Increasing purchase intention while limiting binge‐eating: The role of repeating the same flavor‐giving ingredient image on a front of package

Abstract

Food managers face the dilemma of having to increase their product sales products without increasing risk for obesity. Here we posit that a strategy based on repeating front‐of‐package images of a flavor ingredient can help solve this dilemma. Prior literature reports positive benefits in terms of purchase from displaying one or more front‐of‐package flavor‐giving ingredient images but offers limited insights into the effect of repeating the same flavor‐giving ingredient image. Based on four experiments, we found a differential effect of flavor‐giving ingredient images repetition on consumption and purchase intention only when cognitive resources were available. The more flavor‐giving ingredient images, the lower product consumption (Study 1), but the easier mental flavor imagery, and the stronger purchase intention (Study 2). Specifically, the increase in flavor mental imagery produced by image repetition induces sensory‐specific satiety that drives more intention to purchase (Study 3). These findings are of interest for both reducing obesity due to overeating and designing front‐of‐package imagery.

How to promote consumers’ imaginative use in online shopping platforms: the matching effect of character cues and product types

“…Second, the article enriches the research on mental imagery. Mental imagery is common in food (Thomas and Capelli, 2023), advertising area (Stefania et al. , 2020), and has been covered in VR/AR (Hilken et al.…”

“…Researchers propose that rich and high-quality mental imagery means that mental use imagery is more vivid (Miller et al, 2000;Thomas and Capelli, 2023), which triggers a positive emotional response (such as sensory pleasure) (Cornil and Chandon, 2016). This further leads to a higher aesthetic evaluation of product images by consumers, makes images more attractive, and then, consumers are prompted to make purchasing decisions (Dagalp and Sodergren, 2023).…”

“…Second, increase the number of images, with more vivid images stimulating the imagination of the actual experience. Thomas and Capelli (2023) proposed that consumers’ exposure to more images of food flavors increases mental imagery about food, eventually increases the purchase intentions. Similarly, the reason consumers are increasing their willingness to use digital menus is because colorful and interesting interaction promote mental imagery (Yim and Yoo, 2020).…”

“…The presence of character cues and the absence of character cues are conducive to form mental imagery of high body-involving products and low body-involving products respectively. Due to the richness and high quality of mental imagery means that imaginative use is more vivid (Miller et al, 2000;Thomas and Capelli, 2023), which triggers a positive emotional response (such as sensory pleasure) (Cornil and Chandon, 2016) and leads to a higher aesthetic evaluation of product images (Dagalp and Sodergren, 2023). Ultimately, consumers are prompted to purchase.…”

The Effect of Vice–Virtue Bundles on Consumers’ Purchase Intentions for Vice Packaged Foods: Evidence from Randomized Experiments

“…Previous literature has investigated the factors influencing purchase intentions for packaged food from various angles, including package appearances such as color [53], shape [26], and pattern complexity [11], as well as package material features like plastic content [54] and smart degree [55]. Additionally, the claims of included ingredients on the packaging, such as botanical ingredients [30] and flavor-giving components [56], have been explored. Our research enriches this line of literature by identifying an original factor, that is, vice-virtue bundles claimed on the packaging, that positively influences consumers' willingness to buy vice-packaged food.…”