Who Needs Cream and Sugar When There Is Eco-Labeling? Taste and Willingness to Pay for “Eco-Friendly” Coffee

Abstract

Participants tasted two cups of coffee, decided which they preferred, and then rated each coffee. They were told (in lure) that one of the cups contained “eco-friendly” coffee while the other did not, although the two cups contained identical coffee. In Experiments 1 and 3, but not in Experiment 2, the participants were also told which cup contained which type of coffee before they tasted. The participants preferred the taste of, and were willing to pay more for, the “eco-friendly” coffee, at least those who scored high on a questionnaire on attitudes toward sustainable consumer behavior (Experiment 1). High sustainability consumers were also willing to pay more for “eco-friendly” coffee, even when they were told, after their decision, that they preferred the non-labeled alternative (Experiment 2). Moreover, the eco-label effect does not appear to be a consequence of social desirability, as participants were just as biased when reporting the taste estimates and willingness to pay anonymously (Experiment 3). Eco labels not only promote a willingness to pay more for the product but also lead to a more favorable perceptual experience of it.

When symbolism overtakes quality: Materialists consumers disregard product quality when faced with luxury brands

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Assessing the Impact of Finings on the Perception of Beer

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“…Therefore, consumers consider organic products to be reputable products [6], and they expect organic products to be healthy and environmentally friendly. Sörqvist et al [12] found that even if the ingredients in coffee are the same, subjects exhibited a higher purchase intention and sensory evaluation to one kind of coffee when they were informed that it was organic. This means that consumers have expectations …”