IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joreco/v87y2025ics0969698925001572.html

From taste to price: Comparative analysis of customer satisfaction factors in three food products

Author

Listed:
  • Zandi, Peyman
  • Soleiman Ekhtiari, Narges
  • Sorooshian, Shahryar

Abstract

Addressing the cross-category research gap, this study investigates the key factors influencing customer satisfaction in the food industry. Based on insights from a food case company, a modified Delphi method was used to generate 12 core indicators for multiple product categories (tomato paste, sauce, and jam). We employed a comprehensive analytical approach to examine the causal and structural relationships among the factors, integrating three multi-criteria decision-making methods (DEMATEL, ISM, and MICMAC), alongside the modified Delphi method. The results show that price, product quality, brand reputation, and product healthiness were the most important factors across all product categories. Other factors, including taste, nutritional value, distribution, variety, and responsiveness, demonstrated varying priorities and interdependencies across the three categories. Visually oriented attributes, such as appearance, freshness, and packaging, were positioned at the final levels of the structural model, highlighting their potential in attracting consumers. The findings suggest prioritizing brand equity, verifiable quality, and health messaging; besides, marketers should tailor price tactics to each category to improve customer satisfaction and competitive advantage across multiple food product lines.

Suggested Citation

  • Zandi, Peyman & Soleiman Ekhtiari, Narges & Sorooshian, Shahryar, 2025. "From taste to price: Comparative analysis of customer satisfaction factors in three food products," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:87:y:2025:i:c:s0969698925001572
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104378
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698925001572
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104378?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kuldeep Singh & Rebecca Abraham & Jitendra Yadav & Amit Kumar Agrawal & Prasanna Kolar & Madhvendra Misra & Avikshit Yadav, 2024. "Analysis of barriers for sustainable agro-food supply chain: an interpretive structural modeling and MICMAC approach," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(10), pages 25311-25333, October.
    2. Abbasi, Amir Zaib & Qummar, Hamza & Bashir, Shahid & Aziz, Shahab & Ting, Ding Hooi, 2024. "Customer engagement in Saudi food delivery apps through social media marketing: Examining the antecedents and consequences using PLS-SEM and NCA," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    3. Mead, James A. & Richerson, Rob, 2018. "Package color saturation and food healthfulness perceptions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 10-18.
    4. Md Raquibuzzaman Khan & Mohammad Jahangir Alam & Nazia Tabassum & Michael Burton & Niaz Ahmed Khan, 2022. "Investigating supply chain challenges of public sector agriculture development projects in Bangladesh: An application of modified Delphi-BWM-ISM approach," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(6), pages 1-20, June.
    5. Abbate, Stefano & Centobelli, Piera & Cerchione, Roberto, 2023. "The digital and sustainable transition of the agri-food sector," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    6. Konuk, Faruk Anıl, 2019. "The influence of perceived food quality, price fairness, perceived value and satisfaction on customers’ revisit and word-of-mouth intentions towards organic food restaurants," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 103-110.
    7. Young Joong Kim & Jung Sook Park & Hyeon Mo Jeon, 2021. "Experiential Value, Satisfaction, Brand Love, and Brand Loyalty toward Robot Barista Coffee Shop: The Moderating Effect of Generation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-16, October.
    8. Ahani, Ali & Nilashi, Mehrbakhsh & Yadegaridehkordi, Elaheh & Sanzogni, Louis & Tarik, A. Rashid & Knox, Kathy & Samad, Sarminah & Ibrahim, Othman, 2019. "Revealing customers’ satisfaction and preferences through online review analysis: The case of Canary Islands hotels," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 331-343.
    9. Bukhari, Esra'a & Daim, Tugrul & Alzahrani, Saeed & Gillpatrick, Tom & Santiago, Leonardo, 2025. "Multi perspective technology readiness assessment for E-commerce: Case of the omni-channel adoption in the food retail sector during COVID-19," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    10. Sima Ghazanfari & Ali Firoozzare & Daniela Covino & Flavio Boccia & Nadia Palmieri, 2024. "Exploring Factors Influencing Consumers’ Willingness to Pay Healthy-Labeled Foods at a Premium Price," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-20, August.
    11. Dehnavi, Morteza Narimani & Yazdian, Seyed Ahmad & Sadjadi, Seyed Jafar, 2023. "Evaluating effective criteria on customer satisfaction using the best-worst method and optimizing resource allocation, case study Iran aseman airlines," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    12. Pierre Dubois & Paulo Albuquerque & Olivier Allais & Céline Bonnet & Patrice Bertail & Pierre Combris & Saadi Lahlou & Natalie Rigal & Bernard Ruffieux & Pierre Chandon, 2021. "Effects of front-of-pack labels on the nutritional quality of supermarket food purchases: evidence from a large-scale randomized controlled trial," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 119-138, January.
    13. Stijn Maesen & Lien Lamey & Anne ter Braak & Léon Jansen, 2022. "Going healthy: how product characteristics influence the sales impact of front-of-pack health symbols," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 108-130, January.
    14. Gérard P. Cachon & Santiago Gallino & Marcelo Olivares, 2019. "Does Adding Inventory Increase Sales? Evidence of a Scarcity Effect in U.S. Automobile Dealerships," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(4), pages 1469-1485, April.
