Valhegðun neytenda á matvælum: Tilraunir í verslunum - verkefnislok í Rannsóknasjóði
The research project was focused on developing theoretical consumer behavior analysis and to work on such applied analysis as consumers’ choices of healthy food products and self-control.
Heiti verkefnis: Valhegðun neytenda á matvælum: Tilraunir í verslunum
Verkefnisstjóri: Valdimar Sigurðsson
Tegund styrks: Rannsóknastöðustyrkur
Styrkár: 2009-2011
Fjárhæð styrks: 13,32 millj. kr. alls
Tilvísunarnúmer Rannís: 090660
The focus was on the usefulness of conducting behavior analytical experiments to test behavioral models and learn about consumers’ brand choices. Consumer behaviors range from routine purchasing of staples, through credit buying, environmental despoliation and compulsive purchasing, to extreme consumption like addiction. The findings show that behaviors comprising this continuum are influenced by environmental contingencies. The research project sought to unravel how these elements combine to produce consumer behaviors with such disparate outcomes and this required a theory of consumption (the Behavioral Perspective Model). Positioning a behavior on the continuum reflects the degree of impulsivity/self-control it exhibits. All consumption is a choice and exhibits matching (Herrnstein, 1997) which can underlie discounting; hence, behaviors at all locations on the continuum invoke temporal discounting. Impulsivity is also apparent in environmental despoliation, while compulsive purchasing borders on addiction; beyond this, problem gambling, problem drinking, overeating to the point of obesity, involve delay discounting at a very high rate. The most extensive collaboration with the industry was with Coop, the largest retailer in Norway, where several in-store experiments, surveys, focus groups and econometrics studies were performed. Some of the experiments did last for several months and delivered significant insights for behavior analysis and marketing. Scientific manuscripts stemming from this research collaboration have, furthermore, been accepted for publication in several leading journals and have generated many references in the literature. In summary, the applied findings show that consumer behavior tends to be very habitual as each product selection by a consumer in retailing tends to produce its own specific reinforcement on a continuous schedule. As a consequence the consumer quickly learns a repertoire of behavior – where the products selected depends on such things as the motivational conditions, in-store stimuli and the response cost (effort and price). The field experiments have explored these factors and analyzed how healthy food selections can be increased. Our findings were positive in some instances and suggest a possible large increase in consumer buying behavior of such products as dried fish and fruit mix if these products are stacked at the checkout (discriminative stimuli) and that further advancements can be gained through motivational operation.
Conclusions and discussion
The original aim of the research program – to ascertain the epistemological status of a radical behaviorist model and applied experimental methodology for consumer choice – has been fulfilled. Not only is the Behavioral Perspective Model (BPM) and experimentation relevant, it has provided unique interpretations of consumer behavior and permitted the prediction of such aspects of consumer choice as brand and product selection. In addition, it has explained such behaviors to the extent of identifying the contingencies that shape them: both utilitarian and informational reinforcement, and the scope of the consumer behavior setting. For healthy food marketing and self-control the traditional in-store marketing of sweets (in terms of positioning - e.g. at the checkout, pricing, and promotions) was tested for more healthy alternatives and the consumer behavior analysis revealed unexpected difficulties for some interventions but very good results for others. This has led to a more informative methodology and retailing strategies that need to be tested further. The results should put more pressure on retailers to perform more in-store experiments using behavior analytical methodology in both corporate and social marketing. As a part of broader quest, the application of the BPM to new areas such as online behavior, intertemporal decision making, compulsion, impulsivity, and addiction, and the nature of the marketing firm continues apace.
List of published reports, peer reviewed scientific/technical reports and other material
Publication in Internationally recognised Peer-Reviewed Journals:
Sigurdsson, V., Larsen, N. M., & Gunnarsson, D. (publication, pending minor revisions). Healthy food marketing: An in-store experimental analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
Sigurdsson, V. (2013). Commentary on consumer behavior analysis and ascription of intentionality to the explanation of consumer choice. Marketing Theory.
Foxall, G. R., & Sigurdsson, V. (2013). Consumer behaviour analysis: Behavioural economics meets the market place. The Psychological Record.
Sigurdsson, V., Menon, V. R. G., Sigurdarson, J. P., Kristjansson, J. S., Foxall, G. R. (2013). A test of the behavioral perspective model in the context of an e-mail marketing experiment. The Psychological Record.
Sigurdsson, V., Khamseh, S., Larsen, N. M., Gunnarsson, D., & Foxall, G (2013). An econometric examination of the Behavioral Perspective Model in the context of Norwegian retailing. The Psychological Record.
Foxall, G.R., & Sigurdsson, V. (2012). When loss rewards: The near-miss effect in slot machine gambling. Analysis of Gambling Behavior. In print.
Foxall, G. R., & Sigurdsson, V. (2011). Drug use as consumer behavior. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 35, 313-314.
