Abstract
This paper aims to better understand how consumers navigate their attitudes and behaviour towards vice and virtuous products through the Theories of Customer Perceived Value and Consumer Engagement. Recent societal shifts, which have seen the surge of no- or low-alcohol wines and plant-based meat (PBM), among other products, provide an ideal context to test the hypotheses. We collected data from a representative sample of 665 Australian consumers in June 2023, including drinkers, abstainers, meat eaters and vegetarians. First, the results show that no-alcohol wines and PBM are significantly more virtuous than their counterparts. Second, if consumers believe that health benefits are associated with no-alcohol wine, PBM and regular meat, they are more likely to perceive value in those products. When comparing consumer groups – specifically meat eaters and vegetarians – it was found that social norms have a positive influence for meat eaters on the perceived value of PBM compared to vegetarians. Additionally, neophobia negatively impacts the perceived value of regular wine more compared to no-alcohol wine in consumers. Third, perceived value influences various dimensions of consumer engagement and purchase intent, but more for regular wine compared to no-alcohol wine.
Introduction
The emergence of new and innovative product categories, such as no- and low-alcohol wines and meat substitutes, reflects an interplay between health, wellness and consumer behaviour trends in wine and food consumption. This is reflected in market data, showing a decline in alcohol consumption and a focus on healthier food options (IBIS, 2023), especially in younger consumers (Vashishtha et al., 2021). This said, people still also want to indulge; a desire occasionally met when interacting with vice products, which are defined as products that provide an immediately gratifying experience but have adverse long-term outcomes (Ruiz-Conde et al., 2021; Taghikhah et al., 2020). These vice products tend to counteract the individual’s drive for improved health outcomes, which is, instead, achieved with the consumption of virtuous products, which are defined as products that may be considered less gratifying as well as less appealing in the moment, but providing less long-term negative consequences (Ruiz-Conde et al., 2021; Taghikhah et al., 2020). The interaction of virtuous and vice products within the context of consumer behaviour raises essential questions concerning the factors driving decisions and how this might influence marketing and general health and wellbeing. A product category’s vice/virtue nature likely influences consumer response to the adoption of the product (van Doorn & Verhoef, 2011).
The concept of vice and virtue is conceptualised in different ways, from exerting self-control to sacrificing pleasure and the trade-off between pleasure and health (Kivetz & Zheng, 2016). Previous research conceptualised the vice and virtue concept with Wertenbroch’s (1998) definition where product X (e.g. Chocolate) is a vice relative to product Y (e.g. Strawberries), and Y is a virtue relative to X. This is only true if the consumption of X is preferred now (i.e. immediate gratification), and the consumption of Y is preferred later (i.e. delayed gratification; Wertenbroch, 1998). Research has extended the definition in seeing how conflicting goals arise where pleasure from consuming a vice product and health benefits from consuming a virtuous product exist (Muñoz-Vilches et al., 2019; Vosgerau et al., 2020). Further, deciding what to eat or drink typically involves an internal conflict between immediate goals (having something enjoyable) and long-term goals (having something healthy; Muñoz-Vilches et al., 2019; Tezer & Sobol, 2021; Wertenbroch, 1998). As a behavioural trade-off, this is particularly important when deciding between a vice or a virtuous product, as consumers tend to categorise food and beverages using a good/bad dichotomy (Chernev & Gal, 2010; Muñoz-Vilches et al., 2019), with previous research identifying that consumers may respond differently to product categories dependent on whether they are vice or virtue (Hui et al., 2009; van Doorn & Verhoef, 2011; Wertenbroch, 1998). How consumers resolve the trade-off between vice and virtue consumption is a central question in consumer decision-making research (Kivetz & Zheng, 2016).
While research has looked at this vice and virtue concept from a purchase-decision perspective, some papers lack the observation of the same product category, often opting for two different product categories. Additionally, whilst a plethora of research does exist in establishing that consumers make this decision between a vice or virtuous product, the use of a theory is often limited or not stated. Table 1 shows the scattered approach to this concept, and the relative theories adopted to approach it.
Summary of Vice and Virtue and use of Theory.
The present study has chosen to follow the vice versus virtue reasoning by applying the theories of Customer Perceived Value and Consumer Engagement to understand how this impacts consumers’ purchase decisions. A review of the literature shows that only one other paper adopted similar theories, but applied a Means-End Chain Model to distinguish between vice and virtue in the context of price promotion (Parreño-Selva et al., 2017). However, the focus of that paper was more on personal values rather than overall value.
The other novelty element we bring with the present study is that most of the previous research has focussed on two completely different product categories when investigating the vice versus virtue relationship. For example, existing research has considered cookies, chocolate or hamburgers (as vice products) and compared them with strawberries, rice or salad (as the virtuous products; Chernev & Gal, 2010; Ellison et al., 2016; Muñoz-Vilches et al., 2019; van Doorn & Verhoef, 2011) or looked at the products through an organic label lens (with virtuous being labelled as ‘organic’; Lee et al., 2013; Taghikhah et al., 2020; Tezer & Sobol, 2021). Using different products as the vice and virtue limits consumer insights to analyse direct comparisons between product categories as often consumers already believe that cookies are seen as unhealthy compared to strawberries. This is seen with consumers consistently perceiving that virtuous products are healthier than vice products (Anghelcev et al., 2020; Ellison et al., 2016; van Doorn & Verhoef, 2011). This is also irrelevant to new product categories, especially where a vice counterpart exists within the same category (e.g. regular wine as the vice vs. low or no alcohol wine as the virtue). By focussing on products that exist within the same product category, we can gain insights into more refined consumer behaviours that prior research on separate product categories might not have been able to establish.
To mitigate these limitations, the present study first establishes whether regular wine is seen as a vice product and then if it is, whether no-alcohol wine and low-alcohol wine are seen as virtuous in relation to their counterpart (Study One). This is then similarly obtained in Study Two with relation to regular meat (as the vice) and plant-based meat (PBM; as the virtue). This direct comparison helps reveal consumer attitudes to the vice and virtue dichotomy within a product category.
The third novelty of the present study is its theoretical contribution. The vice and virtue literature is an area that is important in understanding the adoption of novel products. Whilst a plethora of studies exist, the present study adds the lens of Customer Perceived Value Theory and Consumer Engagement to understand how consumers adopt virtuous products compared to their vice counterparts. Perceived value has also been a central concept in understanding consumer behaviour, with traditional models from Zeithaml (1988) focussing on the trade-offs between benefits and costs. With the addition of consumer engagement to this model, this lets us highlight that the multi-dimensional framework of consumer engagement can be influenced differently depending on the value a consumer places with a product. Additionally, understanding how perceived value drives purchase intent for virtuous products over vice, is another theoretical implication.
