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This conceptual paper aims to study the Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic’s impact on branded functional beverages consumption in India. There is a sincere effort to critically review the role of some vital determinants of consumer behaviour and to develop an integrated model for branded functional beverages consumption behaviour.

A systematic and extensive literature review was performed by searching electronic databases relating to consumer acceptance and purchase behaviour of functional beverages in India from 2000 to 2021. This study also reviewed very recent literature on the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global consumer traits, buying behaviour, marketing trends and psychographic behaviour.

The extensive review of the literature yielded results that shed light on some crucial factors propelling branded functional beverages’ consumption behaviour in India, especially in the COVID-19 scenario.

The study is based purely on a conceptual understanding of branded functional beverages’ consumption behaviour among Indian consumers. The conceptual framework proposed here results from the review of past literature. Therefore, the scientific world is invigorated to test further the implications presented in this study empirically.

The conceptual framework proposed here concerning consumer behaviour in functional beverages would guide the food marketers to segment and position their functional food offerings, mainly beverage variants, in the post-pandemic scenario. Moreover, the study findings enable policymakers to craft food policies to uphold the noble cause of moulding a healthy generation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has virtually shattered our food system and modified our associations with food in many different ways. The perception of health risks associated with COVID-19 might have influenced people’s food purchase and consumption behaviours. It is proposed that health-conscious people would prefer more health-promoting foods and beverages to strengthen their immunity. Several reports disclose that food consumers in India demand functional foods and beverages more extensively than before to include in their daily food basket. A detailed literature review revealed an evident shortage of research studies regarding consumer behaviour in functional beverages in India. No prior research works could be identified as to why consumers prefer functional beverages to benefit their overall health and immunity and what guides them to purchase or not to purchase such products, especially in the post-pandemic scenario. Therefore, this research work would be a primer that would guide future studies investigating consumers’ attitudes and purchasing behaviour of branded functional beverages.

This study aims to experimentally investigate branded functional beverage (BFB) consumption behaviour post-COVID-19 through the lens of a conceptual framework built on three renowned behaviour modification models and to critically evaluate how well subjective norms serve as a moderator in the consumption behaviour relating to such beverage products.

A conceptual model was developed based on the tenets of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), health belief model (HBM) and value-attitude-behaviour (VAB) model. The study was performed on a convenience sample of 537 respondents aged 18 and up from diverse regions in India using the PLS-SEM method. A total of 444 useable questionnaires were utilized for the final data analysis.

Given the post-pandemic setting, the perceived benefits of BFBs significantly influenced its purchase intention and consumption behaviour. It could grossly impact the media's role (information about COVID-19) and the consumers' interest in healthy food. The study revealed that the information about COVID-19 (role of media) strongly increased interest in healthy food, whereas interest in healthy food positively influenced purchase intention of functional beverages. With interest in healthy food as a “mediator”, the role of media (information about COVID-19) positively influenced purchase intention. It is worth noting the moderating role of subjective norms in the relationship between the role of media (information about COVID-19) and interest in healthy food and that between interest in healthy food and BFB purchase intention.

Food marketers shall skillfully use “opinion” leaders and subject experts in marketing communication campaigns to popularize the link between good food and immunity through COVID-19 and healthy diet-related messages sent via a suitable media platform. This would grab food consumers' interest in BFBs and persuade them to incorporate such items in their daily food milieu. Consumers need to be assured that consuming “functional” products would deliver health benefits and upkeep their body immunity in the post-COVID-19 times.

There has been minimal research on the link between perceived benefits, the role of media, interest in healthy food and consumption behaviour on functional beverages in the post-COVID-19 setting. Moreover, subjective norms have never been probed as a moderator in the consumer behaviour studies on BFBs. This pioneering study applied the tenets of the TPB, HBM and VAB model in the context of post-pandemic functional beverage consumption. The altered study settings caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the context of a developing economy like India have amplified the research value of this study.

The objective of this study is to identify the optimal product design attributes for a range of chilled probiotic orange juice beverages, and to evaluate the contribution of market‐oriented research methodologies to the development and strategic marketing of innovative functional beverages.

