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Identifying the expectations of older food consumers: More than a “shopping list” of wants

Caroline Hare (Lecturer, Department of Marketing, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, UK)
David Kirk (Dean, Faculty of Business and Consumer Studies, Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK)
Tim Lang (Professor of Food Policy, Centre for Food Policy Research, Thames Valley University, London, UK)

Journal of Marketing Practice: Applied Marketing Science

ISSN: 1355-2538

Article publication date: 1 December 1999

5110

Abstract

Given the many potential negative factors that influence food choice behaviour in older people, it is important to understand the problem areas of food shopping. Uses critical incident technique (CIT) to elicit consumers’ stories of dissatisfying/satisfying shopping experiences and, where dissatisfied, identifies their expectations. Volunteers from a cross‐section of locations in Scotland were interviewed, eliciting 248 incidents. Results identified eight key elements contributing to the food shopping experience with all, except social aspects, having positive and negative incidents. Argues that the factors influencing the food shopping experience are much wider than previous research indicates and that, given the breadth of dissatisfaction across the elements, older consumers are lacking “power” within the marketplace. Expectations indicate that some consumers feel they do not have the ability to exercise any alternative to overcome their dissatisfaction.

Keywords

Citation

Hare, C., Kirk, D. and Lang, T. (1999), "Identifying the expectations of older food consumers: More than a “shopping list” of wants", Journal of Marketing Practice: Applied Marketing Science, Vol. 5 No. 6/7/8, pp. 213-232. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000004575

Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited

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