Variety seeking in the consumption of spread and cheese

Consumers' (n = 807) desire for variety, as measured by the food-specific VARSEEK scale, was related to reported usage and purchase behavior for spread and cheese. Subjects' scoring high in variety seeking tendency showed more exploratory tendencies in purchase behavior, vicarious exploration and use innovativeness than did those scoring low on the scale. Variation reported in the use of cheese was related to variety seeking tendency more strongly than the variation in the use of spreads. The variation in cheese purchases was particularly high for well-educated white collar workers between 31 and 50 years old and for female subjects living in urban areas of Finland. Some cross-product consistency in the variation in purchase behavior was found. The results suggest that certain product characteristics, such as sensory variation between alternatives, may determine whether the intrinsic desire for variety is expressed in product choice.