Background
The global alcoholic drinks market has grown rapidly towards the non-alcoholic segment in recent years (Wine Australia, 2021), with a predicted growth of 8% in the upcoming years, driven mainly by younger consumers in their 20s and 30s (Halstead, 2021; IWSR, 2022). No- and low-alcohol wines provide an option for consumers concerned with mindful drinking, with previous research identifying that consumers want to enjoy the functional, social and epistemic side of drinking regular wine (Shaw et al., 2023). This also helps consumers avoid risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption. Additionally, the demand, supply and consumption of plant-based products are increasing worldwide in recent decades, with manufacturers developing innovative ones (Fiorentini et al., 2020; Pointke & Pawelzik, 2022). This is due to consumer focus shifting towards environmentally friendly and ethical approaches whilst also thinking about their health. These PBM products allow consumers to indulge in familiar meat tastes whilst taking a more virtuous approach to their eating habits. These two trends enable a deeper exploration of individuals deciding between vice and virtuous products in health and wellness. Examining these products helps show the factors influencing consumer choices and would allow marketers to advertise these novel products more efficiently.
This study explores consumer attitudes towards no-alcohol wines, low-alcohol wines and PBM through Customer Perceived Value and Consumer Engagement theories. Figure 1 summarises our conceptual model, which builds on the work of Blut et al. (2023). The authors proposed a framework that includes different benefits and sacrifices, which can affect overall value and in turn determine different outcomes. We highlight the role of perceived benefits (health benefits and social norms), and perceived sacrifices (neophobic tendencies) on the perceived value of the Product (H1–H3). In addition, we measure the effect the latter has on consumer engagement – with its relative sub-dimensions – (H4) and purchase intention (H5).
Conceptual model.
Theoretical underpinning
This study is supported by the principles of the Theory of Customer Perceived Value (Blut et al., 2023; Zeithaml et al., 2020) and the Theory of Consumer Engagement (Hollebeek et al., 2019).
The first predicts that customers evaluate the benefits and sacrifices associated with a product or service to obtain the overall value (Zeithaml et al., 2020). Given that one of the key roles of marketing is to increase the overall value of a product or service, it is important to maximise the perceived benefits, whilst minimising the perceived sacrifices (Blut et al., 2023; Kumar & Reinartz, 2016). Often, Customer Perceived Value is subjective and individual rather than objective and determined by firms, with context being an important factor (Zeithaml et al., 2020).
Perceived value is a ‘consumer’s overall assessment of the utility of a product based on perceptions of what is received and what is given’ (Zeithaml, 1988, p. 14). When customers feel they have received good value from the product, they commit themselves to that organisation and recommend the product to others (McKee et al., 2006). From an economic standpoint, consumers consider the perceived value of the price they are willing to pay for a product as much as the value they receive in return from the offering (Park et al., 2021). Therefore, if consumers receive the expected benefits from consuming a product that meets their needs and requirements, they feel it is essential to engage in the product (McKee et al., 2006; Park et al., 2021).
The second theory has been conceptualised in various ways over the years (Bowden, 2009; Brodie et al., 2011; Dessart et al., 2016; Dovaliene et al., 2015; Gambetti & Graffigna, 2010; Hollebeek et al., 2018, 2019; Pansari & Kumar, 2017; Vivek, Beatty, & Morgan, 2014). We adopt the conceptualisation of Hollebeek et al.’s (2019) where consumer engagement is broken down into four dimensions – affective, cognitive, behavioural and social. The increased attention to consumer engagement in marketing literature is due to the managerial impacts this research can provide. Understanding this concept can help marketers develop more effective strategies to increase engagement with a particular product.
Lastly, purchase intention is addressed as in research it is consistently used to predict actual purchase behaviour (Ajzen, 2006). Further, it is well established in the literature that if a consumer perceives value with a product, this will lead to higher purchase intentions (Vieira, 2013; Watanabe et al., 2020). However, with the review of the literature on vice and virtue, limited research exists on how perceived value and purchase intent is influenced by this lens. Therefore, exploring this concept will help fill a gap in the literature.
By integrating these two theories under one model, this research adds to the vice and virtue literature. Perceived value often drives why consumers choose certain products whereas consumer engagement reflects how a consumer interacts with a product over time. By looking at both of these key theories, researchers and marketers can further understand both the reasons of purchase of a virtuous product over a vice and how to keep a consumer engaged with their new and novel product. This is something that the vice and virtue literature is yet to research and the present study intends to fill this gap.
Perceived health benefits and perceived value of vice and virtuous products
Perceived health benefits are looked at as the first benefit to perceived value. Conceptualising ‘health’ has differed depending on the context. WHO (1986) defines ‘health’ as a state of wellbeing rather than the absence of illness or a disability. Previous literature has observed health about the benefits associated with consuming certain food products (Dorce et al., 2021; Goetzke et al., 2014; Michaelidou & Hassan, 2008) or those that are concerned about their health and how this influences their consumption (Goetzke et al., 2014; Nystrand & Olsen, 2021; Siegrist et al., 2015; Tudoran et al., 2009). This study addresses the ‘perceived health benefits’ of products.
Perceived health benefits established in prior research are essential for adopting novel products (Dorce et al., 2021; Goetzke et al., 2014; Michaelidou & Hassan, 2008), likely due to health playing a crucial personal and societal value. Further, consumers have become aware that particular products, such as wine and food choices, may affect their health, leading them to pay more attention to the health benefits associated with certain products (Goetzke et al., 2014; Michaelidou & Hassan, 2008). This is supported by previous research identifying that health factors can motivate a consumer to adopt novel products in a consumer’s diet (Goetzke et al., 2014; Nystrand & Olsen, 2021; Siegrist et al., 2015). Elzerman et al. (2013) highlighted that PBM were perceived to be healthier than meat options, with multiple studies finding that healthiness is a key factor for consumers to accept and consume PBM products (Beacom et al., 2021; Mullee et al., 2017; Rizzo et al., 2023). Therefore, people who perceive health benefits from wine and food products are more likely to be interested in novel consumption. As such, we predict the following;
H1: Greater perceived health benefits of virtuous products increase their perceived value more compared to vice products.
