By: John Dudley and Cassidy Delamarter, University Communications and Marketing
Who doesn’t love free food samples? Whether it’s a bite-sized cookie or granola bar,
the food industry is spending more than $1 billion annually to provide customers with
samples. New research at the University of South Florida reveals these tiny tastings
can have a big impact on your buying behavior, especially when it comes to healthy
selections.
“Our study looked at whether a free complimentary healthy food item can actually be
bad for you,” said Dipayan Biswas, USF professor of marketing. “What we found was that getting one at a store or restaurant
can lead consumers to subsequently purchase indulgent foods.”
Published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, the study found that sampling a healthy item might surprisingly lead you to select something
unhealthy – but only when the healthy sample is very different from other available
options. When the sampled item and subsequent choices are perceived as similar, the
opposite effect happens, nudging shoppers toward healthier decisions.
The results from a series of experiments, including four field studies, suggest that
the seemingly innocent act of sampling can ripple through our shopping carts in surprising
ways. Biswas said consumers should be aware that sampling healthy food may give them
a false sense of “virtue,” potentially leading one to later indulge in less healthy
options.
Next time you’re offered a small taste while shopping or dining out, consider how
that tiny bite might influence your shopping decisions.
