Labelling bananas as sad singles reduce food waste

Register For The Online Event Here (opens in new link)

Abstract

Point-of-sale anthropomorphism—attributing human characteristics to nonhuman entities—has been shown to improve perception of food that deviates in shape or form from consumer expectations (“imperfect food”). In this study, we explore whether depicting imperfect produce with happy or sad emotional expressions is more effective in boosting sales. We also explore a novel type of imperfection: when produce is torn off the bunch it normally comes in. A field study conducted at a large food retailer  revealed that sales of “single” bananas significantly increased when they were anthropomorphized with sad emotions, compared to when they were anthropomorphized with happy emotions or not anthropomorphized. Results where generalised through additional online experiments. These findings are particularly relevant for food retailers aiming to increase purchases, and thus reduce waste, of fresh produce that has become a loose “single”.

The Speaker

Dr Lisa Eckmann is a Lecturer in Marketing at the School of Management, University of Bath. She received her PhD from the Faculty of Economics and Business at Goethe University Frankfurt and was a visiting scholar at the Cambridge Judge Business School. Lisa’s research addresses questions at the intersection of marketing and psychology. Her work focuses on understanding consumer judgments and preferences with a particular interest in sustainable consumption in the retail context. Her research has been published in leading journals, including Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, as well as mass media outlets such as The Guardian, BBC, Der Spiegel, and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).