Social norms and perceived value of vice and virtuous products
Individuals face social pressure when considering to engage in a behaviour to fulfil the need for social approval (Krumpal, 2013). Social norms, observed as the second benefit of perceived value, can therefore be defined as social pressure received from significant others such as family, friends and other peers (Ajzen, 2002). Research has observed healthier eating as an innovative behaviour that challenges consumers’ values and social norms (de Kervenoael et al., 2021). It has been well-established in consumer behaviour research that social norms influence intentions to drive socially acceptable behaviours (D’Souza, 2022; Dunn et al., 2011; Roh et al., 2022). Further, social norms are often leveraged by marketers and policy makers to encourage these behaviours (de Kervenoael et al., 2021; Melnyk et al., 2022). In this respect, considering a virtuous product category and how this influences a consumers’ social norms and whether this impacts their perceived value of the product is necessary. Previous research has revealed that social norms positively influence perceived value in relation to healthy eating behaviour (de Kervenoael et al., 2021). Additionally, Blut et al. (2023) review highlighted that social benefits can trigger overall value, especially in a public context.
In the case of virtuous products – such as healthier or environmentally friendly options – social norms tend to amplify their perceived value. This is because such products are often associated with positive attributes like responsibility, self-discipline and consideration for societal well-being. We expect that virtuous products, (e.g. healthy foods or sustainable goods), often embody qualities that are publicly endorsed, such as caring for one’s health, promoting environmental sustainability or contributing to the community. When social norms reinforce these ideals, individuals perceive these products as more valuable because they reflect adherence to socially desirable behaviours. As such, we predict the following;
H2: Social norms positively influence the perceived value of virtuous products more compared to vice products.
Neophobia and perceived value of vice and virtuous products
Product neophobia, considered as a perceived sacrifice to perceived value, is the fear of and avoidance of new products (Alley, 2018). As a result, people might be hesitant to buy the products, and if this happens, products eventually fail (Barrena & Sánchez, 2013). Therefore, there is a growing interest in consumers’ perception of a new or unfamiliar product. Product neophobia is a stable trait that measures an individual’s tendency to avoid or be reluctant to purchase new or novel products (Alley, 2018; Pliner & Hobden, 1992).
Literature shows that neophobia impacts preferences for wine and food products, with studies suggesting it is a barrier to accepting and liking new and novel products (Henriques et al., 2009; Ristic et al., 2016). A review identified that neophobia likely influences multiple aspects of products, from the value associated with it to the intent of a consumer to purchase it, with findings suggesting that high neophobia leads to a lower probability that a consumer will accept change or innovations to products (Rabadán & Bernabéu, 2021). This is further supported in studies investigating PBM, where lower food neophobia predicted acceptance (Bryant et al., 2019). In contrast, those not consuming plant-based meat were more food neophobic and less willing to try novel foods, even after tasting them (Hoek et al., 2011). Therefore, product familiarity is necessary for consumers to accept new and novel foods, leading to an interest in how neophobia influences the value associated with new products. Research has suggested that it is important to identify the barriers to and drivers of the acceptance of novel foods (Tuorila & Hartmann, 2020).
In the context of this study, we predict that virtuous products, such as those promoting health or sustainability, often require consumers to adopt new behaviours, ingredients or consumption habits that they may find unfamiliar or challenging. Since virtuous products are usually perceived as aligning with long-term, moral or socially conscious values, we predict that consumers may scrutinise them more carefully (Choi et al., 2023). Our hypothesis therefore assumes that when neophobia is triggered, this can lead to a significant reduction in perceived value because consumers may be more resistant to adopting changes that affect their core beliefs or habits. Further, we expect that consumers may hold virtuous products to higher standards because these products are marketed as beneficial for health or the environment. When faced with an unfamiliar virtuous product, neophobia can amplify doubts about whether the product truly delivers on its promises (Siddiqui et al., 2022). As a result, we hypothesise that the perceived value drops more significantly compared to vice products, because the vice products are often indulged in without such high expectations.
H3: Neophobia towards virtuous products decrease their perceived value more compared to vice products.
Perceived value and its influence on consumer responses to vice and virtuous products
Marketers must engage customers with a new product to enhance continued or future purchasing behaviours (Brodie et al., 2011; Vivek, Beatty, & Morgan, 2014). A more thorough understanding of consumer factors may give marketers an effective way to target different consumer segments that could engage with the product (Vander Schee et al., 2020). Over the last 15 years, engagement has become an important ‘buzz’ word in the business world especially (Santos et al., 2022), primarily as previous research has found that consumer engagement helps build trust, loyalty and awareness (Bilro & Loureiro, 2020; Santos et al., 2022).
It is essential to understand consumer engagement further because when consumers are engaged, this create both direct and indirect benefits to accepting a product (Pansari & Kumar, 2017). Some research states that consumer engagement attempts to differentiate consumer attitudes and behaviours that are separate and above their purchase related behaviours (Bilro & Loureiro, 2020; van Doorn et al., 2010; Vivek, Beatty, & Morgan, 2014), with Vivek, Beatty and Morgan (2014) demonstrating the importance of an individual’s interaction and connection to the product, regardless of if the consumer is wanting to buy the product or not. As such, this research considers perceived value as a variable that could influence consumer engagement with the product.
A recent study by Itani et al. (2019) viewed customer perceived value and consumer engagement through a restaurant offering which revealed valuable insights into consumer behaviour. Findings suggested that once customers perceive that the value they receive from restaurant offerings is acceptable and sufficient, they are more likely to engage in that restaurant. According to Kumar and Reinartz (2016), customer perceived value is a central mediating construct. Calls to extend the customer perceived value concept to an engagement framework have been suggested (Kumar & Reinartz, 2016). Adding to the customer perceived value and consumer engagement literature, the present study wants to understand how these variables interact with virtuous product adoption whilst reviewing different benefits and sacrifices to overall value.
The present research looks at consumer engagement through a multi-dimensional lens. Specifically, the affective (the degree of positive emotion and attachment with a product; Hollebeek et al., 2014), cognitive (consumers’ level of attention and focus with a product; Hollebeek et al., 2014), behavioural (consumers’ level of energy, effort and time spent on a product; Hollebeek et al., 2014) and social (social interactions with the product; Vivek, Beatty, Vivek and Morgan, 2014), are conceptualised in the present study. Whilst previous research explored the connection between customer perceived value and consumer engagement, they often group consumer engagement together rather than looking at it separately (Itani et al., 2019; Pereira et al., 2024), something this study contributes to the literature. However, if consumers perceive a product as having a high value, this will have specific influences on the dimensions of consumer engagement. Once consumers perceive high value in a product or offering, affective engagement will be stronger, with more positive emotions and overall satisfaction (Pereira et al., 2024). Similarly, cognitive engagement will be higher as consumers spend more time thinking about and being involved in the product or offering (Pereira et al., 2024). Further, behavioural engagement is associated with time and effort, and if consumers perceive value with a product or offering, they are more likely to spend time or visit this product or offering (Itani et al., 2019). When consumers perceive high value in a product, this can motivate them to engage more in the social dimension of engagement by discussing benefits, knowledge sharing and promoting the product (Itani et al., 2019) and, therefore, believe that the product is worth talking about.