A conjoint‐based survey was administered to 400 purchasers of chilled orange juice in both Dublin and Cork between May and September 2004.

New product development (NPD) opportunities exist for probiotic juice‐based beverages, although functionality should not be relied on solely to leverage a competitive advantage.

The survey sample only included primary purchasers of chilled orange juice, owing to the increased importance of the chilled orange juice category in Ireland. Further research that would incorporate purchasers of ambient orange juice, and end‐users of both chilled and ambient orange juice in Ireland, as well as across European states for a cross‐cultural perspective, would prove beneficial to both manufacturers and retailers.

Advanced market‐oriented research methodologies during the concept stage of the NPD process can assist both food and beverage firms and retailers to develop and market functional foods and beverages that more closely meet consumers' needs and values.

This research can assist beverage manufacturers to optimally design a range of chilled probiotic orange juice beverages targeted at specific market segments, and provide guidance for effective positioning, communication and pricing strategies of innovative functional beverages.

Pulque is a fundamental piece in the Mexican gastronomy and identifying consumers’ perception could help promote it and generate new opportunities of commercialization. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore the underlying factors that influence consumers’ perception toward pulque, and second, to identify groups of consumers according to their perception.

A questionnaire was designed and applied to 220 consumers within points of sales. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was undertaken and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to identify different groups of consumers.

By means of EFA three factors were obtained: traditionality, bad reputation of pulquerías and functional beverage. In order to identify different consumption patterns among consumers, HCA was performed and three groups were identified: traditional, neo-consumers and neo-consumers in transition. The groups identified showed significant differences in their perception.

Pulque has recently gained interest in various consumer sectors, mainly among young consumers, who are consuming and promoting the beverage these days. In this sense, the results of this work could be used for its promotion and consumption in order to attract more consumers and make a contribution to the development of local economies.

This is the first work in Mexico to explore the perception of consumers toward pulque: the most important traditional fermented beverage in Central México. Results of this research suggest the appearance of a revaluation process among young consumers, more informed and with greater sensitivity toward traditional Mexican food, particularly in the case of pulque. Likewise, these results could be useful for producers and sellers to carry out commercial strategies and promote the drink.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the influence of the front of a package label and the nutritional claims linked to it over consumers’ expectations as to acceptance, purchase attitude and perception of quality characteristics of a new functional beverage made from cashew nut milk and added with mango juice and prebiotic substances.

Three versions of the front label were developed, which differed just by the type of nutritional claim presented (“0 per cent lactose and 0 per cent cholesterol; 0 per cent lactose, 0 per cent cholesterol and source of fibers, 0 per cent lactose, 0 per cent cholesterol and antioxidants”) and were evaluated in two phases, expectation and informed. For the evaluation, consumers used a multi-attribute scale, the nine-point hedonic scale and a nine-point semi-structured buying attitude scale.

The labels created a positive expectation on the consumers regarding the quality attributes, overall impression (mean = 6.0 “Like slightly”) and buying attitude (mean = 6.0 “Would probably buy”). After tasting the beverage associated with labels (informed phase), consumers kept a positive evaluation. The t-test performed between the pair of means of both phases showed that there has not been a significant difference regarding the quality attributes (p > 0.05), special, attractive, nutritive, healthy and buying attitude (Label 1, p = 0.26; Label 2, p = 0.18; Label 3, p = 0.26) in all labels.

The authors evaluated how the influence of label and nutritional claims in regards to a new product, a beverage made from cashew nut, affects its acceptance, buying attitude and characteristics of quality. Until this moment, there are no studies that evaluate how external attributes affect the acceptance of this beverage totally unique in the Brazilian market.

This corporate strategy case shows how PepsiCo stopped worrying about competing with Coca-Cola, figured out what its real business was, and decided how to build its future. Redefining itself as a beverage and snack business, PepsiCo sheds its restaurant business and acquires Quaker and Tropicana. By rethinking the synergistic relationship between the complementary, combined strengths of the merged companies, it strategizes to develop innovative products that will compete in a changing demographic, cultural, and geographical world. Will this strategy work in an increasingly competitive environment?

