Impact of food retailer branding on expectation generation and liking

Abstract: Branding can influence sensory evaluation, however, the impact of food retailers from different tiers (premium, everyday and discount) remains undocumented. The aim of this project was to test whether food retailers generated different quality expectations and establish whether these impacted on sensory evaluation. Expected liking of 4 chocolate samples (private brand, premium, everyday and discount food retailer brands) was measured using a survey (n=199) and hedonic ratings (n=152) were obtained in blind and informed conditions. Seventy one of the 152 panelists were required to rate their expected liking prior to the informed hedonic test to assess whether stating expectations could influence subsequent liking. The premium food retailer and private brand generated similarly high quality expectations which resulted in significant disconfirmation although a significant response shift was only observed for the private brand when expectations were measured. In contrast, the everyday and discount food retailers generated lower expectations which aligned well with the sensory experience. Practical applications: Although established private brands are still perceived as the gold standard; premium food retailers can also generate high expectations and there is a clear hierarchy of expectations between food retailers' tiers. In spite of this, branding had a modest impact on sensory evaluation compared to actual product quality with partial assimilation observed only for the private brand. Food retailers should continue to develop their product quality to carry on improving their brand image. Asking panelists to state their expectations just prior to the informed hedonic testing could result in self-induced suggestion error. It is recommended that expectations and informed liking are captured sufficiently far apart when using the same panelists.