James B. Wiley

The Relative Importance of Search versus Credence Product Attributes: Organic and Locally Grown

Organic foods and local foods have come to the forefront of consumer issues, due to concerns about nutrition, health, sustainability, and food safety. A conjoint analysis experiment quantified the relative importance of, and trade-offs between, apple search and experience attributes (quality/blemishes, size, flavor), credence attributes (conventional vs. organic production method, local origin vs. product of USA vs. imported), and purchase price when buying apples. Quality is the most important apple attribute. Production method—organic versus conventional—had no significant impact on preferences.

Who are the locavores

– This research aims to develop a behaviorally based definition of “locavores”, i.e. a segment of a population that purchases locally grown produce. It describes the locavore segment on a set of attributes representative of those typically used for market segmentation and contrasts the locavore segment with a non‐locavore segment to estimate the impact value of local production over organic production. This paper operationalizes the concept in terms of reported buying behavior for fresh produce. A questionnaire administered to adult primary household food shoppers and residents of a US state included attribute, trial and usage (AT&U) questions focusing on a specific target product, i.e. apples. The paper profiles the segment in terms of marketing relevant criteria and discusses implications of the segment for the marketing of fresh produce., – A quantitative online survey of 1,218 Pennsylvania residents was conducted. The survey included a conjoint experiment where respondents rated their preference for various apples consisting of different levels of key apple characteristics, including physical apple attributes (sweetness, blemishes, size, crispness), credence attributes (conventional versus organic production method, local origin versus product of USA versus imported) and purchase price when buying apples. The data were used to quantify how much consumers are willing to give up in terms of product appearance, price, value of locally produced or other variables. Traditional attribute, trial and usage data were also collected., – The key finding was that the attribute “local” was significantly more impactful in changing preference for apples than “organic”. It was also found that there were three segments of apple consumers: those that most valued the quality of the apple, a second that was most interested in price, and a third most interested in the health and/or life style attributes such as local and organic attributes. Large differences were found between locavores and non‐locavores on marketing relevant criteria, such as price sensitivity, outlet preferences, and media characteristics., – The major limitation was the use of only Pennsylvania residents in the study and produce other than apples might have been used as well. Additionally it would have been more effective if the actual apples could have been available to taste and inspect. A valuable finding is that there is a local segment that values and is willing to pay for a locally produced product. However, that is the smallest segment and must be carefully targeted as most consumers are interested in either taste or price., – USA food retailers that use local supply can tell their customers “that purchasing from local farmers helps the economy in the communities we serve. Local produce can be delivered to your store very quickly and faster shipping means even fresher produce for you. Items can be picked and packed at a more mature stage. This can really bring out the taste of the product. Eating locally grown food also means less fossil fuel burned in preparation and transport – and less energy needed to refrigerate during transportation”. Farmers may wish to promote their local crops and not spend the additional money on organic farming., – The article appears to be the first research paper to tease apart the impact of local from organic via a conjoint analysis.

Applying theory to structure respondents' stated motivations for participating in web surveys

Purpose – There is limited published work addressing factors that influence responses to internet surveys. This is due in part to lack of an agreed upon set of relevant theories. Albaum, Evangelista and Medina (AEM) and Evangelista et al. made a step toward filling this gap when they studied the relevance of four theories of survey response behaviour. The AEM study included a survey from a population of survey researchers. Based on their survey, they concluded that all four theories contribute to explaining survey response behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to provide an exploratory extension of AEM by using an extended set of theories in an exploratory content analysis of qualitative feedback to a large internet‐based experiment.Design/methodology/approach – An internet‐based survey using an experimental design was sent to essentially the entire population of student e‐mail addresses at a New Zealand university. The 12,000 questionnaires distributed included open‐end questions that asked about facto...