This study has two main purposes. First, the effects of health anxiety and perceived social value on the intention to consume functional food were examined. Second, the role of health knowledge levels in these relationships was identified.

The sample consisted of 271 restaurant consumers on the European side of Istanbul between August and October 2021. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the research model.

Restaurant consumers revealed that health anxiety and perceived social value positively affect functional food consumption intentions. Moreover, health knowledge levels have a negative moderating effect on the relationship between health anxiety and functional food consumption intentions.

Thanks to the findings of this study, the roles of health anxiety, perceived social value and health knowledge in functional food consumption were determined, thus filling a vital literature gap.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how French senior consumers deal with duality between perceived risk and perceived value associated with functional foods (FFs) and to analyze whether the risk-value trade-off may help to derive different consumer profiles.

Data were collected from 220 senior consumers (50-70). A two-step clustering analysis was carried out on factor scores of perceived value and perceived risk. Discriminant analysis was then employed to verify the classification reliability, and analysis of variance was performed to profile the clusters on the basis of additional variables.

Four distinctive profiles of FF senior consumers were identified. Significant differences were found to be attributed to personality traits. Interestingly, the “Trustful enthusiasts” and the “Ambivalents” consumers do not differ in their repurchase intention, despite a significant discrepancy in risk perception.

The study is an opportunity to offer a segmentation of this attractive growing target of health-enhancing products. The typology can help the practitioners to find out a new valuable scope of messages to better communicate to elderly market.

The research seeks to contribute to the existing knowledge on seniors’ nutrition-related behavior, by proposing a segmentation still lacking in research works. Since FF perceived value appears to be multidimensional and not only utilitarian, the study provides a new insight into the experiential approach of health-enhancing eating. Also, it shows how the differences between FF consumers could be attributed to certain personal variables.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of the product attribute beliefs of ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee beverages (i.e. content sensory, packaging and branding, and content functional attributes) on perceived value (i.e. utilitarian and hedonic value) and repurchase intention.

In the study survey, 401 participants who had purchased RTD coffee beverages within the previous month were included. Structural equation modelling was employed to analyse the survey data.

The findings indicate that consumers of RTD coffee beverages form utilitarian and hedonic value perceptions through content sensory, packaging and branding, and content functional attribute beliefs. Furthermore, utilitarian value is one of the most crucial determinants of repurchase intentions. The findings further reveal that whereas content functional attribute beliefs have a dominant influence on utilitarian value, content sensory attribute beliefs have a greater influence on hedonic value.

The findings of this study can serve as a reference for RTD coffee beverage companies to develop new products and communication strategies.

This research aims to generate consumer knowledge to facilitate the development of new product concepts with optimal product design attributes for new fermented functional cereal beverages (FFCBs) with high market potential.

This research employed a sequential mixed research approach which integrated both qualitative and quantitative methods. A total of 12 in‐depth interviews and three focus groups were carried out to identify product concepts for new FFCBs. A conjoint model (n=299) was then developed to evaluate product‐specific factors that influenced consumer acceptance of FFCBs.

Potential target consumers of FFCBs were more likely to be young females who had relatively high educational and income levels. “Flavour” and “health/nutritional claim” were found to be the most important product attributes for consumers. The simulation analysis predicted two FFCB concepts for target consumers.

As there is a limited range of FFCBs on the market, the concept of FFCBs may be novel to consumers. Further research would be beneficial that closely integrates the strategic marketing of FFCBs with sensory analysis conducted on a range of these beverages.

During the early stages of the new product development (NPD) process, a market‐oriented research methodology can help optimise product concepts in terms of product attributes that drive consumer acceptance.

This paper provides an important insight into the significance of market‐oriented knowledge generation techniques for the development of new cereal‐based functional foods. It provides market‐oriented information on FFCBs which can be valuable for food manufacturers to maximise NPD performance and to gain competitive advantage in the functional beverages market.