Emma Beacom, Lynsey Elizabeth Hollywood, Victoria Simms and Alison Wynne
Price promotions are a common tool used by retailers to increase sales. This study aims to investigate the effect of consumer's numerical skills and other demographic…
Abstract
Purpose
Price promotions are a common tool used by retailers to increase sales. This study aims to investigate the effect of consumer's numerical skills and other demographic characteristics on their ability to determine the best deal when conducting a grocery shop (referred to as deal competency).
Design/methodology/approach
A consumer survey (n = 308) was conducted online, collecting information about respondent's demographics and grocery shopping behaviours, numerical literacy using the subjective numeracy scale (SNS), and deal competency (a novel measure). Multiple regression analysis and Pearson's correlations were conducted using SPSSv26.
Findings
Overall, the mean SNS score for the total sample was 31.47 (SD = 8.27), and the mean sample deal competency score was 13.5 (SD = 2.3). Spearman's correlation analysis identified a moderate significant positive relationship between numerical skills and deal competency, rs(303) = 0.360, p < 0.001. Regression analysis found significant positive relationships between numerical skills and being male, and with mathematical achievement; and between deal competency and age, mathematical achievement and educational achievement. Regarding buying behaviour, correlation analyses identified only one significant relationship between numerical skills (SNS score) and deal competency and variables relating to buying behaviour, namely a negative relationship between deal competency and amount spent on promotional food items in top up grocery shops.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the gap in literature regarding consumer ability to work out the best deal on promotions, presents a novel scale for describing consumer deal competency, and considers the comparative usefulness of using objective and subjective scales in similar studies.
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L.E. Hollywood, G.A. Armstrong and M.G. Durkin
Emerging consumer trends within the food industry have increased the need to create market‐oriented products. In order to do so, a future strategy focusing on consumer behaviour…
Abstract
Purpose
Emerging consumer trends within the food industry have increased the need to create market‐oriented products. In order to do so, a future strategy focusing on consumer behaviour and segmentation should be utilised. By identifying how a consumer behaves throughout the purchasing process a company can determine whether what they are offering translates into what a consumer actually needs. This paper seeks to propose that the utilisation of consumer purchase motivation and decision‐making models can help identify specific customer clusters to improve marketing strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed methodology is a combined study of both qualitative and quantitative methods consisting of interviews, focus groups and a consumer questionnaire.
Findings
A new conceptual model, which integrates motivation, and decision‐making models in a food context are proposed.
Practical implications
By potentially gaining an intimate knowledge of the consumer, such models can optimise food‐marketing effectiveness by assisting the industry in predicting future consumer purchasing behaviour in a more systematic and informed manner. For the purposes of this paper, the research is applied to liquid milk category within the dairy sector in Northern Ireland. The commodity sector of liquid milk has been identified as the research context in recognition of its economic importance within the food industry in Northern Ireland.
Originality/value
The paper applies a new theoretical perspective of segmentation techniques to predict consumer purchase behaviour through the development of a conceptual model within a food industry context.
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Dawn Surgenor, Christopher McLaughlin, Una McMahon-Beattie and Amy Burns
The aim of this research is to examine the impact of video-based learning on the cooking skills development of students. More specifically, exploring the first stages in the…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this research is to examine the impact of video-based learning on the cooking skills development of students. More specifically, exploring the first stages in the learning process through embedding declarative knowledge utilising both video content and learner profiles, with the purpose to make teaching practice more effectively and efficiently targeted.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative social experimental approach was employed. The sample consisted of 414 students from three post primary schools in Northern Ireland. Students were randomly allocated into both control and experimental video content groups. All participants were made aware of ethical procedures and the nature of the study.
Findings
Through the application of latent class analysis (LCA), three distinct types of students were classified. Class one (n = 250) students were termed independent learners, class two (n = 88) students were motivated and benefited from video-based learning and class three (n = 52) students demonstrated an inability to apply information because video did not assist in embedding declarative knowledge.
Research limitations/implications
Implications from this research inform content generation for video-based cooking skills.
Practical implications
Given the unprecedented move towards online teaching in 2020 due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions, there is increasing interest in targeting resources effectively to meet the requirements of all learning groups. This paper fulfils an identified need to study how video impacts on skills development and learning within specific learning typologies.
Originality/value
This research will be of interest to educationalists in promoting a cost-effective resource in line with constructivist values to streamline and meet the needs of individual learners.
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Najlaa Alsini, Hebah Alawi Kutbi, Noor Hakim, Rana Mosli, Noura Eid and Zeinab Mulla
There is currently limited data available on the Saudi population’s adoption of nutritional guidelines or on other factors influencing food purchasing behaviors. The purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
There is currently limited data available on the Saudi population’s adoption of nutritional guidelines or on other factors influencing food purchasing behaviors. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of nutrition label use, explore factors that could influence food choices during grocery shopping and evaluate the association of these factors with the sociodemographic characteristics of mothers.
Design/methodology/approach
Mothers were recruited at a community event. They were requested to complete a questionnaire that assessed social and lifestyle characteristics as well as product features that influence food choices during grocery shopping.