However, this will have slight differences depending on the classification of the product. It is expected that due to the nature of virtuous products which are associated with things such as health benefits, better quality or even a higher level of social approval for interacting with the product, that consumers will then place a higher overall value on these products. Virtuous products offer more emotional, ethical and practical reasons for consumers to invest time and energy into the product (van Doorn & Verhoef, 2011). This is expected to lead consumers to engage with these virtuous products more due to these key benefits raised from consuming virtuous products. In contrast, vice products, which focus on immediate gratification and short-term benefits, means consumers do not need to spend as much time or energy on selecting these products and therefore, engagement will be lower.
H4: Greater perceived value of virtuous products increases (a) affective, (b) cognitive, (c) behavioural and (d) social forms of consumer engagement more compared to vice products.
Perceived value on purchase intent
Purchase intent can be considered a direct antecedent to behaviour and is often used to predict actual behaviour (Ajzen, 2006). While subjective in nature, research has identified that purchase intention measures product adoption when actual adoption data is not available (Park et al., 2021; Shin & Hancer, 2016; Shukla, 2012; Watanabe et al., 2020). With this in mind, the present study explores how customer perceived value influences the intention to purchase a product. The perceptions that consumers have of a product can influence their purchase decision process (Watanabe et al., 2020). Studies suggest that consumers’ intention to purchase a product might be positively related to their perceived value (Vieira, 2013; Watanabe et al., 2020). Specifically, through a meta-analysis, it was revealed that purchase intent is often a consequence of perceived value (Vieira, 2013). Therefore, the more positive a product’s value is perceived, the higher consumer’s willingness to purchase that specific product.
In the context of vice and virtuous products, limited research exists with how perceived value might influence purchase intention differently. However, it is expected that virtuous products will lead to a greater purchase intent over vice products. This is because, with the nature of virtuous products, these are meant to provide positive long-term benefits and health advantages whereas vice products often come with health risks which then lowers the value of that product (Muñoz-Vilches et al., 2019; Vosgerau et al., 2020). If a consumer perceives a higher product value for virtuous products, this will lead to stronger purchase intent, as consumers might feel that they get more from investing in these products compared to vice products.
H5: Greater perceived value of virtuous products increases purchase intent more compared to vice products.
To overcome the limitation of studying different product categories, this study examines factors driving consumers’ willingness to interact with certain products based on the vice and virtue concept and uses the theory of customer perceived value, and the underpinnings of consumer engagement. Whilst research has looked at vice and virtue, there has not been a huge focus on customer perceived value and utilising the same product. This paper aims to understand consumer behaviour and how consumers navigate decisions towards vice and virtuous products within the context of the value of new products. Ultimately, this paper seeks to contribute to the growing literature on consumption patterns and what influences a consumer to interact with a new product. From this, the present study explores whether and why consumers perceive value with a new and novel product differs depending upon whether the product is seen as a vice or virtue. This study aims to understand how consumers’ attitudes and behaviour vary depending on whether a product is seen as a vice or a virtue and how this influences consumer engagement and purchase intentions. The present study utilises structural equation modelling and multi-group analysis to investigate the different antecedents and outcomes to customer perceived value in the context of vice and virtue production adoption.
Method
Sample and data collection
The data utilised in this study was collected using a survey, conducted online and distributed by a global online panel provider, PureProfile. The survey was created using Qualtrics and only Australian residents aged 18 years or older were eligible to participate, voluntarily. Ethics clearance was granted under the University’s Human Research Ethics Committee (H-2023-039). To ensure a somewhat representative sample of the population, quotas for age, gender and state of residence were used (refer to Table 2 for a comparison of quotas). Data were collected for two weeks in June 2023. We ensured that quotas and quality of responses was monitored.
Demographic Characteristics With Quotas.
Note. Percentages are rounded to nearest whole number and, therefore, may not equal 100.
The final sample consists of 665 Australian residents. About 81 respondents indicated that they did not consume alcohol or wine, and 84 respondents said they did not eat meat. Therefore, 75% of the sample stated they consumed alcohol or ate meat, and 25% said they did not consume alcohol or eat meat. The sample population including gender, age and place (state) of residence is presented in Table 2.
A majority of the respondents (88%) resided in NSW (30%), VIC (24%), QLD (18%) and WA (15%). More than half of the sample have a university degree, with most of the respondents (85%) earning $A40,000 or more per annum.
Survey design
A variety of scales and items were used. Adapted from Bruwer et al. (2014), the respondents were required to indicate their consumption frequency of wine, beer, ready-to-drink (RTDs), spirits, low-alcohol wine, low-alcohol beer, zero-alcohol wine and zero-alcohol beer on a scale from one (never), two (less than once a month), three (1–3 times a month), four (about once a week), five (2–5 times a week) to six (most days/every day). Similarly, on the same scale, participants were required to indicate their consumption frequency of red meat, milk, eggs, fish, white meat and PBM. These questions were used to identify whether participants were abstainers (who never consumed alcohol) or vegetarians. If participants selected ‘never’ to any alcohol or meat (excluding milk and eggs), they were classified as abstainers or vegetarians, respectively. The survey was designed as a between-group design where participants were randomly allocated to one of the five conditions listed in Table 3.
Summary of Sample in Conditions.
Those who said they did not consume alcohol or meat were allocated to either the no-alcohol condition or plant-based meat condition.
The survey instrument included demographic questions related to age, education level, employment status and annual income. Before participants were allocated to a condition, they were provided with definitions (refer to Table 4).
Definitions of Key Concepts.
Once participants were allocated to a condition, they were presented with a scenario to consider while answering the survey questions. Depending on the condition (where X is the condition), participants read the following phrase: We would like you to imagine that you are having an
Participants were then asked on a scale from one (very vicious) to seven (very virtuous) about regular wine, low-alcohol wine, no-alcohol wine, regular meat, PBM and coffee (used as a control). Parreño-Selva et al. (2017) found that coffee was perceived neither as a vice nor a virtue, supporting the decision to use this product as a control in the present research. This was done to identify whether the products chosen were actually seen as more vice or virtuous by the sample population. As seen in Table 5, it was found that no-alcohol wine, low-alcohol wine and PBM were seen as more virtuous than their vice counterpart (refer to Table 5 for a detailed summary).
Summary of Vice vs. Virtue Question.
Note. A paired samples t-test was used to confirm that significant differences existed between products total AVEs (i.e. regular wine vs. low-alcohol wine; regular wine vs. no-alcohol wine; regular meat vs. PBM).
