Effect of Quality Characteristics on Consumers' Willingness to Pay for Gala Apples

Abstract

This paper uses individual apple-level data that include consumer sensory assessments and instrumental measurements of internal quality to analyze willingness to pay for Washington State Gala apples.Three distinct models are estimated: a model that includes destructive internal quality measures of apple characteristics, a model that utilizes only non-destructive internal quality measures, and a consumer model that includes subjective consumer sensory evaluations and consumer socio-demographic characteristics. The objective is to identify instrumental measures of internal quality that can be used to inform the apple industry of consumer preferences. The consumer model serves as a benchmark. Finally, we evaluate whether non-destructive measures of internal quality can substitute for destructive measures. We find that firmness and soluble solids content are significant and can be measured effectively using non-destructive measures. Implications of the findings for the apple industry in terms of marketing and possible "elite" standards for apples are discussed. Le présent article utilise des données individuelles, notamment desévaluations sensorielles et des mesures instrumentales, pour analyser la volonté de payer des consommateurs pour des pommes Gala de l'État de Washington. Nous avons estimé trois modèles: un modèle comprenant des mesures instrumentales qui affectent la qualité interne des pommes; un modèle qui utilise des mesures instrumentales qui n'affectent pas la qualité interne; un modèle du consommateur qui comprend desévaluations sensorielles subjectives et des caractéristiques sociodémographiques. L'objectif consistaità identifier les mesures instrumentales qui pourraientêtre utilisées pour renseigner l'industrie pomicole sur lespréférences des consommateurs. Le modèle du consommateur a servi de point de référence. Finalement, nous avons examiné si les techniques non destructives de mesure de la qualité interne pouvaient ou non remplacer les techniques destructives. Nous avons trouvé que la fermeté et la teneur en solides solubles sont des caractéristiques importantes et qu'elles peuventêtre mesurées efficacement au moyen de techniques non destructives. Nous discutons des répercussions de ces résultats sur l'industrie pomicole sur le plan du marketing et de l'établissement possible de normes élite .

Development of fruit quality within top apple cultivars based on the consumer preference testing in last 34 years

“…Gala, with the exception of the period 1979-1990, has not been listed in the tables surveying the top ones. The main reason for this is probably its swift decrease of taste and other fruit characteristics during fruit storage of the cultivar (Volz et al 2003;McCluskey et al 2007).…”

Sensory description labels for food affect consumer product choice

“…Sensory description labels de Chernatony and Harris (2000) declared that providing an added value for the consumer might lead to higher prices and higher margins for the selling company. Furthermore, different products will have different sets of sensory characteristics, and the importance of the attributes that are present and communicated could also affect the consumers' willingness to pay (McCluskey et al, 2007). Fotopoulos and Krystallis (2003), who examined the Greek market and consumers' attitudes towards quality labels, found that consumers might be more willing to pay a higher or premium price for apples with a quality label.…”

Sensory and Hedonic Evaluation in Response to Food-Cue Exposure: The Case of Juicing Demonstration of Fresh Oranges

“…This result implies that consumers' orange juice acceptance may be strongly linked to what they experience when drinking the orange juice. Thus, if individuals have a good impression of an orange juice, they may repeat purchasing that orange juice (McCluskey et al, 2007). This also implies the importance of consumers' juice brand loyalty.…”

“…External attributes such as size, grade, cosmetic defects, and storage played a key role in price determination and product demand (Carew, 2000;Kim & House, 2012;Tronstad, Huthoefer, & Monke, 1992). On the other hand, eating-quality factors (internal food attributes) such as crispness, sweetness, acidity, and juiciness considerably influence whether consumers will repeat fruit purchases (McCluskey, Mittelhammer, Marin, & Wright, 2007).…”