Bridget K. Behe

Are Consumers Willing to Pay More for Biodegradable Containers Than for Plastic Ones? Evidence from Hypothetical Conjoint Analysis and Nonhypothetical Experimental Auctions

This study used and compared hypothetical conjoint analysis and nonhypothetical experimental auctions to elicit floral customers’ willingness to pay for biodegradable plant containers. The results of the study show that participants were willing to pay a price premium for biodegradable containers, but the premium is not the same for different types of containers. This article also shows the mixed ordered probit model generates more accurate results when analyzing the conjoint analysis Internet survey data than the ordered probit model.

Cultivar and spacing effects on transmission of Phytophthora parasitica in an ebb-and-flow subirrigation system

Phytophthora parasitica was transmitted within 6 weeks from vinca (Catharanthus roseus) plants growing in infested potting mix, on the drain end of ebb-and-flow benches, to plants in noninfested potting mix. Transmission of Phytophthora was very low when potting mix was not pasteurized. When potting mix was steam pasteurized, infection of plants, disease incidence, and severity increased with time and decreased with distance from plants in infested pots. The cultivar Pretty in Pink was more susceptible to infection by P. parasitica than cv. Peppermint Cooler, allowing more rapid and severe disease development as well as pathogen dissemination and transmission. Pot spacing did not significantly affect transmission of P. parasitica on an ebb-and-flow bench.

Seeking attention: an eye tracking study of in-store merchandise displays

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the role that visual measures of attention to product and information and price display signage have on purchase intention. The authors assessed the effect of visual attention to the product, information or price sign on purchase intention, as measured by likelihood to buy. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used eye-tracking technology to collect data from Australian and US garden centre customers, who viewed eight plant displays in which the signs had been altered to show either price or supplemental information (16 images total). The authors compared the role of visual attention to price and information sign, and the role of visual attention to the product when either sign was present on likelihood to buy. Findings – Overall, providing product information on a sign without price elicited higher likelihood to buy than providing a sign with price. The authors found a positive relationship between visual attention to price on the display sign and ...

Consumer Perceptions of Eco-friendly and Sustainable Terms

Common marketing strategies include emphasizing products’ “green” or environmentally friendly attributes and characteristics to appeal to a growing market of environmentally conscious consumers. While previous studies have used product labels such as “eco-friendly,” “environmentally friendly,” and “sustainable” to investigate consumer preferences, relatively little is known about how consumer perceptions as a pre-decision mechanism impact their preferences and choice behaviors. Using data collected through an online survey of U.S. and Canadian consumers, we investigate systematic differences in individuals’ perceptions of the terms “eco-friendly” and “sustainable.” Marketing implications for the food and green (i.e., greenhouse/nursery producers, suppliers, and retailers) industries are discussed.

Display signs and involvement: the visual path to purchase intention

Retailers, merchandisers and suppliers go to great lengths to display merchandise so that it captures the eye of the customer. Attention requires eye movement. Our eyes move (saccade) and pause (fixate) to direct attention. Cognitive processing of visual items requires the eyes to attend to an object. Eye movement can measure attention, and attention increases mental processing of an object (e.g. word, image, object, and product). Both the characteristics of the person (top-down factors) and the stimulus (bottom-up factors) contribute to attention and influence the meaning derived from the stimulus. For the current study, we integrated involvement theory and the elaboration likelihood model with eye-tracking technology to evaluate customer attention to merchandise displays and their likelihood to buy (purchase intention). We recruited 344 subjects in six North American locations to view images of 32 live plant displays. Visual data were collected using a Tobii X1 Light eye-tracking device. To date, few investigations using eye tracking have been conducted on merchandised displays. Our hypothesis was that the more highly involved customers would view the merchandise (live plants) longer than required for identification, information or price signs. Results show differential 3-D patterns of involvement, likelihood to buy, and total visit duration. Involvement moderated the relationship between the time spent looking at the merchandise and their likelihood to buy.