Perceived health benefits measures were adapted from Dorce et al. (2021) and Yazdanpanah et al. (2015) on a scale from one (strongly disagree) to five (strongly agree). The four-item construct had scores ranging from four to 20, with higher scores indicating higher perceived health benefits. An example statement was, ‘I believe that the regular purchase and consumption of X help me to take care of my health’.
To measure Social Norms, a scale was adapted from Ajzen (2002), Dunn et al. (2011) and D’Souza (2022). It involves four items measured on a five-point Likert scale ranging from one (not at all important) to five (very important). Scores ranged from four to 20. An example statement was, ‘My family thinks I should buy x’.
Neophobia was measured using two scales based on previous research. Food Neophobia (FN) was measured using the Food Neophobia Scale (FNS), originally developed by Pliner and Hobden (1992). It has 10 items on a scale from one (strongly disagree) to seven (strongly agree). A systematic review by Rabadán and Bernabéu (2021) found that the FNS is still the leading instrument to evaluate FN. Scores ranged from 10 to 70, with higher scores representing higher levels of neophobia. Five items were reverse-coded. An example statement was, ‘I don’t trust new foods’.
Wine neophobia was measured using the Wine Neophobia Scale (WNS) adapted from Pliner and Hobden (1992) by Ristic et al. (2016). The WNS contains eight items, rated on a nine-point scale from one (strongly disagree) to nine (strongly agree), giving a minimum score of eight and a maximum score of 72. Five items were reverse-coded. Those in between were neither one nor the other. An example statement was, ‘I do not trust new wines’.
Perceived value was measured through a three-item scale adapted from Sweeney and Soutar’s (2001) and Perron-Brault et al. (2020). Scores ranged from three to 21. An example statement was, ‘I think that this product is of high quality’.
To measure the purchase intention of the products, a scale was adapted from Ajzen (2006) and Dorce et al. (2021) using a five-item, five-point scale. Three items were measured on a scale ranging from one (strongly disagree) to five (strongly agree), one item was measured from one (very weak) to five (very strong), and another was measured from one (unlikely) to five (likely). An example statement was, ‘I plan to purchase X regularly’.
Consumer engagement, adapted from Dessart et al. (2016) and Vivek, Beatty, Vivek and Morgan (2014), was measured on a scale from one (strongly disagree) to seven (strongly agree). The scale had 25 items measuring affective engagement, cognitive engagement, behavioural engagement and social connection. Affective engagement was measured through two dimensions, enthusiasm and enjoyment – with six items; an example statement was ‘I feel enthusiastic about X’. Cognitive engagement was measured through two dimensions, attention and absorption – with six items; an example statement was ‘I spend a lot of time thinking about X’. Behavioural engagement was measured through three dimensions, sharing, learning and endorsing – with 10 items; an example statement was ‘I share my ideas about X’. Social connection was measured through one dimension with three items adapted from Vivek, Beatty, Vivek and Morgan (2014); an example statement was ‘I love having X with my friends’.
Data analysis
Initial analysis was conducted through the SPSS Statistics 29.0 Programme. Descriptive statistics were collected and quotas and characteristics of the data were described. Due to majority of the survey items returning skewness and kurtosis values exceeding +1 or −1 (J. F. Hair et al., 2017), the data was ascertained as non-normal.
Model estimation
Following the preliminary analysis in SPSS and due to the non-normal data, Partial-Least Squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) using the SMART-PLS 4 programme (Ringle et al., 2022) was deemed appropriate. PLS-SEM emphasises prediction and explanation of variance, which provides meaningful insights (Richter et al., 2016). PLS-SEM is also suitable due to the small sample size and for testing phenomenon in early stages of development (Fornell & Bookstein, 1982). Additionally, due to the cross-sectional survey design, PLS-SEM enables simultaneous analysis of multiple variables and the assessment of their interrelationships (Dash & Paul, 2021).
Three phases were involved in the data analysis approach for the research. First, the measurement model was evaluated; second, the structural model was analysed using the bootstrapping procedure with 5,000 bootstrap resampling technique; and third, multi-group analysis was used to examine whether significant differences between the path coefficients for the different conditions and samples existed.
Results
PLS-SEM analysis
The analysis was guided by the two-step approach to PLS-SEM, recommended by Chin (2010) and Hair et al. (2017, 2019). First, the outer model was evaluated through reliability and validity checks. Adequate reliability and validity were ensured; therefore, the inner path model was assessed.
Measurement model
Before analysis began in SMART-PLS, the original data were divided into two distinct studies. Study One involved observing consumer attitudes towards no-alcohol wine, low-alcohol wine and regular wine, known as
Study Two involved observing consumer attitudes towards PBM and regular meat, known as
For Studies One and Two, the reflective higher-order constructs for perceived value, purchase intent and consumer engagement were analysed to assess their construct reliability and validity. Following this, the lower-order constructs were assessed for each higher-order construct (Hair et al., 2017). Perceived value, purchase intent and consumer engagement returned Cronbach’s alphas (CA) of >.70 and composite reliability (CR) of >0.80, which are suitable (Hair et al., 2017, 2019). Additionally, the higher-order constructs all had an estimated average variance explained (AVE) >0.50 and the majority of lower-order constructs had outer loadings of >0.70 or above. This demonstrates acceptable convergent validity (Hair et al., 2014). As a result, these constructs were seen as reliable and valid for use in the structural model.
Reliability and validity assessments were made for the remaining reflective latent variables. Due to some issues with specific outer loadings, some items were removed from the analysis. According to multiple sources (Aguirre-Urreta & Rönkkö, 2018; Hair & Alamer, 2022; Sarstedt et al., 2022), the indicator loadings of non-significant weights need consideration. Indicators that are non-significant and have low loadings (below <0.5) were removed from the measurement model before analysis began. Therefore, some items were removed from the constructs due to low loadings. To keep it consistent across both Study One and Two for analysis, WNS and the affective component of engagement had three items removed, FNS had five items removed and purchase intent had one item removed.
Once this was adjusted, all variables demonstrated construct reliability with CA >0.70 and CR >0.75, confirming internal consistency for Studies One and Two. Convergent validity was also assessed and supported for the constructs, with indicator loadings within a narrow range (0.744–0.954 in Study One; 0.571–0.957 in Study Two) and AVEs above >0.50 (Chin, 2010; Hair et al., 2019).
To assess discriminant validity, the Hetereotrait-Monotrait Ratio (HTMT) of correlations was used. For both studies, all HTMT values were below the threshold of 0.90, demonstrating that each construct was conceptually different (J. F. Hair et al., 2019). Supplemental Appendix A has a detailed summary of the reliability and validity of the measurement model for both Study One and Study Two.