Sigurdsson, V., Larsen, N. M., & Gunnarsson, D. (2011). An in-store experimental analysis of consumers’ selection of fruits and vegetables. The Service Industries Journal, 31, 2587-2602
Sigurdsson, V., Larsen, N. M., & Gunnarsson, D. (2011). The behavioural economics of neutral and upward sloping demand curves in retailing. The Service Industries Journal, 31, 2543-2558.
Curry, B., Foxall, G., & Sigurdsson, V. (2010). On the tautology of the matching law in consumer behavior analysis. Behavioural Processes, 84, 390-399.
Sigurdsson, V., Engilbertsson, H., & Foxall, G. (2010). The effects of a point-of-purchase display on relative sales: An in-store experimental evaluation. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 30, 222-233.
Sigurdsson, V., Saevarsson, H., & Foxall, G. (2010). In-store experimental approach to pricing and consumer behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 30, 234-246.
Books, Chapters and Monographs
Sigurdsson, V., Engilbertsson, H., & Foxall, G. (2012). The effects of a point-of-purchase display on relative sales: An in-store experimental evaluation. In D. A. Hantula and V. K. Wells (eds). Consumer Behavior Analysis: A Rational Approach to Consumer Choice. New York: Routledge.
Sigurdsson, V., Foxall, G., & Saevarsson, H. (2012). In-store experimental approach to pricing and consumer behavior. In D. A. Hantula and V. K. Wells (eds). Consumer Behavior Analysis: A Rational Approach to Consumer Choice. New York: Routledge.
International Conference Proceedings & Presentations
Sigurdsson, V., Menon, V. R. G., Foxall, G. R. (2013, May). Experimental Analysis and Applications in Digital Consumer Behavior Analysis. Annual Conference of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Minnieapolis, USA.
Sigurdsson, V., Khamseh, S., Larsen, N. M., Gunnarsson, D., & Foxall, G (2012, September). A Test of the Behavioural Perspective Model in the Context of Norwegian Retailing. The British Academy Conference hosted by Cardiff Business School, UK
Sigurdsson, V., Menon, V. R. G., Foxall, G. R. (2012, June). Consumer Behavior Analysis using the Behavioral Perspective Model from the context of E-mail Marketing. The 34th ISMS (INFORMS) Marketing Science Conference, Boston, USA.
Sigurdsson, V., Menon, V. R. G., Sigurdarson, J. P., Kristjansson, J. S., Foxall, G. R. (2012, May). E-mail Marketing Experiment Based on the Behavior Perspective Model. The 41st European Marketing Academy (EMAC) Annual Conference, Lisbon, Portugal.
Menon, V. R. G., Sigurdsson, V. (2011, October), Consumer Behavior Analysis in Digital Marketing. Paper presented at the International Conference on Behavioral Psychology, Samtök um atferlisgreiningu á Íslandi (SATÍS), Reykjavik, Iceland.
Foxall, G. R., Sigurdsson, V., & Oliveira-Castro J. M. (2011, July). Consumer Behaviour Analysis: Behavioural Economics Meets the Market Place. Annual Conference of the International Confederation for the Advancement of Behavioural Economics and Economic Psychology, Exeter, UK.
Sigurdsson, V., Larsen, N. M., & Gunnarsson, D. (2010, June). Consumer primrose path in the selection of fruit and vegetables: An in-store experimental analysis. Annual Conference of the European Marketing Academy (EMAC). Copenhagen, Denmark.
Sigurdsson, V. (2011, May). The experimental analysis of consumer behavior in retailing and e-mail marketing. 37th Annual Conference of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Denver, Colorado.
Foxall, G. R., Sigurdsson, V., & Oliveira-Castro J. M. (2011, August). Consumer behaviour analysis (in choice and decision making: Behavioural economics in the lab and the field). Conference of the American Psychological Association (APA), Washington, DC.
Sigurdsson, V., Larsen, N. M., & Gunnarsson, D. (2010, May). Preference reversal between stated and actual consumer buying behavior of fruits and vegetables. 36th Annual Conference of the Association for Behaviour Analysis 2010 in San Antonio, Texas.
Sigurdsson, V. (2010, May). Consumer behaviour & in-Store marketing. The Nordic Workshop in Sensory Science 2010. Reykjavik, Iceland.
Sigurdsson, V., Larsen, N. M., & Gunnarsson, D. (2010, April). The behavioural economics of neutral and upward sloping demand curves in retailing. CBAR 2nd International Symposium, Cardiff Business School, UK.
Sigurdsson, V., Larsen, N. M., & Gunnarsson, D. (2010, April). Consumer Primrose Path in Food Choices: The BPM and temporal discounting. CBAR 2nd International Symposium, Cardiff Business School, UK.
Business Cases
V. Sigurdsson and G. Foxall. REF Impact Case Study (UK) - CBAR Research and its impact on businesses and the community: In-store experiments.