Behavior Analysis in Consumer Affairs: Retail and Consumer Response to Publicizing Food Price Information

Abstract

A popular program among consumer action groups involves publicizing comparative food price information (CFPI) gathered from retail stores. Its significance is based on the assumption that publishing CFPI maximizes retail competition (i.e., moderates price levels or price increases) and occasions more frugal store selections among consumers. We tested these assumptions during a 2-year analysis. Specifically, we monitored the prices of two distinct market baskets in the supermarkets of two midwestern cities (target and contrast cities). Following a lengthy baseline, we published the prices of only one of the market baskets at stores in the target city in the local newspaper on five different occasions. The results suggested that reductions in price inflation occurred for both market baskets at the independently operated target stores. The corporate chain stores were not similarly affected. In addition, surveys indicated that many consumers used the CFPI as a basis for store selection. Finally, the analysis included a discussion of the politics, economics, and future of CFPI programs.

Behavioural psychology, marketing and consumer behaviour: a literature review and future research agenda

“…Applied behaviour analysis, though largely focused on issues of social importance, has also centred on marketing-related behaviour, such as shopping and consumption behaviour (Barnard, Christophersen, &Wolf, 1977;Greene, Rouse, Green, & Clay, 1984;Sigurdsson, Saevarsson, & Foxall, 2009;Valdimarsdóttir, Halldórsdóttir, & Sigurđardóttir, 2010;Winett, Kramer, Walker, Malone, & Lane, 1988), alcohol consumption (Caudill & Lipscomb, 1980), and financial behaviour (Hantula & Crowell, 1994).…”

Characteristics of Successful Product Information Programs

“…More importantly, consumers trade off costs and benefits so that they are unlikely to expend all the time and effort required to hold benefits constant across the two information environments. For instance, the highest effort-reduction ratio that we estimated was 640 for a PIP that provided the cost of a market basket of 66 grocery products at 5 different supermarket chains (Greene, Rouse, Green, & Clay, 1984). We believe no consumer would have expended the 5.3 hours that we estimated were needed to obtain and calculate that same information on their own, i.e., to achieve the identical benefits.…”

Modifying Food Purchases in Supermarkets With Modeling, Feedback, and Goal‐setting Procedures

“…These receipts alone can be used for individual data, perhaps supplemented by a checklist on which a consumer could list food purchased in other stores. These shoppers should be followed for long periods of time (e.g., 6 months to 1 year), and aggregate store data on selected products can also be used to evaluate the impact of any intervention (Greene et al, 1984). As noted, additional monitoring of eating habits is also required to fully assess overall health impact.…”