Structural model
The next step of the analysis was to assess each structural model. To achieve this, the size and significance of the path coefficients were evaluated using the 5,000 resample bootstrapping procedure at the 5% significance level (Hair et al., 2019). Each dependent variable’s R2 and Q2 values were assessed for each condition. Majority of values had a moderate to strong R2 value. Additionally, all dependent variables had a Q2 value above 0 meaning that each condition had predictive relevance. Further, PLSpredict was conducted and told us that the conceptual model outperformed a simple linear regression model across all conditions, meaning that PLS-SEM was an appropriate test for the hypothesised relationships. The structural model provides insights into the relationships within the overall model rather than testing the hypotheses directly and is discussed in detail below.
Study One: Wine
The path coefficients for the full and split datasets are shown in Table 6. As shown in Table 6, Study one showed that perceived health benefits had a positively statistically significant effect on the no-alcohol, and complete conditions towards the perceived value of the product. Social norms have a positive statistically significant effect on perceived value for all conditions. For the low-alcohol, regular wine and complete conditions, neophobia negatively influenced perceived value.
Study One: Wine Structural Model Results.
Note. β = path coefficient; T = t-value; p = significance value. PHB = perceived health benefits; PV = perceived value; P = purchase intent; SN = social norms; NEO = neophobia; AFF = affective; COG = cognitive; BEH = behavioural; SOC = social.
Perceived value positively, statistically significantly influenced the affective, cognitive, behavioural and social dimensions of engagement. Perceived value has a positively statistically significant effect on all conditions towards purchase intent.
Study Two: Meat alternatives
For Study Two (Table 7), perceived health benefits have a positively significant effect on the PBM condition (vegetarians), PBM condition (meat eaters) and regular meat condition towards the perceived value of the product. For all conditions, there was a positive statistically significant effect between social norms and perceived value. For neophobia on perceived value, there were no statistically significant effects.
Study Two: Meat Alternatives Structural Model Results.
Note. β = path coefficient; T = t-value; p = significance value. PHB = perceived health benefits; PV = perceived value; P = purchase intent; SN = social norms; NEO = neophobia; AFF = affective; COG = cognitive; BEH = behavioural; SOC = social.
A positive statistically significant effect for all conditions was found where perceived value influenced the affective, behavioural, cognitive and social dimensions of engagement. A statistically significant, positive effect for all conditions was found where perceived value influenced the purchase intent of all conditions.
Multigroup analysis: Assessment of group differences
In the final part of the research, a multi-group analysis was conducted to see whether differences exist between the conditions in the model (Cheah et al., 2023). Due to the use of three conditions, according to Henseler et al. (2015), the measurement invariance of composite models (MICOM) needs assessing. Partial invariance was met (Cheah et al., 2023). The bootstrap MGA technique was used to evaluate the results. PLS-MGA is conducted to explore the differences by using the Welch-Satterthwaite Test (Sarstedt et al., 2011) on all of the data sets.
Study One
In Study One, the differences between the path coefficients between the data sets are shown in Table 8. No differences were found between the no-alcohol condition and low alcohol condition. Three differences were found between the no-alcohol condition and regular wine condition. Whilst H3 and H5 had a statistically significant difference, it was in the opposite direction. The regular wine condition (β = 0-.400) had a significantly stronger negative influence of neophobia on perceived value compared to the no-alcohol wine condition (β = 0-.079). Additionally, perceived value had a stronger significant positive influence on purchase intent in the regular wine condition (β = 0.791) compared to the no-alcohol wine condition (β = 0.642). H4 is partially supported. Perceived value has a significantly stronger positive influence of behavioural engagement in the no-alcohol condition (β = 0.632) compared to the regular wine condition (β = 0.425).
Study One: Wine Multi-group Analysis.
Note. Significance at two-tailed p < 0.05. Diff = difference; PHB = perceived health benefits; PV = perceived value; PI = purchase intent; SN = social norms; NEO = Neophobia; AFF = affective; COG = cognitive; BEH = behavioural; SOC = social.
One difference was found between the low-alcohol condition and regular wine condition. H4 is partially supported. Perceived value had a significantly stronger positive influence of behavioural engagement in the low-alcohol condition (β = 0.698) compared to the regular wine condition (β = 0.425).
Study Two
In Study Two, the differences between the path coefficients between the data sets are shown in Table 9. Three differences were found between the PBM (vegetarian) and regular meat conditions as well as the PBM (meat eaters) and regular meat conditions. H4 was partially supported where that perceived value had a significantly stronger positive influence of cognitive, behavioural and social engagement in the PBM (vegetarian) condition (β = 0.657, 0.727 and 0.740, respectively) compared to the regular meat condition (β = 0.376, 0.359 and 0.536, respectively). Similarly, perceived value had a significantly stronger positive influence on cognitive, behavioural and social engagement in the PBM (meat eaters) condition (β = 0.624, 0.751 and 0.767, respectively) compared to the regular meat condition (β = 0.376, 0.359 and 0.536, respectively).
Study Two: Meat Alternatives Multi-group Analysis.
Note. Significance at two-tailed p < 0.05. Diff = difference: PHB = perceived health benefits; PV = perceived value; PI = purchase intent; SN = social norms; NEO = neophobia; AFF = affective; COG = cognitive; BEH = behavioural; SOC = social.
One difference was found between the PBM (vegetarian) and PBM (meat eaters) condition. Social norms to perceived value differed between the PBM (vegetarians) and PBM (meat eaters). Interestingly, social norms had a significantly stronger positive influence on perceived value in the PBM (meat eaters) condition (β = 0.524) compared to the PBM (vegetarian) condition (β = 0.280).
Table 10 summarises the results of this study in a pictorial format.
Summary of Hypothesis Testing Study One and Study Two (Multi-group Analysis).
Whilst there was a significant p-value, it was in the opposite direction of the proposed hypothesis.
General discussion
Theoretical implications
This study provides several theoretical contributions to relevant literature bodies. First, this paper adds to the vice and virtue literature, especially in the consumption context. Examining consumer behaviour is crucial to understanding consumer decision-making processes in new product adoption. This is evident in research investigating vice and virtue (Anghelcev et al., 2020; Ellison et al., 2016; van Doorn & Verhoef, 2011). The literature has identified that consumers might prefer a virtuous product over their vice counterpart due to health and wellness concerns (Anghelcev et al., 2020; Ellison et al., 2016; van Doorn & Verhoef, 2011). Due to the relative newness of no-alcohol, low-alcohol wine and PBM in the market, it was decided that it was essential to see whether consumers believed the product choices were seen as vice or virtue. This was true, with consumers overwhelmingly finding that no-alcohol wine and PBM were more virtuous than their counterparts.
