Consumer Acceptance of Dry Dog Food Variations

Abstract

Simple SummaryThe objectives of this study were to compare the acceptance of different dry dog food products by consumers, determine consumer clusters for acceptance, and identify the characteristics of dog food that drive consumer acceptance. Pet owners evaluated dry dog food samples available in the US market. The results indicated that appearance of the sample, especially the color, influenced pet owner’s overall liking more than the aroma of the product.AbstractThe objectives of this study were to compare the acceptance of different dry dog food products by consumers, determine consumer clusters for acceptance, and identify the characteristics of dog food that drive consumer acceptance. Eight dry dog food samples available in the US market were evaluated by pet owners. In this study, consumers evaluated overall liking, aroma, and appearance liking of the products. Consumers were also asked to predict their purchase intent, their dog’s liking, and cost of the samples. The results indicated that appearance of the sample, especially the color, influenced pet owner’s overall liking more than the aroma of the product. Overall liking clusters were not related to income, age, gender, or education, indicating that general consumer demographics do not appear to play a main role in individual consumer acceptance of dog food products.

Acceptability of Dry Dog Food Visual Characteristics by Consumer Segments Based on Overall Liking: a Case Study in Poland

“…The results of this research showed that the acceptability of the appearance of dry dog food by consumers is affected by the number of kibbles, color(s), shape(s), and size(s) present in the product. These results complement the results by Di Donfrancesco et al [ 15 ] who found that the color of the kibbles and the size of them affect the liking of dry dog food by consumers. The participants overall showed preference for single-kibble samples of brown colors, medium kibble sizes, and traditional kibble shapes such as triangular prisms.…”

“…From a sensory perspective, the interaction dog owners have with dog food is usually through the senses of sight and smell. Di Donfrancesco et al [ 15 ] studied the overall acceptability, aroma acceptability and appearance acceptability of dry dog food products by consumers in the United States. The results showed that the appearance is more important than the aroma in driving the consumers’ liking of dry dog food products.…”

“…Companies strive to catch the customers’ attention by developing products with innovative visual characteristics to make their products stand out over the competition. Given the results by Di Donfrancesco et al [ 15 ], further study is necessary to gain a deeper understanding on what kind of visual characteristics are preferred by consumers and what are some of the factors driving appearance liking by consumers in dry fog food products. Koppel et al [ 16 ] studied this subject for consumers in Thailand and found that Thai consumers liked kibbles with a bone shape and yellowish color best.…”

Sensory Characteristics and Volatile Components of Dry Dog Foods Manufactured with Sorghum Fractions

“…Palatability of pet food products plays an important role for success on the market, but consumer acceptance of aroma and appearance of kibble needs to be understood as well [ 2 ]. Descriptive sensory analysis has been used to study sensory characteristics of dry and canned pet food products [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Pet foods can be complex in their characteristics as a wide variety of ingredients are utilized for different types of pet foods, such as dry, canned, or semi-moist products.…”

Assessing Food Preferences in Dogs and Cats: A Review of the Current Methods

“…Furthermore, when tested in-home, it is possible to use questionnaires in order to enrich the information gathered. For example, additional data such as human perceptions of the food [ 19 ] or the animals’ enthusiasm to eat it [ 11 , 20 ] can be collected. Thus, owners can provide not only information about home environment and dietary history of their animal but also their impressions on the different diets and report any behavior or physiological modifications.…”