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Understanding how consumer education impacts shoppers over time: A longitudinal field study of unit price usage

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  • Weeks, Clinton S.
  • Mortimer, Gary
  • Page, Lionel

Abstract

There remains a lack of empirical evidence for what constitutes effective consumer education around unit pricing in grocery stores, despite researchers continually highlighting the importance of such education. Much of the early work on unit pricing describes self-report estimates of usage, or results of simulated shopping studies which can lack external validity. The current research reports one of the first longitudinal field experiments to examine the impact of consumer education on unit price usage over time, and is based on shoppers' actual grocery spending. Shoppers receiving consumer education displayed progressively higher levels of savings across the first six weeks of the study to a peak of about 17–18%, declining to around 11–13% by the end of the study. Savings were achieved by shoppers from all income levels, and increased with the provision of personalized comparative feedback. The study offers theoretical insights and important practical implications for retailers and policy makers.

Suggested Citation

  • Weeks, Clinton S. & Mortimer, Gary & Page, Lionel, 2016. "Understanding how consumer education impacts shoppers over time: A longitudinal field study of unit price usage," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 198-209.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:32:y:2016:i:c:p:198-209
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2016.06.012
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ohlwein, Martin, 2022. "Same but different - The effect of the unit of measure on the valuation of a unit price," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    2. Sun, Xiaochi & Foscht, Thomas & Eisingerich, Andreas B., 2021. "Does educating customers create positive word of mouth?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    3. Fecher, André & Robbert, Thomas & Roth, Stefan, 2020. "Per piece or per kilogram? Default-unit effects in retailing," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    4. Fecher, André & Robbert, Thomas & Roth, Stefan, 2019. "Same price, different perception: Measurement-unit effects on price-level perceptions and purchase intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 129-142.
    5. A. Fecher & T. Robbert & S. Roth, 2020. "Unit Price Measures in Retailing: Consistency Effects on Product Choice and Store Evaluations," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 611-633, September.
    6. Qin, Fei & Ma, Meilin, 2022. "Unit Pricing Regulation and Non-Price Responses of Retailers: Evidence from the U.S. Yogurt Market," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322243, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    7. Mortimer, Gary & Weeks, Clinton S., 2019. "How unit price awareness and usage encourages grocery brand switching and expenditure," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 346-356.

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