Sensory description labels for food affect consumer product choice

Abstract

PurposeThis observational study set out to investigate the effect of sensory description labels on consumer choice of apples in a grocery retail store.Design/methodology/approachAn independent observation study was conducted in a retail grocery store setting. A total of 1,623 consumers were observed over a four‐day period in four different sessions, each using three apple varieties (JONAGOLD, INGRID MARIE, and ELISE). Marketing strategies differed between the sessions as follows: sort name labelling only, sort name and sensory description labelling, sort name and sensory semantic description labelling, and sort name labelling and allowing consumers to taste the apples before choosing.FindingsConsumer product choice was affected by the sensory description labels. When only the sort name was given on the label, the consumers tended to choose INGRID MARIE, which has a strong sort name. With the addition of sensory description labels, the consumer choice shifted to ELISE, which had been chosen with a low frequency when only sort name was given, but was chosen with a high frequency when sensory description labelling was used.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to red apples and one national market.Practical implicationsPractitioners, managers, and marketers may benefit from using proper sensory labelling as a marketing tool for various food products, such as apples, in a grocery retail store.Originality/valueThis study shows the importance and value of sensory description label marketing for food products in grocery retail stores. Little attention has previously been paid to the research area within sensory marketing communication concerning the interplay of sensory perception of food and the formulation of marketing labels, or taste marketing. This paper also addresses the possible interaction between the disciplines of sensory and marketing science.

The effect of tasting sheet sensory descriptors on tasting room sales

“…However, a previous study that confirmed sensory descriptors to be important when purchasing wine also demonstrated that consumers struggled to match these descriptors with corresponding wines (Charters et al, 2000), and untrained consumers have been found incapable of matching wine descriptors with a corresponding wine (d 'Hauteville, 2003;Weil, 2007). A study by Swahn et al (2010) investigating the effect of sensory descriptors on apple choice found that consumer preference rankings differed when they sampled the apples versus when they relied solely on sensory descriptors to make their choice. These findings call into question the necessity of sensory descriptors, especially in tasting rooms.…”

“…In a winery tasting room, on the other hand, consumers are encouraged to try many different wines before purchasing. A consumer's decision when supplied with samples, as opposed to just sensory descriptors, may not be the same, as suggested by Swahn et al (2010). There has been no research to determine the effect that sensory descriptors provided with product samples have on consumer choice.…”

Credence and the effect on consumer liking of food – A review

“…Descriptive food names have been shown to influence consumer liking and function as a signal of food quality (Wansink, van Ittersum & Painter, 2005). Furthermore, signalling sensory characteristics has been shown to influence food choice (Swahn, Mossberg, Öström & Gustafsson, 2012), which is a practice frequently used by the wine industry (Dimara & Skuras, 2005;Herdenstam, Hammarén, Ahlström & Wiktorsson, 2009). Depending on context, descriptive food names, flavour descriptors and names of food dishes and ingredients may signal credence and create expectations, in turn affecting hedonic liking.…”

Conceptualising the management of packaging within new product development

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