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Trigger healthy: healthy samples induce healthy shopping (273.5)
Author(s) -
Tal Aner,
Wansink Brian
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.273.5
Subject(s) - advertising , sample (material) , environmental health , psychology , healthy food , grocery store , healthy eating , medicine , food science , physical activity , business , chemistry , chromatography , physical medicine and rehabilitation
The studies aimed to examine the influence of food samples on subsequent grocery shopping. Participants in three studies received more or less healthy (e.g., apple) or unhealthy (e.g., cookie) samples and subsequently shopped in a virtual (studies 1, 3) or actual (study 2) grocery store. For both different food type samples (studies 1‐2) and different framing of samples (study 3) we found that healthy samples lead to more healthful choices. In study 1, participants imagining eating an apple (vs. a cookie) chose a greater net of healthier items (4.1) than those imagining sampling a cookie (1.3). In study 2, grocery shoppers sampling an apple spent more money on fruits and vegetables ($6.41) than those sampling a cookie ($5.68) or no sample ($5.02). In study 3, participants (N = 118) drinking milk advertised as “healthy” selected a greater net of healthier items (3.55) than those drinking milk advertised as ”indulgent” (1.65), or no sample (.69), p = .02. These findings suggest consumers choose products similar in healthiness to samples even with product choices that are determined by situation rather than independent choice.