Healthy snacks at the checkout counter: A lab and field study on the impact of shelf arrangement and assortment structure on consumer choices

Abstract

BackgroundThe essence of nudging is to adapt the environment in which consumers make decisions to help them make better choices, without forcing certain outcomes upon them. To determine how consumers can effectively be guided to select healthier snacks, we examine the effect of manipulating the assortment structure and shelf layout of an impulse display including both healthy and unhealthy snacks near the checkout counter of a canteen.MethodsBoth a lab and field study applied a two-factor experimental design manipulating snack offerings both in an on-screen choice environment and a natural environment (hospital staff restaurant). Shelf arrangement (i.e. accessibility) was altered by putting healthy snacks at higher shelves versus lower shelves. Assortment structure (i.e. availability) was altered by offering an assortment that either included 25% or 75% healthy snacks. Participants in the lab study (n = 158) made a choice from a shelf display. A brief survey following snack selection asked participants to evaluate the assortment and their choice. The field experiment took place in a hospital canteen. Daily sales data were collected for a period of four weeks. On completion of the field study, employees (n = 92) filled out a questionnaire about all four displays and rated their attractiveness, healthiness and perceived freedom of choice.ResultsThe lab study showed a higher probability of healthy snack choice when 75% of the assortment consisted of healthy snacks compared to conditions with 25% healthy snack assortments, even though choices were not rated less satisfying or more restrictive. Regarding shelf display location of healthy snacks, no significant differences were observed. There was also no significant shelf arrangement by assortment structure interactive effect. The field study replicated these findings, in that this assortment structure led to higher sales of healthy snacks. Sales of unhealthy and total snacks were not impacted by manipulations (no main or interaction effects). Employees preferred shelf displays including a larger healthy snack assortment located at top shelves. Employees also felt more freedom in choice when healthy snacks were displayed at top shelves compared to lower shelves.ConclusionsOverall, results suggest that increasing the prominence of healthy snacks by enlarging their availability, while permitting access to unhealthy snacks, is a promising strategy to promote sales. These results point to the importance of nudging strategies to encourage healthier snack patterns.

Food at checkouts in non-food stores: a cross-sectional study of a large indoor shopping mall

“…However, regulation is viewed by some as unfairly constraining consumer choice (35) . Encouraging retailers to increase the provision of healthier, relative to less healthy, checkout food may also be worth considering (16,19) , as could working with the non-food retail industry to find substitute checkout products that protect profit margins without potentially adversely impacting on customers' health.…”

“…This is important because when a higher proportion of checkout foods displayed are less healthy, people tend to choose less healthy foods (19) . The almost ubiquitous display of food at child height is consistent with research in supermarket contexts (10) and important given concerns over food marking to children and childhood obesity (18) .…”

“…Children are a large market for retailers (18) and food marketing is known to affect children's food preferences, knowledge and behaviour (18) . The balance of healthy to less healthy foods displayed at checkouts influences customers' behaviour, with healthy foods being more likely to be selected when they are in the majority (19) . Price promotions are also known to influence purchasing (20,21) and may further contribute to impulse purchases.…”

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of nudging to increase fruit and vegetable choice

“…The latter used a fake food buffet, 13 a Foodscape Laboratory 26 and an online shelf-display. 27 In the field studies, different settings were involved, including dining facilities or cafeterias in schools (11), cafeterias in hospitals (2) as well as restaurants, buffet lines at conferences (2; 28,29 ), a cafeteria at a workplace, 30 a university, 31 a train station, 32 corner stores 33 and a swimming pool. 34 Most studies used a within subjects pre-post interventions design (10), or a between subjects design with a control and treatment group (9), while a minority used both a between-and within subjects design (4).…”

Consumer acceptance of intervention strategies for healthy food choices

“…Studies regarding food choices made in vending machines and at check-out counters show that restricting unhealthy choices and replacing them with healthy options leads to increased sales of healthy products (Grech & Allman-Farinelli, 2015;Van Kleef, Otten, & Van Trijp, 2012). The issue with such intrusive interventions is that they potentially interfere with the free market situation and therefore the willingness to employ such strategies is low among policy makers (Greener, Douglas, & Van Teijlingen, 2010).…”