    15. Sahranavard, Seyed Arash & Oney, Emrah & Aghaei, Iman, 2024. "Consumer’s e-lifestyle and repurchase intention in online food ordering services: Exploring the role of e-WOM and habit," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    16. Hu, Linfeng & Wang, Sainan & Zheng, Jiehui & Xu, Qianwen, 2025. "How to present food images on packaging? The influence of aesthetics design on consumers' perceived healthiness," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    17. Pierre Dubois & Paulo Albuquerque & Olivier Allais & Céline Bonnet & Patrice Bertail & Pierre Combris & Saadi Lahlou & Natalie Rigal & Bernard Ruffieux & Pierre Chandon, 2021. "Effects of front-of-pack labels on the nutritional quality of supermarket food purchases: evidence from a large-scale randomized controlled trial," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 119-138, January.
    18. Lin, Xiaoxi & Xiong, Yanling & Wang, Yiqin & Tang, Huajun & Wen, Xiaowei, 2025. "The influence of consumer ethnocentrism and cosmopolitanism on purchase intentions of Chinese pre-made dishes," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    19. Li, Sinan & Huang, Xinmin & Sheng, Yunying & Chen, Kai, 2025. "The interactive effect of recommendation subjects and message types on consumers' suboptimal food purchase intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jiang, Hongyan & Wang, Yaping & Liu, Yeyi, 2025. "A well-visualized effect: How nutritional content–equivalent labels influence healthfulness perceptions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    2. Radovan Savov & Filip Tkac & Juraj Cheben & Jana Kozakova & Jakub Bercík, 2022. "Impact of Different FOPL Systems (Nutri-Score vs. Nutrinform) On Consumer Behaviour: Case Study of the Slovak Republic," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 24(61), pages 797-797, August.
    3. Pierre Chandon & Romain Cadario, 2023. "Healthy in the wrong way: Mismatching of marketers’ food claim use and consumers’ preferences in the United States but not France," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 153-173, January.
    4. Pierrick Gomez, 2025. "The Role of Processing-Related Labels in Consumer Identification and Choice of Ultra-Processed Foods," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 421-444, December.
    5. Stephanie von Hinke, 2022. "Education, Dietary Intakes and Exercise," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 84(1), pages 214-240, February.
    6. Thomas Chambon & Ulysse Soulat & Jeanne Lallement & Jean-Loup Guillaume, 2023. "The effect of visual information complexity on urban mobility intention and behavior," Post-Print hal-04089291, HAL.
    7. Andrews, J. Craig & Netemeyer, Richard & Burton, Scot & Kees, Jeremy, 2021. "What consumers actually know: The role of objective nutrition knowledge in processing stop sign and traffic light front-of-pack nutrition labels," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 140-155.
    8. Camille Cornudet & Marie‐eve Laporte & Fabienne Berger-Remy & Béatrice Parguel & Jean‐loup Richet, 2025. "When Food Scanner Apps Outperform Front‐of‐Pack Nutrition Labels," Post-Print hal-05013772, HAL.
    9. Lan Luo & Koen Pauwels, 2023. "Practice Prize Report: The 2020 and 2022 ISMS Gary Lilien Practice Prize Competition," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(1), pages 6-10, January.
    10. Li, Sinan & Huang, Xinmin & Sheng, Yunying & Chen, Kai, 2025. "The interactive effect of recommendation subjects and message types on consumers' suboptimal food purchase intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    11. Arpita Mukherjee & Aashish Chaudhry & Trishali Khanna & Latika Khatwani & Pallavi Verma, 2025. "Towards Vitamin D Kuposhan Mukt Bharat through Food Fortification: The Role of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)," Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) Policy Paper 55, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), New Delhi, India.
    12. Stijn Maesen & Lien Lamey & Anne ter Braak & Léon Jansen, 2022. "Going healthy: how product characteristics influence the sales impact of front-of-pack health symbols," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 108-130, January.
    13. Nilashi, Mehrbakhsh & Ahmadi, Hossein & Arji, Goli & Alsalem, Khalaf Okab & Samad, Sarminah & Ghabban, Fahad & Alzahrani, Ahmed Omar & Ahani, Ali & Alarood, Ala Abdulsalam, 2021. "Big social data and customer decision making in vegetarian restaurants: A combined machine learning method," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    14. Gauthier, Caroline & Bally, Frederic, 2025. "Digitalization and power shift in the food market," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    15. Godden, E. & Dens, N. & Coppens, B. & Thornton, L., 2025. "Can we improve the healthiness of online food purchases through the Nutri-Score and site design?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    16. van der Meer, M. & Schruff-Lim, E.M. & Onwezen, M.C. & Fischer, A.R.H., 2025. "“Planting†meat substitutes in the meat shelf: An online and two supermarket field experiments to explore the effect of placing meat substitutes next to meat," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    17. Zibarzani, Masoumeh & Abumalloh, Rabab Ali & Nilashi, Mehrbakhsh & Samad, Sarminah & Alghamdi, O.A. & Nayer, Fatima Khan & Ismail, Muhammed Yousoof & Mohd, Saidatulakmal & Mohammed Akib, Noor Adelyna, 2022. "Customer satisfaction with Restaurants Service Quality during COVID-19 outbreak: A two-stage methodology," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    18. Wang, Zheng & Wang, Lun & Ji, Ying & Zuo, Lulu & Qu, Shaojian, 2022. "A novel data-driven weighted sentiment analysis based on information entropy for perceived satisfaction," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    19. Stefanella, Stranieri & Mirta, Casati & Claudio, Soregaroli & Alessandro, Varacca, 2025. "Nutriscore’s impact on purchase intention for products with geographical indications: a Bayesian causal mediation analysis," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    20. Moustapha Sarr, 2023. "Inciting Family Healthy Eating: Taxation and Nudging," EconomiX Working Papers 2023-13, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:87:y:2025:i:c:s0969698925001572. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-retailing-and-consumer-services .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.