Discovering consumer preferences for food labels using stated preference and neuromarketing methods

Consumer preferences and consumer behavior are complex. Marketing research methods are thus limited in their ability to explain and quantify consumer needs and predict consumer behavior. Each marketing method can bring unique insights regarding the minds of consumers, however, with a combination of different methods having the potential to leverage their explanatory power even more. Credence quality characteristics are of increasing importance when making choices for or against food products. These credence characteristics are often communicated through food labels. The overall aim of the present post-doctoral thesis is to discover consumer preferences for food labels using stated preference and neuromarketing methods. Thirteen studies are presented in this cumulative thesis. The studies investigate consumer preferences for different food products displaying a variety of product characteristics focusing on food quality, including food labels. The studies combine different stated preference methods as well as eye-tracking measurements and neuroimaging. The results show the importance of combining different methods to achieve a deeper understanding of consumer behavior. They help to define what local food means to the consumer and how a carbon footprint label should be designed. The results of two of these studies present consumer preferences for wine and beer in Germany and identify different consumer segments by using latent class analysis. Factors that influence sustainable consumer choice are identified by using wine- and food-related lifestyle approaches. The importance of sustainability issues for the employment choices of agricultural students is also presented. Another study combines choice-based conjoint analysis with eye-tracking measures to significantly reduce the major limitations of choice experiments. Combining eye-tracking and choice experiments might be useful in top-down situations, as demonstrated by two further studies. The feasibility and limitations of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a relatively new neuroimaging technology is also shown in two studies, and the potential for combining eye-tracking and fNIRS is discussed. Overall, the thesis shows the potential of a combination of different marketing research methods, as well as the challenges faced when interpreting physiological signals in consumer studies.