Taste Lovers vs. Nutrition Fact Seekers: How Health Consciousness and Self-Efficacy Determine the Way Consumers Choose Food Products
This article identifies consumer
segments that differ in the way they consider health-related and
health-unrelated food properties when making food choices. The paper makes two
assumptions: first, the level of health consciousness determines the quality of
the attributes (health related versus health unrelated) these segments consider
important; and second, the degree of nutrition-related self-efficacy
subsequently defines the quantity of health-related attributes considered
important. Two studies measure preferences for food attributes (Study 1: n = 54, 12 attributes, conjoint
analysis; Study 2: n = 162, 25
attributes, constant sum scales). In both studies, cluster analysis identifies
two major segments (taste lovers and nutrition fact seekers) that are
determined by consumers' level of health consciousness. Study 2 demonstrates
that nutrition-related self-efficacy determines how many health-related
attributes nutrition fact seekers consider important. Consequently, they can be
split into ‘heavy’ and ‘soft’ subsegments. The study also identifies a segment
that lacks a clear food choice strategy as a result of incompatible beliefs.
The paper guides marketers and producers in developing healthy food products
tailored to the needs of different target segments. Considering the enormous
health expenditures, the studies' results are also beneficial to policy makers
and governmental organizations to design social marketing campaigns.
Mai, R.; Hoffmann, S.
(2012). Taste Lovers vs. Nutrition Fact Seekers: How Health
Consciousness and Self-Efficacy Determine the Way Consumers Choose Food
Products, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 11 (4), 316-328.