Visiting item non-responses in internet survey data collection

A widely used technique in internet surveys is ‘forced answering’, which requires respondents to enter an ‘appropriate’ response before they are allowed to proceed to the next survey question. Forced answering virtually eliminates sources of respondent error due to item non-response. However, using forced answering might cause respondents to opt out entirely or break off early in the survey, which would increase non-response error. It has been suggested that one way around this is to provide a ‘prefer not to answer’ (PNA) option if forced answering is used, which would allow respondents to continue without providing a response to each question. This study examines effects on item non-response rates of using forced answering and ‘prefer not to answer’ in internet surveys. Findings reveal that use of PNA is not a perfect substitute for leaving questions blank, which brings into question the equivalency of response options that allow internet survey respondents to bypass answering questions and quality versus quantity tradeoffs associated with internet survey design choices.

Consumer perceptions of extended warranties and service providers

Purpose – This paper aims to assess consumer perceptions of extended warranties that are marketed by the manufacturer for an independent service provider as applied to the purchase of a computer by mail catalog, telephone ordering, or the internet.Design/methodology/approach – A descriptive survey of a large sample of consumers in the USA was conducted using data collection by the internet. Measurement was responses to eight Likert scales of agreement and two demographic items.Findings – Significant differences between perceptions of females and males were observed. Overall, there was no relationship between perceptions and age, although there were significant differences for some scale items. There were no interaction effects of gender and age. A major finding is that although service is provided by an independent service company, consumers believe it to be provided by the manufacturer.Originality/value – This is the first known examination of the specific research questions underlying the study.

Modelling Portfolio Choice in Transportation Research

Abstract This paper argues that certain choice problems in transportation research can be best conceptualized as problems of portfolio choice. It discusses how portfolio choice problems can be studied using discrete choice experiments, stated choice (conjoint) methods. Issues in the construction in the design of experiments, model specification and estimation are discussed. A working example illustrates the basic approach. Finally, possible extensions of the basic approach are identified.

Selecting techniques for use in an internet survey

Purpose – The papers aim is to illustrate the use of a technique that can help researchers choose which techniques, and at what level, to employ in an internet‐based survey.Design/methodology/approach – A screening experiment, designed as a Plackett‐Burman design, is used to study main effects of 11 techniques for increasing survey response. Three measures of effect used are click rate, completion rate, and response rate. A convenience sample of students at a large university in New Zealand is used.Findings – Follow‐up had significant impact on click rate; incentive and pre‐notification had a significant impact on completion rate; no technique had significant effect on response rate.Research limitations/implications – Main effects are examined. Also, a limited number of approaches for each technique are studied.Originality/value – This paper illustrates the use of a methodology that researchers, practitioner, and academics alike, can use to select techniques to employ in an internet survey. This is the f...

Relationship of product claims between private label and national brands

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the use of front of package (FOP) claims within product categories by private label (PL) products and national brands (NB). This research adapts an existing conceptual model exploring the marketing strategies of PL products and NBs. Design/methodology/approach – Information for this study came from Mintel’s Global (2009/2011). There were 10,791 products launched in 2011 in the US database, 8,120 NB and 2,671 PL food and drink products. For 2009: 5,838 NB and 2,118 PL that gives 7,956 food and beverages products launched in USA. Findings – PL and NB companies increased the usage of FOP claims, and also often moved in the same direction for some product categories. The greatest number of increases across product categories for PL and NB between 2009 and 2011 were Ethical-Enviromentally Friendly Packaging; Allergen; Fiber; Weight Control; Gluten Free; Kosher and No Additives claims. There were much less FOP that were decreased in usage. The claims that most f...

Toward Upgrading the Quality of Consumer Decision-Making

This paper explores the notion of consumer informations systems as a framework for studying consumer behavior. It is argued that this approach may be a particularly productive one for those interested in improving the quality of consumer decision-making.

Internet-Based Surveys: Methodological Issues

Web-based, or internet, surveys are widely used in marketing research, and their use continues to grow. The reasons for this are partly because they provide a number of technological features that are designed to reduce common sources of respondent error that can impact data quality, and partly because compared to traditional self-administered methods they offer advantages in speed, cost, and efficiency of data collection. This session deals with selected methodological issues concerning Web surveys.