused on theory based prediction
- Often quantitative
Lecture 2 – Methods
Consumer relevant difference(s)
Why simplified schemes? (like nutriscore)
- Observation are assumptions
o Consumers do not always think their decisions through
o We need to support non-thought through decisions
Lecture 1 – General introduction
Core paper: Consumer acceptance of novel foods
(Fischer, 2022)
Major approaches to consumer acceptance (section 18.3)
Consumer acceptance is studied through several complementary and sometimes
contradictory frameworks
- Conscious deliberation: these models assume consumers consciously
analyze product attributes. Key models include the Theory of Planned
Behavior, which focuses on attitudes, social norms and perceived control,
and the Technology Acceptance Model, emphasizing perceived
usefulness and ease of use. While these are dominant, they often suffer
from an ‘intention-behavior gap’ where self-reported intentions do not
match actual purchases.
- Unconscious/nondeliberate choice: this approach utilizes the ‘dual
system’ theory, where system 1 handles most decisions to save mental
effort. It considers implicit attitudes, affect heuristics (like
disgust/naturalness) and habits. While ‘sexy’ and technologically
advances, these measures can be noisy and expensive to implement
compared to traditional surveys.
- Behavior-central models: rather than focusing on internal thoughts,
these models look at behavior in context. Nudging alters the ‘choice
architecture’ to steer consumers toward specific options without forbidding
others. Lead-user approaches involve consumers in co-creating
innovations to ensure they meet actual needs. Diffusion of innovations
models how products spread through society from ‘innovators’ to
‘laggards’, though it is often more descriptive than predictive.
- Motivation and categorization: motivation models look at tendencies
like neophobia (fear of new food) vs neophilia. Construal Level
Theory suggests consumers judge immediate/concrete benefits (low
construal) differently than abstract/distant risks (high construal).
Categorization approaches examine how consumers make sense of
novel products by relating them to existing categories, often seeking a
balance between being ‘Most Advanced yet Acceptable’.
- Communication: this area studies how information is processed via the
Elaboration Likelihood Model (central vs peripheral routes) and the
impact of framing and Word-Of-Mouth in both offline and online social
media environments.
Methodologies in consumer research (section 18.4)
Research follows an empirical cycle consisting of observation, induction,
deduction, testing and evaluation. The choice of method depends on the research
goal:
- Qualitative methods: these are used for explanatory purposes to
identify unknown phenomena and diverse opinions. They typically use
, purposive sampling and continue until ‘saturation’ (no new insights
found)
- Quantitative methods: these aim to quantify attitudes or to test
specific hypotheses. For general population surveys, representativeness
is crucial. For experiments, a homogenous sample is often preferred to
reduce ‘noise’ and increase the sensitivity of the test
Measurement tools
- Self-report questionnaires: these are inexpensive and easy to deploy
but are prone to biases like social desirability and anchoring
- Implicit measures: these include speeded categorization tasks or
physiological measures (heart rate). They are useful for controversial
topics but are labor-intensive and often align with explicit surveys for
mundane topics.
- Overt behavior: uses transaction data (scanner data) or wearables to
track actual consumption. While highly realistic, transaction data often
lacks individual-level detail unless linked to loyalty programs.
Lecture
All research starts with a knowledge gap: I want to market sustainable products,
but I really don’t know why consumers like or dislike my idea
- Step 1: from real life problem to knowledge problem
o Requires translation of the real life statements to concepts
o Requires selection of concepts (i.e. what not to solve)
- Benefit: access to a lot of literature that tells you more about the concepts
- Cost: exclude many things that do matter
From problem to concepts
- I want to predict behavior towards an object
- Typical options:
o Attitude
Easy to measure, theory heavy
Abstract, little predictive value
Easily combined to psychological models
o Intention
Easy to measure
Limited predictive value
Can be combined with psychological models
o Choice
Somewhat easy to measure
Somewhat predictive value
Somewhat combinable with models
o Willingness to buy
Somewhat easy to measure
Fair predictive value
Somewhat combinable with models
o Actual behavior
Very hard to measure, especially for non-introduced products
Very realistic
, Hard to combine with models
Learning point – recognize concepts in texts
Recognize choices have been made that link to specific literatures
- What is the structure of attitudes of consumers towards sustainability?
consumer psychology
- Why do consumers prefer specific products? judgment and decision-
making
- How much do price differences influence consumer choice?
economics/marketing
- How do different products compare in the perception of consumers?
cognitive/perception psychology
- What different consumer profiles influence product liking in what way?
consumer sociology / marketing
- How high is the willingness to buy seaweed snacks? economic
psychology
Realization: the mentioned concepts give you a lot of implicit information about:
- The discipline / school of the investigator
- What to investigate and what not
Learn to recognize such choices when reading papers
Translation steps / operationalization
Real world issue Knowledge gap, research question in concepts research
methods to assess the concept
Measuring a concept means
- Again making choices
- Not measuring a lot that does matter
- Prioritizing that what fits your research question
- Realizing that you miss on more than that you can measure
- In other words: choose your losses and limitations
Methods
- Choice for experimental design – what information you give consumers
(independent variables and moderators)
o Translate concept into situation that you (more or less) control
Product attributes in comparative choice task
Future scenario for stated preference
Virtual supermarket as shopping context
Field study for realistic behavior
Fatigue or distraction to block complex thoughts
- Choice for measures – what information consumers give you back
(dependent variables)
o Open statements
o Rating scales
o Willingness to buy
o Unconscious responses (response time, heart rate)
, Why so many concepts and methods?
- If you have one (favorite) theory and one (favorite) methodology, every
research problem will receive the same approach
o The more different theories you know
o The more different methodologies you master
o The better you’ll use the tools that are needed for the job
Philosophy of science in action
- Pragmatist approach: tailor the concepts and methods to best fit the
real-world situation and aims of the project in hand
- Versus more ideologically driven approaches (such as positivism,
interpretivism, post-modernism, etc.)
The importance of theory based concepts
The need for theoretical concepts and models:
- Because nothing is as practical as a good theory
o To give you access to prior work from other applications (not
reinventing the wheel)
o To help you select the appropriate methodology (and apply it at
expert level)
o To help you with the interpretation of results (fitting or countering
previous findings)
- To put your results in the bigger picture, as numbers alone do not convince
o And to call other’s bluff when they try
- To recognize when you’re ‘taken for a ride’ in a policy or strategy meeting
- To counter vague ‘it is common knowledge’ arguments by being precise in
what knowledge you use
Types of research questions
- Open questions – exploring the world – observation
- Finding regularities – induction, hypothesis creation
- Make predictions and test those – deduction-testing
- Evaluate and explain the findings
Consumer insights
- Typically at observing the real world
- Less focused on theory based prediction
- Often quantitative
Lecture 2 – Methods
Consumer relevant difference(s)
Why simplified schemes? (like nutriscore)
- Observation are assumptions
o Consumers do not always think their decisions through
o We need to support non-thought through decisions