Further, customer perceived value is key in marketing literature and there have been calls to extend this concept to an engagement framework (Kumar & Reinartz, 2016). The present study utilises Customer Perceived Value Theory and Consumer Engagement to delve into how consumers adopt virtuous products compared to their vice counterparts. Traditional models from Zeithaml (1988) on perceived value focus on the trade-offs between benefits and costs. With also looking at consumer engagement as a multi-dimensional framework, it demonstrated that each dimension can be influenced differently depending on the value a consumer places with a product. Additionally, understanding that perceived value does not directly influence purchase intent for virtuous products over vice, is another theoretical implication, with further research needed to understand this. Previous studies also suggested using multiple product categories to investigate consumer engagement (Bilro & Loureiro, 2020); this research answers these calls, demonstrating that different product categories trigger distinct dimensions of engagement which future researchers can be aware of when observing these two product categories. Specifically, the present study highlighted that perceived value of plant-based meat increased cognitive and social engagement more when compared to regular meat, whereas these two dimensions had no influence on no-alcohol wine or low-alcohol wine. Further, looking at no-alcohol and low-alcohol wine as separate variables and clearly defining these product categories is recommended (Shaw et al., 2023); this study undertook that call. Additionally, previous research (Wang & Scrimgeour, 2021) suggested that future studies explore the differences and similarities of the adoption of PBM with different consumer preferences (i.e. vegetarian and meat eaters), again that is addressed in this study.
Perceived health benefits and perceived value
The principle of utility maximisation helps us to understand that perceived benefits influence overall value (Kumar & Reinartz, 2016). With this in mind, it was proposed that health, a perceived benefit, would positively influence the adoption of virtuous products. This is because previous research posits that perceived health benefits influence the adoption of novel products (Dorce et al., 2021; Elzerman et al., 2013; Goetzke et al., 2014; Michaelidou & Hassan, 2008). Interestingly, when looking at the structural model, it was revealed that consumers pay attention to health benefits on the perceived value for no-alcohol wine, PBM (both eat eaters and vegetarians) and regular meat. However, through multi-group analysis, both Study One and Study Two revealed no significant effects of perceived health benefits on perceived value for virtuous products when compared to vice products, therefore rejecting H1. It is still important to highlight how products have health benefits as this can influence the value a consumer places on a product. This supports previous research (Bryant et al., 2019; Goetzke et al., 2014; Michaelidou & Hassan, 2008) where consumers have become more health conscious, leading them to pay more attention to the health benefits associated with the products and adds to the growing literature in this area. However, for consumers, if they perceive that a product has health benefits, they are more likely to adopt it no matter whether it is seen as vice or virtue.
Social norms and perceived value
Social norms, observed as the second benefit of perceived value, has been well-established in consumer behaviour research that socially acceptable behaviours drive intention (D’Souza, 2022; Dunn et al., 2011; Roh et al., 2022). Social norms have been revealed to positively influence the perceived value in relation to eating healthy (i.e. adopting a virtuous product; de Kervenoael et al., 2021) and trigger overall value (Blut et al., 2023). Assessing the results of the present research, the structural model itself revealed that social norms does positively influence the value of any of the products, meaning that consumers pay attention to what others think and this in turn affects how they perceive value. However, when observing the multi-group analysis, H2 was not supported as it did not matter whether the product was seen as vice or virtue, this did not influence value. Interestingly, when comparing consumer groups (i.e. meat eaters and vegetarians) and whether social norms influences the perceived value of plant-based meat, it was found that social norms actually had a positive effect for meat eaters. This finding demonstrates that meat eaters are potentially influenced by socially acceptable behaviours whereas vegetarians are not. Social norms may affect meat-eaters more strongly because they reduce cognitive dissonance associated with consuming meat, normalise the transition towards plant-based meat options in social circles and serve as a behavioural nudge to overcome this resistance to change. Vegetarians, on the other hand, are already aligned with plant-based ‘meat’ norms, making social influences less impactful. This is an interesting build on existing literature, however, more research is needed to understand this.
Neophobia and perceived value
Neophobia, considered a perceived sacrifice to perceived value, is the fear of and avoidance of new products (Alley, 2018). With previous research finding that high neophobia leads to a lower probability that a consumer will accept change or innovations to products (Rabadán & Bernabéu, 2021), it was expected that consumers would be more fearful of no-alcohol wine when compared to regular wine and this in turn would diminish the value associated with the product. This was also assumed for PBM when compared to regular meat. However, this was not found. This might be because of, for a wine product in particular, the association consumers already have with wine and the prestige they often place. Further, neophobic tendencies did not influence the perceived value of PBM, in contrast to previous research (Bryant et al., 2019; Hoek et al., 2011).
Perceived value and consumer engagement
The perceived value of a product plays a crucial role in consumer engagement. Previous research identified that when consumers receive the expected benefits from consuming a product that meets their needs and requirements, they feel that it is essential to engage with the product (McKee et al., 2006; Park et al., 2021). Additionally, consumer engagement is an important concept to understand as this ensures both researchers and marketers can provide guidance on identifying and targeting different consumer segments to engage with a product (Vander Schee et al., 2020). Whilst literature has identified that customer perceived value can positively influence consumer engagement (Itani et al., 2019), this was in a restaurant setting and looked at offerings and a different conceptualisation of consumer engagement. Instead, the present study uses Hollebeek et al. (2014) widely accepted conceptualisation of consumer engagement and applies this to different products (vice vs. virtue) to understand consumer behaviour with a different lens.
Similar to the Itani et al (2019) study, the present research showed that no matter the product category, if consumers perceived value they would engage with the product. Although, when it came to understanding the multi-group analysis, results for H4 differed. When looking at Study One, perceived value of the virtuous product only influenced behavioural engagement. This means that if consumers perceived value with no-alcohol or low-alcohol wine, they were more likely to spend time, put in effort and energy, with the product compared to with regular wine. Regarding Study Two, cognitive, behavioural and social engagement all were influenced by perceived value for plant-based meat when compared to regular meat. Consumers may find more value in virtuous products (i.e. plant-based meat) because these products resonate with their beliefs and potentially offer long-term benefits and help avoid guilt (Kivetz & Zheng, 2016; Muñoz-Vilches et al., 2019; Vosgerau et al., 2020). These different factors then influence higher engagement with virtuous products compared to vice products, which may off the immediate gratification but lack long-term positive outcomes (Ruiz-Conde et al., 2021; Taghikhah et al., 2020). The differences between perceived value and the dimensions provide some important discussion points, highlighting that understanding the nature of the category is crucial. Consumers nowadays pay close attention to health and sustainability factors, with this being a big focus for the transition to and consumption of plant-based meat (Neacsu et al., 2017; Rizzo et al., 2023). Wine, on the other hand, is more about learning from and endorsing wine that aligns with consumer preferences (Goodman, 2009).
