When Eating Begets Buying
The Effects of Food Samples on Obese and Nonobese Shoppers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3027314 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sandon A Steinberg, Richard F Yalch |
| Year | 1978 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 243 |
| Publication date | 1978-03-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Consumer Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0093-5301 • E-ISSN: 1537-5277 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1086/208702 |
| OpenAlex | W2002338670 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 6 |
Direct observation of free food sample distribution in a supermarket demon-strated that consuming the sample differently affected the purchases of obese and nonobese shoppers. The results are explained using recent re-search investigating the behavioral differences between overweight and normal weight humans. Understanding consumer behavior at the point of purchase is of considerable interest, because it is a time when many purchase decisions are made. For example, a study of supermarket buying habits re-ported that 47 percent of the buying decisions are unplanned and an additional three percent are sub-stitute or "in-store switches. " Further, promotions such as in-store displays and circulars substantially increased the sales of certain items (Haugh 1977). This paper reports on a field study assessing the effects of one type of frequently used in-store promo-tion, free food sampling, on supermarket purchases. It replicates and extends a previous study by Nisbett and Kanouse (1969) on the relationship between obesity, food deprivation, and food buying and repre-sents one of the few academic studies ever conducted on the sales effects of free food samples. Nisbett and Kanouse (1969) intercepted individuals entering a supermarket and asked them when they last ate something (to measure food deprivation), how much they expected to spend on that specific shopping trip, and then classified them as obese or nonobese. Their actual spending was later recorded as they checked out, and then compared to their estimated spending to derive a measure of impUlse buying. The results showed that food deprivation differently affected obese and nonobese shoppers. Normal weight shoppers tended to purchase more when deprived, * Sandon A. Steinberg is a doctoral student and Richard F
Advertising · Business · Eating behavior · Normal weight · Obesity · Overweight · Sample (material) · Chemistry · Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Eating Disorders and Behaviors · Endocrinology · Food Science · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Psychology · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.25 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2014 - 2023 (10) |
| Highly cited | No |