Findings
The study included 157 mothers. The prevalence of label reading was high with 69% of participants always or mostly reading labels pre-purchase. Features that were most likely to “always” influence purchase choices included: product healthfulness (57.3%), children’s preference (45.9%), specific needs of a family member (38.9%). The feature “awareness campaigns and workshops” was found to be associated with both low and high-income groups. There was a poor understanding of what the “light” food label meant with only 37.6% answering correctly.
Research limitations/implications
Further research is needed with a higher sample size with diverse sociodemographic characteristics.
Practical implications
Saudi mothers are influenced by product healthfulness as well as children’s and family members’ needs when grocery shopping. There was a high prevalence of reading nutrition labels prepurchase. These findings can inform future public health policy on the main drivers for food purchasing decisions and the need for educational initiatives in Saudi Arabia.
Originality/value
The present research collates factors influencing food choices
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Virva Tuomala and David B. Grant
Access to food through retail supply chain distribution can vary significantly among the urban poor and leads to household food insecurity. The paper explores this sustainable…
Abstract
Purpose
Access to food through retail supply chain distribution can vary significantly among the urban poor and leads to household food insecurity. The paper explores this sustainable supply chain phenomenon through a field study among South Africa's urban poor.
Design/methodology/approach
Urban metabolic flows is the theoretical basis in the context of supply chain management (SCM). The field study comprised 59 semi-structured interviews in one South African township. Data were recorded, transcribed and translated, and coded using NVivo 12 to provide an inventory of eight themes categorized and patterned from the analysis.
Findings
Findings indicate societal factors play a significant role affecting food distribution, access and security from a spatial perspective of retail outlet locations and a nutritional standpoint regarding quality and quantity of food.
Research limitations/implications
The study is exploratory in one township, and while rigorously conducted, the generalizability of findings is limited to this context.
Practical implications
The study practically contributes by providing guidance for food retailers and policymakers to include nutritional guidelines in their distribution planning, as well as the dynamics of diverse neighbourhoods that exist in modern urban contexts.
Social implications
New forms of retail food distribution can provide better security and access to food for the urban poor, contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 Zero Hunger and 11 Liveable Cities.
Originality/value
The study is interdisciplinary and contributes by linking UN SDGs and SCM through urban metabolic flows from development studies as an overarching framework to enable analysis of relationships between physical, social and economic factors in the urban environment.
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Junfeng Jiao, Anne Vernez Moudon and Adam Drewnowski
The purpose of this paper is to ascertain how elements of the built environment may or may not influence the frequency of grocery shopping.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to ascertain how elements of the built environment may or may not influence the frequency of grocery shopping.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data from the 2009 Seattle Obesity Study, the research investigated the effect of the urban built environment on grocery shopping travel frequency in the Seattle-King County area. Binary and ordered logit models served to estimate the impact of individual characteristics and built environments on grocery shopping travel frequency.
Findings
The results showed that the respondents’ attitude towards food, travel mode, and the network distance between homes and stores exerted the strongest influence on the travel frequency while urban form variables only had a modest influence. The study showed that frequent shoppers were more likely to use alternative transportation modes and shopped closer to their homes and infrequent shoppers tended to drive longer distances to their stores and spent more time and money per visit.
Practical implications
This research has implications for urban planners and policy makers as well as grocery retailers, as the seemingly disparate groups both have an interest in food shopping frequency.
Originality/value
Few studies in the planning or retail literature investigate the influence of the urban built environment and the insights from the planning field. This study uses GIS and a planning framework to provide information that is relevant for grocery retailers and those invested in food distribution.
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Ursula Penney and Caroline Prior
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the perception and attitudes of urban consumers in the UK towards local food.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the perception and attitudes of urban consumers in the UK towards local food.
Design/methodology/approach
Four focus groups were conducted with participants from Birmingham, UK. A pre-focus group questionnaire was issued to participants to gather demographic data and to provide participants with the “Making Local Food Work” definition of local food. Following on from the focus groups, participants were e-mailed to enquire whether they had any additional comments to provide.
Findings
The results of the study revealed that despite urban consumer interest in local food, this did not necessarily translate in to purchase behaviour. Convenience of the “one-stop” offered by supermarkets along with availability, price and food labelling were found to be key barriers to the purchase of local food. Alternatively, key drivers were identified as freshness, health benefits and improved quality.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are limited with respect to the lack of male participants and younger consumers (pre 45 years old) within the sample whose perceptions of local food may differ from those studied.
Practical implications
Findings support the need for supermarkets to increase their offering of local food for the urban consumer. In addition, supermarkets should improve merchandising, signposting and labelling of local food to encourage increased levels of purchase behaviour from the urban consumer.
Originality/value
The paper explores the somewhat “disconnected” urban consumers’ perceptions and attitudes towards local food. On the whole, previous studies of local food have not specifically explored this particular group of consumers.
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Antoinette Pole and Archana Kumar
– The purpose of this paper is to seek to segment CSA members based on their motivations to join a CSA.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to seek to segment CSA members based on their motivations to join a CSA.
