An In-Store Experiment on the Effect of Accessibility on Sales of Wholegrain and White Bread in Supermarkets

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2016 Mar 25

PMID 27010704

Citations 11

Authors

Rene A de Wijk

Anna J Maaskant

Ilse A Polet

Nancy T E Holthuysen

Ellen van Kleef

Monique H Vingerhoeds

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Even though whole grain foods have various health benefits, consumers have been found not to eat enough of them. Nudging interventions are built on the premise that food purchases and consumption are strongly influenced by the environment in which decisions are made. Little research has been conducted to examine the influence of a small and inexpensive nudging intervention on bread choices in a real-life supermarket context. An in-store experiment was conducted in two six-week periods in two supermarkets to investigate the effects of accessibility on consumers' purchase of healthier whole grain and other types of bread. In the high accessibility condition, healthier bread was placed in a more convenient location for the shopper on the left side of the shelves where it was encountered first. In the low accessibility condition, it was placed on the right side. There were consistent significant differences in sales between supermarkets, types of bread, day of the week, but not between low and high accessibility. Additional research is needed to better understand the effects of convenience and accessibility on bread choices.

Citing Articles

Nudging customers towards healthier food and beverage purchases in a real-life online supermarket: a multi-arm randomized controlled trial.

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The Power and Peril of Precise vs. Round Health Message Interventions to Increase Stair Use.

Krull S, Boecker L, Loschelder D Front Psychol. 2021; 12:624198.

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Nudgeability: Mapping Conditions of Susceptibility to Nudge Influence.

Ridder D, Kroese F, van Gestel L Perspect Psychol Sci. 2021; 17(2):346-359.

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Shifting toward a healthier dietary pattern through nudging and pricing strategies: A secondary analysis of a randomized virtual supermarket experiment.

Stuber J, Hoenink J, Beulens J, Mackenbach J, Lakerveld J Am J Clin Nutr. 2021; 114(2):628-637.

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The effects of nudges on purchases, food choice, and energy intake or content of purchases in real-life food purchasing environments: a systematic review and evidence synthesis.

Harbers M, Beulens J, Rutters F, de Boer F, Gillebaart M, Sluijs I Nutr J. 2020; 19(1):103.

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