Conducting field research in retail stores: A meandering path to a successful research project

This case study follows the sometimes meandering path of a team of international academics conducting field research in retail stores. Field studies in retail stores are rare because the potential for disruption to trade is generally not tolerated by retailers nor are the benefits to the retail industry well understood. Research into retail, marketing, product testing, advertising and promotion, therefore, is most commonly undertaken externally via focus groups and panels, exit interviews, analysis of scanner and point of sale data, observation, and laboratories with simulated shopping and surveys. Here, we record the experience of conducting field research to assess consumers’ perception of merchandise displays, using eye tracking technology. Applying concepts from sociology and anthropology, we explain and analyse the pathways, obstacles, facilitators and supporters that we encountered on our way to completing successful field experiments in retail garden centres. Commencing with a review of field studies in retail stores, we walk through the phases of the project, including the reflections of team members. We conclude with a discussion of the findings and the implications for other academics wishing to undertake studies in retail stores.

Pasture-Raised Milk: The Market for a Differentiated Product

Pasture-raised (PR) milk is a specialty product that could feasibly be produced by economically challenged dairy farms. Our goal was to profile the milk market using an internet survey to identify potential future consumers of PR milk. There were 611 U.S. respondents that were divided into three categories as types of milk consumers: those who only purchased conventional milk in the past year (CONV), those who only purchased non-conventional milk (such as organic, PR, or natural milk) in the past year (NONCONV), and those who purchased both conventional and non-conventional milk in the past year (MIXED). MIXED and NONCONV agreed or strongly agreed with PR milk benefits substantially more than CONV. PR milk was also valued by NONCONV and MIXED in purchasing intentions, but not nearly as much as organic milk. In addition, CONV valued PR milk in purchasing intentions more than organic milk. Results suggest that PR milk can be successfully positioned to appeal to MIXED and perhaps some CONV, potentially increasing sales or market share.

Business and Marketing Practices of U.S. Landscape Firms

Little information has been published on the business and marketing practices of landscape firms, an important sector of the green industry.We sought to profile the product mix, advertising, marketing, and other business practices of United States landscape firms and compare them by business type (landscape only, landscape/retail, and landscape/retail/grower) as well as by firm size. We sent the 2014 Trade Flows and Marketing survey to a wide selection of green industry businesses across the country and for the first time included landscape businesses. Herbaceous perennials, shade trees, deciduous shrubs, and flowering bedding plants together accounted for half of all landscape sales; 3/4 of all products were sold in containers. However, landscape only firms sold a higher percentage of deciduous shrubs compared with landscape/retail/grower firms. Landscape businesses diversified their sales methods as they diversified their businesses to include production and retail functions. Landscape businesses spent, on average, 5.6% of sales on advertising, yet large landscape companies spent two to three times the percentage of sales on advertising compared with smalland medium-sized firms. Advertising as a percent of sales was three to four times higher for landscape/retail/ grower compared with landscape only or landscape/retail firms; most respondents used Internet advertising as their primary method of advertising. The top three factors influencing price establishment in landscape businesses were plant grade, market demand, and uniqueness of plants, whereas inflation was ranked as the least important of the nine factors provided. A higher percentage of small and mediumsized firms perceived last year’s prices as more important in price establishment compared with large firms. A high percentage of large landscape companies said the ability to hire competent hourly employees was an important factor in business growth and management, but this was true only for about half of the small and medium-sized landscape companies.

Tracking position premiums in discrete choice experiments

ABSTRACT Eye-tracking was used to identify potential location ‘premiums’ in discrete choice experiments for certain positions in the computer screen in terms of increasing the visibility, general interest and attention of respondents. The search dynamics to choose the optimal alternative closely resembled the natural process of reading in a ‘Z’ motion going from left to right and top to bottom. An empirical application of water conservation showed that conservation practices in the production process were not statistically different than zero. On the other hand, respondents are interested in water conservation practices in their landscapes where they benefit directly from the sustainable practice.

An eye tracking study of minimally branded products: hedonism and branding as predictors of purchase intentions

This study aims to test the relationship between consumers’ perceptions of product type (utilitarian vs hedonic) and the attentional processes that underlie decision-making among minimally branded products.,This study uses eye-tracking measures (i.e. total fixation duration) and data collected through an online survey.,The study shows that consumers spend more time looking at hedonic (vs utilitarian) and branded (vs unbranded) products, which influences perceptions of quality.,The findings of this research provide guidelines for marketing minimally branded products.,The authors showed that the product type influences the time consumers spend looking at an item. Previous findings about effects of branding are extended to an understudied product category (i.e. live potted plants).