Machiel J. Reinders

Consequences of Forcing Consumers to Use Technology-Based Self-Service

Today, traditional full service is increasingly replaced with technology-based self-service (TBSS), sometimes with no other option for service delivery. This study develops a conceptual model to investigate the impact of forcing consumers to use TBSS. The model is tested using an experimental design within railway (ticketing and travel information) contexts. The results show that forced use leads to negative attitudes toward using the TBSS as well as toward the service provider, and it indirectly leads to adverse effects on behavioral intentions. The findings also show that offering interaction with an employee as a fall-back option offsets the negative consequences of forced use, and that previous experience with TBSS (in general) leads to more positive attitudes toward the offered self-service, which can offset the negative effects of forced use to some extent.

Fruit and snack consumption related to sweet, sour and salty taste preferences

Purpose – To better understand fruit consumption and its determinants this paper aims to explore the relationship between the consumption of different types of fruit and other snacks and consumer taste preferences for sweet, salty and sour is explored.Design/methodology/approach – Respondents (n=2,083) from Poland, Greece, Spain and The Netherlands filled out an online questionnaire in which the consumption of fresh fruit, sweet snacks, salty snacks, orange juice and dried fruit was measured as well as consumer self‐reported taste preferences and personal orientations towards health, convenience, price and routine behaviours.Findings – A total of 29 percent of the total sample preferred salty tastes, whereas 21 percent preferred sweet tastes; 1 percent preferred sour tastes, and 39 percent indicated no preference. In contrast with the expectation that people who preferred sweet tastes consume more fruits and fruit products, the results imply that consumers with a sour taste preference consume more fruits ...

Consumers as co-creators of new product ideas: An application of projective and creative research techniques

Involving consumers in the process of modification and creation of new food products has been recently identified as a vital factor for new product development. However, little attention has been devoted to consumer-generated product solutions, and instead, researchers continue to view new product development process as a firm-centred activity. This study uses projective and creative research techniques to involve consumers in the process of modification and creation of new aquaculture product ideas. We provide guidelines for the use of these techniques in the new product development process, as well as managerial and practical implications for the future development of new aquaculture products.

Mandatory use of technology-based self-service: does expertise help or hurt?

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the effects of two types of expertise (self-service technology and service type) on the disconfirmation of customers’ expectations and the use-related outcomes of technology-based self-service (TBSS). Design/methodology/approach – This empirical study pertains to the mandatory use of a national public transport chip card in The Netherlands based on a sample of 267 users of this TBSS. Findings – The findings show that technology experts experienced a less positive disconfirmation of expectations and reported less positive evaluations of the new self-service than technology novices. Technology experts also showed lower intentions to engage in positive word-of-mouth than technology novices. The evaluation of the self-service by technology novices is more positive for those that are service experts as compared to service novices, while the evaluation by technology experts is more negative for those that are service experts as compared to service novices. Research limit...

Menu-engineering in restaurants - adapting portion sizes on plates to enhance vegetable consumption: a real-life experiment

BackgroundThe aim of this research was to investigate whether increased portion sizes of vegetables and decreased portion sizes of meat on main dishes increased the amount of vegetables consumed in a real-life restaurant setting without affecting customer satisfaction. The participants were unaware of the experiment.MethodsA cross-over design was used in which three restaurants were randomly assigned to a sequence of an intervention and control condition. In the intervention period, the vegetable portion sizes on the plates of main dishes were doubled (150 g of vegetables instead of 75 g) and the portion sizes of meat on the plates were reduced by an average of 12.5%. In the control period, the portion sizes of the main dishes were maintained as usual. In total, 1006 observations and questionnaires were included.ResultsVegetable consumption from plates was significantly higher during the intervention period (M = 115.5 g) than during the control period (M = 61.7 g). Similarly, total vegetable consumption (including side dishes) was significantly higher during the intervention period (M = 178.0 g) than during the control period (M = 137.0 g). Conversely, meat consumption was significantly lower during the intervention period (M = 183.1 g) than during the control period (M = 211.1 g). Satisfaction with the restaurant visit did not differ between the intervention period (M = 1.27) and control period (M = 1.35). Satisfaction with the main dish was significantly lower during the intervention period (M = 1.25) than during the control period (M = 1.38), although in both cases, the scores indicated that participants remained (very) satisfied with their main dish.ConclusionsThis study showed that increasing vegetable portions in combination with decreasing meat portions (unknowingly to the consumer) increased the amount of vegetables consumed and decreased the amount of meat consumed. Furthermore, despite the changes in portion sizes, participants remained satisfied with their restaurant visit and main dish. The findings of this study suggest that modifying portion size in restaurants is an effective tool for stimulating vegetable consumption and consequently healthy and sustainable diets.