Design/methodology/approach
Data obtained from an online survey of 565 members belonging to a New York state CSA were analyzed using a combined hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analysis.
Findings
Based on their motivations to join a CSA results reveal four distinct types of segments among CSA members: No-Frills Member, Foodie Member, Nonchalant Member, and Quintessential Member. Results show all four clusters differ statistically across demographic characteristics including gender, political affiliation, and household income. The clusters differed across psychographic characteristics such as attitudes toward the treatment of animals, treatment of farm workers, pesticide use, the environment, food miles, and limiting factory farm purchases. Quintessential Members emerge as most concerned with food purchasing decisions while No-Frills Members are least concerned.
Research limitations/implications
The study employs a non-random purposive sample of CSAs in New York state. Respondents were recruited indirectly to participate in an online survey. The length and complexity of the survey, absence of an email address for respondents, levels of digital fluency, and technical glitches may result in lower participation rates.
Practical implications
This paper offers recommendations to farmers for retaining and attracting different types of CSA members.
Originality/value
This is the first study that segments CSA members in the USA based on their motivations to subscribe to a CSA, and it differentiates CSA member clusters based on their demographics, psychographics, and food purchasing decisions.
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Tendai Ramona Mbumbwa and Joel Chigada
The purpose of this paper is to analyse factors influencing black South African millennials when considering African Ankara fabric fashion. Fashion adoption, particularly…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse factors influencing black South African millennials when considering African Ankara fabric fashion. Fashion adoption, particularly consumers’ intentions to adopt new fashion is valuable to companies and marketers of the vibrant clothing product. Therefore, this study helped to create awareness to marketers on what characteristics to look for and address when dealing with millennials.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was informed by the interpretivist research paradigm resulting in the adoption and use of a qualitative research methodology. The exploratory research design helped the authors to collect data for this study because the objective was to address a subject where the problem was not well understood and there was little research on the subject matter. In addition, the exploratory research design helped to identify the boundaries in which the research problems and situations of interest resided, thus, the “what if” type of questions were addressed in the study.
Findings
The study established that black South African millennials were aware and conversant with African Ankara fabric fashion because it communicated African culture as well as personality. It was revealed that attitude, influence of fashion involvement, country-of-origin effect, consumer ethnocentrism and opinion leaders played significant roles in influencing millennials in fashion adoption. Particularly of importance, the study observed that celebrities influenced black South African millennials in fashion adoption and purchase intentions. Black South African millennials confirmed that their technologically savvy nature and social media usage had morphed them into depending on information communication technology.
Research limitations/implications
The sample for the study was composed of individuals from the University of Cape Town which excluded potential sample participants from the rest of South Africa. The exclusion of potential sample members was attributed to the research methodology adopted and data collection techniques used. The limitations would have been mitigated if a different research methodology had been used.
Practical implications
The practical implications identified in this study are black South African millennials who are frugal and fluid customers, whose tastes and preferences are difficult to understand unless thorough research is done by marketers; black South African millennials are technologically savvy, therefore firms and marketers should use information communication technologies if they are to win loyalty of black South African millennials. Utilisation of traditional marketing (bricks and mortar) approaches do not work for this cohort of consumers; when designing products or services, marketers and firms should engage and involve millennials as part of the design strategy.
Originality/value
This study investigated influencing factors on millennials when considering African Ankara fabric fashion. Most studies focussed on Western clothing fashion, yet African fashion was symbolic and it communicated African culture. Failure to research on African Ankara fabric fashion creates a gap and dearth of literature, which is the reason why this study was undertaken. This study has implications for clothing designers and manufacturers who are excluding African Ankara fabric fashion.
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Janandani Nanayakkara, Gail Boddy, Gozde Aydin, Krupa Thammaiah Kombanda, Christel Larsson, Anthony Worsley, Claire Margerison and Alison O. Booth
During the COVID-19 pandemic people worldwide in the same household spent more time together and school children engaged in remote learning throughout extended lockdowns and…
Abstract
Purpose
During the COVID-19 pandemic people worldwide in the same household spent more time together and school children engaged in remote learning throughout extended lockdowns and restrictions. The present study aimed to explore parents' perceptions of their involvement and enjoyment in food-related interactions with their children during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated lockdowns/restrictions and changes in their children's food intake, especially children's lunches during the remote learning period.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from parents (n = 136) were collected via an online survey in 2020. Parents' responses to closed-ended questions were analysed via descriptive statistics and open-ended responses were analysed thematically.
Findings
Most parents (62%) reported that they interacted more with their school-aged (5–17 years) children about food during COVID-19 compared to pre-pandemic times. These interactions included cooking, menu planning, eating, conversations around food, and gardening. Most parents (74%) prepared meals with their children during the pandemic and most of them (89%) reported that they enjoyed it. Most parents (n = 91 out of 121) perceived that their children's lunches during remote learning were different to when attending school in person and these changes included eating hot and home-cooked food and more elaborate meals.
Originality/value
This study sheds important insights into a sample of Australian parents' food-related interactions with their school-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns and parents' observations and perceptions of changes in the children's food intake during the remote learning period.