These findings provide some important implications for both the Theory of Consumption Values and Consumer Engagement. This study demonstrates the necessity to consider the various dimensions of consumer engagement as perceived value influences each dimension differently depending on the product category. It also relates to the vice and virtue concept, confirming that the nature of a products category leads to different outcomes.
Perceived value and purchase intent
Purchase intent is often considered a direct antecedent to behaviour intention (Ajzen, 2006). Studies have suggested that when consumers perceive value of a product, their intention to purchase a product is positively influenced (Vieira, 2013; Watanabe et al., 2020). With this in mind, it was found that no matter what product, once consumers found value with a product, this positively influenced their intent to purchase the product, supporting previous research. However, the multi-group analysis revealed no significant results bar one, although in the opposite direction, it was revealed that the perceived value of regular wine influenced purchase intent more than the no-alcohol wine. Therefore, H5 was not supported.
Managerial implications
This research also has a range of managerial implications that the industry can utilise. The present study adds to the no-alcohol and low-alcohol space by showing marketers how to advertise and what aspects to consider. Interestingly, and unlike previous research (Naspetti et al., 2020; Shaw et al., 2023), no differences were seen between abstainers and the no-alcohol wine condition (drinkers), which led to combining these two categories. This finding in itself helps marketing strategies: knowing that when advertising no-alcohol wine, it does not have to be tailored differently depending on whether they are a drinker or non-drinker; this is significant to practice and will likely increase advertising efficiency.
Further, it is increasingly important for both the wine and food industry to have a complete understanding of consumer perspectives towards no-alcohol wine, low-alcohol wine and PBM due to the heightened popularity of consumer health and wellbeing (Fiorentini et al., 2020; Halstead, 2021; IBIS, 2023; IWSR, 2022; Pointke & Pawelzik, 2022). Therefore, understanding whether consumers perceive health benefits from certain products is important to ensure adequate marketing strategies and policies are developed and implemented to address these rising dietary trends.
Interestingly, the only differences found between meat eaters and vegetarians and their attitudes towards plant-based meat was with social norms. Therefore, marketers need to be aware of this when they are approaching certain consumer demographics and how this might impact the response to engaging with a plant-based product. Specifically, if marketers leverage the use of social norms on meat eaters, this may create higher adoption due to plant-based meat being a socially accepted and trendy behaviour.
Additionally, marketers are in a new era where consumer engagement is essential to ensure success in both marketing and business (Brodie et al., 2011; Santos et al., 2022; Vander Schee et al., 2020; Vivek, Beatty, & Morgan, 2014). The different results of perceived value on consumer engagement and the dimensions help marketers focus on specific aspects of engagement. When encouraging consumers to adopt virtuous products over vice products, it was identified that behavioural engagement is the most influential. This means that marketers should pay attention to when and how consumers put time and effort into product choice.
Conclusion, limitations and future research
This research contributed to the vice and virtue, customer perceived value and, consumer engagement literature by applying a newly developed model to two up-and-coming societal trends. Understanding consumer attitudes and behaviours towards the adoption of no-alcohol wine, low-alcohol wine and PBM was explored through perceived benefits of (health benefits and social norms) and perceived sacrifices to (neophobic tendencies) perceived value and how this influences consumer engagement and purchase intention. As highlighted above, this research has many theoretical and managerial implications for the two product categories and the vice and virtue literature.
Although this research has important theoretical and managerial implications, limitations that impact future research exist. Whilst this research showed that consumers pay particular attention to the ‘perceived’ health benefits, consumers were not asked what they believed made the product healthy. Future research could address what consumers think the health benefits are, as studies are contradictory on whether no-alcohol wine and PBM are healthy due to the process of making them. Additionally, the present research was limited to consumer attitudes in Australia. Differences in consumer perspectives may exist between Eastern and Western countries, therefore, generalisation should come with some trepidation. Certainly, replication in other markets is warranted, given global trends. However, this does mean there is room for exploring consumer acceptance of no-alcohol wine, low-alcohol wine and PBM in different countries. Further, differences in age and gender were not considered in this research. Future research could address this and investigate whether these variables influence the different product categories. Finally, the present research approached perceived value as a unidimensional scale. Future research could instead approach perceived value as a multidimensional concept.
Whilst limitations exist in this research, there is an opportunity for future research to mitigate some of these limitations. Future research could consider looking deeper into how fear influences consumers’ value perception of these products. This could provide a richer understanding of what reduces fear and potentially consider whether fear and risk also affects consumers attitudes towards new and novel products. Whilst previous research looked at some aspects of this (such as food technology; Verneau et al., 2014), a more comprehensive understanding of how this influences the present product categories is necessary. This could also be addressed by looking at the effect of differently framed communication messages and how this changes consumers value of the product as well as consumer engagement and purchase intent of the products. More research into social norms and how this impacts a consumer’s decision to interact with a product is needed. With the mixed results found in this study, future research could address this differently, potentially looking at different consumption situations, social company and whether this changes a consumer’s desire to conform. Further, an additional category, the mid-strength wine category, is making headway and future research should also consider this product and how consumer attitudes differ. Finally, an in-between group analysis can be challenging, and future research could consider doing a within-groups design where participants are exposed to both the vice and virtue products to understand how their attitudes differ between the two products.
Supplemental Material
sj-docx-1-anz-10.1177_14413582251331610 – Supplemental material for From Vice to Virtue: Disentangling Consumer Engagement With Regular and Innovative Wine and Meat Products
Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-anz-10.1177_14413582251331610 for From Vice to Virtue: Disentangling Consumer Engagement With Regular and Innovative Wine and Meat Products by Cassidy Lia Shaw, Rebecca Dolan, Armando Maria Corsi and Steve Goodman in Australasian Marketing Journal
Footnotes
Author contributions
Cassidy Lia Shaw: Conceptualisation, Methodology, Investigation, Resources, Data Curation, Writing – Original draft and Visualisation. Rebecca Dolan: Conceptualisation, Methodology, Investigation, Resources, Writing – Review & Editing, Supervision, Project administration and Funding acquisition. Armando Maria Corsi: Conceptualisation, Methodology, Investigation, Resources, Writing – Review & Editing, Supervision, Project administration and Funding acquisition. Steve Goodman: Conceptualisation, Methodology, Investigation, Resources, Writing – Review & Editing, Supervision and Funding acquisition
Declaration of conflicting interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Cassidy Lia Shaw reports financial support was provided by Wine Australia. The other authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Ethical approval
Ethical approval for the involvement of human subjects in this study was granted by the University of Adelaide’s Human Research Ethics Committee (H-2023-039), on the 09/03/2023.
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References
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