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Online Food Choices: When Do "Recommended By" Labels Work?
Daniele Catarci1, Lea Laasner Vogt1, Ester Reijnen1
1School of Applied Psychology, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8005 Zurich, Switzerland.
Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 28, 2024
Summary
Digital menu nudges like recommendations influence food choices, especially when popular items are expensive. However, personal preference significantly impacts price sensitivity, requiring further research into effective interventions.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Consumer Psychology
- Food Choice Architecture
Background:
- Digital menus in university cafés are key for promoting healthy and sustainable food options.
- Understanding how choice architecture influences decisions in limited-option settings is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of recommendation and position nudges on digital menu choices.
- To examine the interaction between these nudges, price, and menu item popularity.
- To clarify the role of personal preference in moderating nudge effectiveness.
Main Methods:
- Two smartphone-based studies (N=517, N=916) involving manipulated menu options, recommendations, position, and price.
- Study 1 examined recommendation, position, and price effects on choice.
- Study 2 investigated the influence of preference differences on recommendation and price interactions.
Main Results:
- In Study 1, recommendations negatively impacted choice when the popular item was more expensive.
- Study 2 did not replicate the recommendation-price interaction for popular items.
- Increased personal preference differences reduced the impact of price on choice.
Conclusions:
- Menu recommendations can influence choices, particularly concerning price and popularity.
- Personal preference plays a significant role in moderating price effects.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the conditions for effective digital menu nudging.
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