Understanding determinants and factors underlying food-related consumer behaviour

Grocery store is the place where consumption decisions are made. Yoder et al. (2021) provide a literature review on the role of retail context in health promotion, which include: price leverage programs, nutrition education paths, path-to-purchase marketing. Many studies have focused on in-store marketing tools to improve shoppers’ diet: most interventions are simple changes of product information, physical placement, environmental aspects. In some cases, purchases are increased through communication actions (social messages, signs) to guide consumers toward healthy choices (Gonçalves et al., 2021; Payne et al., 2014). Schuldt & Hannahan (2013) show the relevance of packs’ verbal and visual elements. Among them, the level of understanding of claims was found to affect product attitude and purchase decisions (Wills et al., 2012). In store communication, space management and healthy PL strategies still need to be analyzed in depth.
 

The research intends to deepen the role played by retailers in stimulating purchase and consumption of healthy food products. Operationally, it is divided into 4 objectives:
1) Identification of the food products classified as "nutritionally correct" based on the scientific nutritional literature.
2) Analysis of the healthy PL strategies (in terms of covered categories and segments, PL portfolio and depth of the assortment) offered by the main retailers operating in the Italian context.
3) Analysis of retailers’ in-store marketing levers tools (space management and communication) used to promote healthy categories, segments, brands and PL offer and to educate consumers towards the purchase of healthy food products
4) Study of in-store consumer behavior with reference to labels of PL products’ packs.
 

1. From the retailer’s perspective: 
understand the assortment policies implemented by retailers regarding healthy PL products;
Identification of the most effective in store strategies, specifically space management and communication, developed by retailers in order to influence healthy choices among shoppers.

2. From the consumer’s perspective:
identify the segments of consumers who are more sensitive to nutritional aspects of food products and more prone to change their choices;
identify the elements of the labels - placed on the product pack - which are more effective in informative and persuasive terms, from the point of view of consumer perception and behavior. These results will allow to deepen the knowledge on labels to stimulate the purchase of nutritionally healthy products.