Consumer perceptions of farmed fish: A cross-national segmentation in five European countries

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate possible cross-cultural consumer segments in the EU aquaculture market and provide direction and focus for marketing strategies for farmed fish products. Design/methodology/approach Selected psychographic constructs (i.e. category involvement, domain-specific innovativeness, subjective knowledge, suspicion of novelties and optimistic bias) are tested as segmentation basis with the objective of defining a number of cross-border consumer segments with distinctive and clear-cut profiles in terms of consumer perceptions towards farmed fish. Findings Based on the consumer psychographic profiles, three distinct segments are found: involved traditional, involved innovators and ambiguous indifferent, of which the first two constitute especially interesting targets for market positioning strategies for aquaculture products. Practical implications The results of the segmentation analysis opens new horizons in terms of positioning and differentiation of fish products from the aquaculture industry according to the most important potential market segments. Originality/value The current research brings insights into different pan-European consumer segments and their characteristics that allow for a corresponding differentiation strategy within the aquaculture industry. The fact that the segments tend to be uniform across all countries suggests a relatively homogeneous or converging European fish-related culture.

Market opportunities for sustainable foods: an investigation of the different roles of consumers and retailers, catering companies and brand manufacturers

Sustainability is becoming a permanent feature of our food system, and as such, has received increased attention from consumers, firms and governments. This current study, which is based on a large project funded by the Dutch government called ‘Food Balance’, shows how consumers, representing the demand side, and retailers, caterers and brand manufacturers, representing the supply side, think and act with regard to sustainability. More specifically, this paper focuses on both determinants of sustainable food purchasing behaviour and on the strategies and actions of retailers offering those sustainable products to the consumers. The consumer study shows that, although Dutch consumers find sustainability important, their current habits prevent them from choosing to buy more sustainable food products. More importantly, the current social and physical environments appear to be not stimulating enough to induce consumers to change these habits. The results of the study among suppliers showed that retailers, out-of-home food providers and food manufacturers acknowledge that they have an important role to play in supplying more sustainable food products. Although momentum seems to be growing toward sustainability in the food supply chain, this momentum is not translating into concrete activities. The actions of the companies do not fit consumer demand and are often focussed on internal sustainability programmes, such as energy saving, instead of sustainable procurement. Firms can do more to market sustainable products and to incorporate sustainability into new business models. These firms should play a much more pro-active role in making the social and physical environment more stimulating to make the purchase of sustainable goods easy and normal.

The role of social networks: Mark Granovetter

Structural transformations or transitions are necessary to resolve social problems. A ‘transition’ can be defined as a long-term process of change during which a society or a subsystem of society is fundamentally altered (Loorbach and Rotmans, 2006). Transitions require systems of innovations. Typically, this implies the co-evolution of different innovations within technological niches and developments on an exogenous (societal) level that put pressure on socio-technical systems, forcing them to change (Geels, 2004). However, socio-technical systems do not function autonomously, but are the outcome of the activities of human actors who are embedded in social groups. Though social groups have their own characteristics, the fact that groups are often mutually interdependent and are characterised by interpersonal interaction is an important notion in transition theory (e.g. Geels, 2004). As this chapter will show, the analysis of these interaction processes in interpersonal networks is helpful in relating micro-level (niche-level) developments by individual actors to higher level patterns (like socio-technical regimes and landscapes).